Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether departments have been asked to make (a) operational and (b) efficiency savings to fund the new Digital ID programme.
Answered by Josh Simons - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
Costs to departments in this Spending Review period will be met within the existing Spending Review settlement.
Asked by: Bob Blackman (Conservative - Harrow East)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what estimate she made of the cost to her Department of implementing the digital ID scheme since September 2024.
Answered by Josh Simons - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
Costs in this Spending Review period will be met within the existing Spending Review settlement.
Asked by: Lord Scriven (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask His Majesty's Government what specific reasonable adjustments are embedded in the digital benefit application interface to accommodate claimants with learning disabilities; and what percentage of those who failed (1) the identity verification, and (2) the work capability, online application stages in the past 12 months were identified as having a learning disability.
Answered by Baroness Sherlock - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Department is committed to ensuring that its digital benefit services, including the Universal Credit online claim, are accessible to all, in line with our duties under the Equality Act 2010. This includes making reasonable adjustments for people with learning disabilities so that they are not placed at a substantial disadvantage when applying for support.
Universal Credit is designed as a modern digital service, with the online application structured in clear steps and using plain English, informed by user research and feedback. The questions presented are built dynamically based on the information the customer provides, so people only see the screens that are relevant to their circumstances, reducing complexity for those who may find long forms or highly technical language difficult to manage.
An Accessibility Statement link is also available at the bottom of each Universal Credit page. This explains how to access the service if extra support is needed, including how to ask for information in alternative formats or for additional help with managing the digital journey.
Customers who are unable to use the digital service can make a claim by telephone, and where they are unable to attend the jobcentre, a home visit can be arranged to undertake verification. Customers may also give explicit consent for a trusted third party to help manage their claim, or an appointee can be formally appointed to act on their behalf, with these arrangements recorded within the digital service.
The Department keeps the Universal Credit service under regular review and continues to work with stakeholders, disability organisations and people with lived experience to identify further improvements, including for customers with learning disabilities, to ensure that our services remain accessible and responsive to all.
With reference to the statistics requested, these are not readily available based on the requested parameters.
Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the implications for employers and workers of the removal of the mandatory element from their plans for digital identification.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
The national digital ID will not be mandatory for individuals to obtain. However, digital right to work checks will be mandatory by the end of the Parliament
Currently, for British and Irish citizens, many right to work checks are paper based. This is vulnerable to fraud and does not create a clear record of when and where checks have been carried out
The digital ID will provide a modern, secure and trusted way for people to prove who they are and access services across the public and private sectors
We will issue the new digital ID, for free, to everybody who wants one and has the right to be in the UK, including the around 10% of UK citizens without traditional forms of ID
We will be consulting imminently - in a range of ways – to ensure the introduction of Digital ID is as effective and inclusive as possible.
Asked by: Lord Kempsell (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask His Majesty's Government what the full responsibilities of the Minister for Digital ID are.
Answered by Baroness Lloyd of Effra - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
Josh Simons MP has been appointed Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, serving as a joint Minister between the Cabinet Office and the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT).
Minister Simons is responsible for supporting and providing assurance to the Chief Secretary to the Prime Minister, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster in the Cabinet Office and the Secretary of State for DSIT on the design and cross-government delivery of the digital ID programme. He will work closely with Minister Murray, Minister of State for Digital Government and Data, who retains ownership of related areas including data policy and other Government Digital Products.
Asked by: David Davis (Conservative - Goole and Pocklington)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, by how much they plan to reduce their Department's budget to help fund the digital ID scheme.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
Digital Identity policy is in development, with a dedicated team inside the Cabinet Office working to develop the proposals.
We are inviting the public to have their say in the upcoming consultation as we develop a safe, secure, and inclusive system for the UK. No final decisions will be made until after the consultation.
Asked by: David Davis (Conservative - Goole and Pocklington)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, by how much they plan to reduce their Department's budget to help fund the digital ID scheme.
Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
Digital Identity policy is in development, with a dedicated team inside the Cabinet Office working to develop the proposals.
Costs in this Spending Review period will be met within the existing Spending Review settlements.
We are inviting the public to have their say in the upcoming consultation as we develop a safe, secure, and inclusive system for the UK. No final decisions will be made until after the consultation.
Asked by: Manuela Perteghella (Liberal Democrat - Stratford-on-Avon)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether any recruitment, procurement, or system development activity has been initiated or progressed in relation to Digital Identity and the One Login for Government programme.
Answered by Josh Simons - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The GOV.UK One Login system is fully operational. Users can set up an account, sign in and then prove their identity to access an initial set of 122 government services.
Digital Identity policy is in development, with a dedicated team inside the Cabinet Office working to develop the proposals. Any notices relating to public procurement will be accessible via https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk.
Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what consideration has been made of allocating a Digital Identity Number to children at birth.
Answered by Josh Simons - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
All UK citizens and legal residents aged 16 and over will be able to get the national digital identity credential, and we will be consulting the public on the minimum age.
We want people to have the option to use the national digital ID to make their lives easier - like smoother access to public services and safer proof of who you are across the economy.
Asked by: Neil O'Brien (Conservative - Harborough, Oadby and Wigston)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, for what reason (a) the number of staff and (b) staff costs have increased at Companies House since April 2017.
Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Companies House’s staff numbers have increased in recent years as a result of its extensive transformation to strengthen the integrity and transparency of the UK corporate register. The Economic Crime and Corporate Transparency Act 2023 has significantly expanded Companies House’s remit, introducing new powers such as identity verification and enhanced investigation and enforcement to tackle misuse of the register and combat economic crime. Alongside enhancements to its digital and data systems, these changes have required additional specialist capability to implement and maintain. These factors, together with the implementation of civil service pay awards, have affected staff costs over this period.