Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds Central and Headingley)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department has made an assessment of the adequacy of the rates of New Style Jobseeker’s Allowance in relation to living costs for a single adult.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Secretary of State is required by law to undertake an annual review of benefit rates. In a statement made on 26 November 2025, the Secretary of State announced that from April 2026, Jobseeker’s Allowance will be increased by 3.8% in line with the increase in the Consumer Prices Index in the year to September 2025, subject to parliamentary approval.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many benefit claims in the last five years have involved individuals presenting as part of a polygamous household; and what the outcomes of those claims were.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Polygamous households are not recognised in Universal Credit. In claims where the claimant identifies as polygamous, the first spousal couple (the two partners who have been married longest) in the relationship could form a claim as a couple. However, all extant members of the relationship living in the household would need to make separate claims.
Benefits such as Income Support, Jobseeker's Allowance, Employment and Support Allowance and Housing Benefit do recognise a small number of polygamous marriages which took place in a jurisdiction where polygamy is permitted. This number is very small and declining. Since the Immigration Act 1988, it has not been possible for people polygamously married overseas to bring second wives to the UK through the spouse visa route.
As such, statistics are not held regarding numbers of claimants presenting as part of a polygamous household and would be disproportionate in cost to produce.
Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people resident in the European Economic Area claimed New Style Job Seekers Allowance in the last three years.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.
Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people resident in Switzerland claimed New Style Jobseeker's Allowance in the last three years.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.
Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of changes in the number of 18-24 year olds claiming jobseeker’s allowance in South Holland and the Deepings constituency; and what steps she plans to take to help young people find jobs.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
The latest published statistics can be obtained from Stat-Xplore - Log in Guidance on how to use it can be found here: https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/User-Guide.html
DWP currently provides young people aged 16-24 with labour market support through an extensive range of interventions at a national and local level. This includes flexible provision driven by local need. Spalding Jobcentre works very closely with several training providers such as National Careers Service, Boston College, Tonic Health, LCVS and Net UK.
As part of our plan to Get Britain Working, we are launching a new Youth Guarantee for all young people aged 18-21 in England to ensure that they can access quality training opportunities, an apprenticeship or help to find work. We will use the learning from eight Mayoral Strategic Authorities Youth Guarantee Trailblazers to inform the future design and development of the Youth Guarantee across England.
Asked by: Gideon Amos (Liberal Democrat - Taunton and Wellington)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of the Child Maintenance Service calculation formula for the (a) use of pre-tax earnings from the previous financial year for determining payments and (b) exemption from maintenance payments for non-resident parents on benefits; and whether she plans to review that formula.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
Information about the paying parent's gross income is taken directly from HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) for the most recent available full tax year. This allows calculations to be made quickly and accurately. Use of historic income ensures a stable calculation, which we know from customer feedback is valued as it enables parents to rely on maintenance for financial planning purposes.
Parents in receipt of benefits (including Jobseeker's Allowance and Universal Credit without earnings) or who have gross weekly income between £7 and £100, are required to pay the flat rate of £7 a week. This rate makes sure that parents contribute financially to their children's upbringing. It also protects the welfare of the paying parent and any children in their household.
The Department is currently reviewing the calculation to make sure it is fit for purpose. This has included updating the underlying research and considering how we ensure the calculation reflects current and future societal trends.
Asked by: Mark Pritchard (Conservative - The Wrekin)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking with the Secretary of State for Defence to encourage young people claiming Jobseeker's Allowance to seek employment in the armed forces.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Department for Work and Pensions is committed to working closely alongside the Ministry of Defence to identify and support anyone in receipt of benefits with transferable skills to move into careers within the Armed Forces, with a particular focus on younger customers.
We are also committed to promoting and advertising career opportunities across the Armed Forces at our regular recruitment events, dedicated armed forces recruitment days and through our offer of account managing vacancies.
This allows us to ensure we are signposting customers to the available opportunities within the Armed Forces.
Asked by: Helen Whately (Conservative - Faversham and Mid Kent)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether it is her Department’s policy to stop (a) Universal Credit, (b) New Style Jobseeker's Allowance and (c) income-based Jobseeker's Allowance claims of people who refuse to (i) engage with a Jobcentre and (ii) accept a job offer.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Apart from those with exceptions, all customers must accept a Claimant Commitment as a condition of entitlement. The requirements any customer is asked to meet will be clearly set out in their Claimant Commitment, including attending appointments and undertaking work-related activities.
Where the Department has evidence that a customer has failed to undertake their agreed work-related requirements without good reason, we will look into whether a sanction – which is a reduction in the amount of benefit paid – is applicable.
Where a customer in receipt of income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance fails to attend their Work Search Review and fails to make contact within 5 working days, their entitlement to benefit will also cease.
Asked by: Anneliese Midgley (Labour - Knowsley)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate she has made of the number of young people out of work in Knowsley constituency.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
In November 2024 the number of 16 to 24 year olds in Knowsley was 655. The claimant count series counts the number of people claiming Jobseeker's Allowance plus those who claim Universal Credit and are required to seek work and be available for work.
Liverpool Mayoral Combined Authority was one of the eight trailblazer areas to test the Youth Guarantee announced in the Get Britain Working White Paper. The results from these trailblazers will help us to develop the most effective offer for all young people in England, including those in the Knowsley constituency.
The Youth Guarantee will be available to all young people aged 18-21, not just those on benefits. It will help young people to access education, training and employment support.
Local Jobcentres work closely with Knowsley Works, the Local Authority employability service, to promote Apprenticeships and Job Opportunities, as well as working in partnership to deliver employability support and events.
Asked by: Torsten Bell (Labour - Swansea West)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to her Department’s statistics on the ONS Nomis database on Jobseekers Allowance on-flows by occupation and age, what assessment she has made of the potential reason for changes in the number of on-flows to Jobseekers Allowance where the occupation is unknown since June 2024.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
There have been some changes to the administrative instructions followed by the department’s Work Coaches around recording occupation at the Initial Work Seach Interview. This has led to the observed change in the levels of unknown occupations in the Jobseekers Allowance occupation data since June.