Asked by: Neil Duncan-Jordan (Labour - Poole)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will set out the annual uprating arrangements for (a) both parts of the old state pension (basic and second) and (b) the new state pension.
Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
Legislation requires that both the basic State Pension (pre-2016 system) and the new State Pension should rise annually at least in line with earnings. The Government has made a manifesto commitment for this Parliament to maintain the Triple Lock for the basic and new State Pensions. This goes further, increasing them by the highest of growth in earnings, growth in prices, or 2.5%.
The Secretary of State undertakes an annual review of benefit and pension rates. This year the rates considered included the Consumer Price Index (CPI) inflation in the year to September 2025 which was 3.8%, and the average weekly earnings (AWE) figure (including bonuses) for May to July 2025 which was 4.8%. The AWE rate was the highest of the Triple Lock measures, meaning that, subject to Parliamentary approval, the basic and new State Pensions will be increased by 4.8% from April 2026.
In the pre-2016 State Pension system, the Triple Lock applies to the basic State Pension. The additional State Pension (also known as the State Earnings-Related Pension Scheme, or SERPS, or from April 2002 the State Second Pension) and most other State Pension components are uprated by prices (CPI). This enables them to retain their real value over time, mirroring occupational pension schemes which typically uprate by prices. Subject to Parliamentary approval, these elements will be increased by 3.8% from April 2026.
Protected Payments in the new State Pension (transitional amounts in excess of the full rate) are also increased by CPI.
Although the uprating approaches in the pre-2016 and new state Pension systems operate slightly differently, there are many other elements in each of the pre 2016 and new State Pension system which all need to be taken together in the round.
Asked by: Samantha Niblett (Labour - South Derbyshire)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how their department can work with others across Government to ensure there are the right skills and workforce in place to support local authorities in developing careers in amenity horticulture and parks.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
DWP is working alongside sector-owning departments to ensure people have access to training to acquire the skills needed by employers, including Local Authorities.
Local agencies and local government are well placed to understand their local labour market, build connections with employers, and help knit together local services to address the barriers their citizens face to securing and succeeding in good work.
To achieve this, we are already delivering Local Get Britain Working plans in all areas of England. Led by local government and co-developed with local NHS, Jobcentre Plus and wider stakeholders, these plans will identify local labour market challenges/priorities and support the integration of locally-delivered services.
We know that a key part of unlocking local growth is ensuring that skills provision is matched to employer need at all skills levels. Local Skills Improvement Plans (LSIPs), overseen by Skills England, bring together employers, local leaders, colleges, universities and independent training providers to identify and address skills gaps from entry level to postgraduate qualifications. They are three-year Plans, with the second cycle now in development.
Your constituency is covered by the East Midlands LSIP. The designated Employer Representative Body is the Federation of Small Businesses, who are working closely with Skills England and the East Midlands Combined County Authority (EMCCA). This will ensure employer views continue to shape the LSIP whilst drawing on the deep local economic insight of EMCCA and its ability to influence and implement key interventions across priority local sectors.
Skills England have developed several occupational standards, apprenticeships and technical qualifications that support career development in horticulture, landscaping, parks management, and associated technical services. These span entry-level through to advanced management roles and include,
There are qualifications and Higher Technical Qualifications (HTQ) available that are developed and approved by Skills England based on the above occupational standards. These include the T Level in Agriculture, Land Management and Production, which has a specific occupational specialism in Ornamental and Environmental Horticulture and Landscaping, and a Higher Technical Qualification in Horticulture and Applied Science.
Asked by: Luke Akehurst (Labour - North Durham)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to protect NHS workers from occupational exposure to hazardous medicinal products.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave on 30 October 2025 to Question UIN 84144.
Asked by: Martin Vickers (Conservative - Brigg and Immingham)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to ensure adequate support for people with mental health problems when they return to the workforce.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
My department has a range of initiatives to ensure adequate support for individuals with mental health conditions when they return to work, including Access to Work. The Access to Work grant provides personalised support and workplace assessments, travel to work, support workers, and specialist aids and equipment. Access to Work also has the Mental Health Support Service which can provide up to nine months of non-clinical support for people who need additional help with their wellbeing while in employment.
DWP has also developed the Support with Employee Health and Disability digital guidance for employers. This offers practical advice on supporting health and disability in the workplace. DWP continues to champion the Disability Confident Scheme which promotes employer good practice, as well as working with the occupational health sector to increase the proportion of the workforce supported by expert health services.
WorkWell provides funding to 15 local areas in England to lead, design and deliver early intervention, low intensity, integrated work and health support, including for mental health. Participation in WorkWell is voluntary and includes people in and out of work, regardless of benefit entitlement.
Additionally, the Employment Advisors in the NHS Talking Therapies service – jointly funded by DWP and Department for Health & Social Care - enables patients to access combined therapeutic treatment and employment support to help them to remain in, return to or find work as well as improve their mental health. The service co-locates employment advisors alongside therapists to offer support and advice to patients, whatever their employment or benefit status.
Asked by: Tom Morrison (Liberal Democrat - Cheadle)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what evidence is required for a former textile worker to demonstrate eligibility for Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit where (a) exposure occurred several decades ago and (b) the employer has since ceased trading.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit (IIDB) may be payable to individuals who become disabled because of an accident at work or develop an illness because of their job. Accidents and diseases arising from self-employment are excluded.
There are several prescribed diseases that may apply to former textile workers depending on individual circumstances.
Eligibility is assessed in line with relevant legislation and requires:
The Department may arrange a medical assessment, where necessary, to establish the extent of disablement.
Where exposure occurred many years ago, evidence may include historical employment records, National Insurance records, HMRC employment data, personal statements describing the nature of the work, and corroborative evidence from former colleagues or industry sources.
The fact that an employer has ceased trading does not affect eligibility for IIDB, as the benefit is paid by the Department rather than an employer.
Asked by: Tom Morrison (Liberal Democrat - Cheadle)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether any lung or respiratory conditions linked to exposure to jute or textile fibres are currently prescribed diseases for the purposes of Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Department keeps the list of prescribed diseases under review for the purposes of entitlement to Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit. There are several prescribed diseases that may apply to lung or respiratory conditions depending on individual circumstances and the nature of occupational exposure, including work involving certain textile fibres.
Eligibility is assessed on a case-by-case basis in line with the relevant regulations.
Asked by: Barry Gardiner (Labour - Brent West)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, for what reason the Health and Safety Executive no longer assesses a risk of continuing harm to staff from wood dust exposure at Drax Power Station.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Under health and safety legislation, it is the operator of the site who has a legal duty to assess and control the health and safety risks to staff and others. There is also an obligation to keep risk assessments and control measures under review. The Health and Safety Executive’s (HSE) role as a regulator is to make sure that those who create risk, take responsibility for controlling risk through proportionate enforcement and targeted regulatory work. HSE does not operate a permissioning regime for use and handling of substances hazardous to health, including wood dust. Wood dust is one of the most common causes of occupational asthma in Great Britain. This has been a focus of recent HSE proactive interventions to reduce workplace ill health. An inspection visit to Drax Power Ltd by HSE is planned for early 2026 to examinehow well the operator is currently controlling exposure to wood dust.
Asked by: Wendy Morton (Conservative - Aldridge-Brownhills)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on the potential impact of the salary sacrifice pension scheme changes announced in the Autumn Budget 2025 on the value of occupational pension funds.
Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
A Tax Information and Impact Note (TIIN) was published alongside the introduction of the Bill containing the changes to pensions salary sacrifice.
The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) set out in their November 2025 Economic and Fiscal Outlook that they do not expect a material impact on savings behaviour as a result of Budget 2025 tax changes.
The government supports all individuals to save into pensions through a generous system of income tax and NICs reliefs worth over £70 billion a year.
Asked by: Zöe Franklin (Liberal Democrat - Guildford)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps the Department is taking to ensure that the Child Maintenance Service has effective mechanisms to prevent high earners from reducing their maintenance liabilities through the diversion of income into pension contributions.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The paying parent's (PP) gross income, after occupational or personal pension scheme contributions are deducted, is taken directly from HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) for the latest tax year available. This is because either pension contributions themselves or the earnings from which they are paid qualify for income tax relief.
Either parent can ask the CMS to consider where they believe a paying parent is deliberately making excessive contributions into a private pension in order to reduce the calculation.
This is called a diversion of income variation. If the CMS considers that the deduction in the gross weekly income is unreasonable then the maintenance calculation can be adjusted.
Asked by: Neil Duncan-Jordan (Labour - Poole)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he plans to extend pre-1997 pension indexation changes for members of the Pension Protection Fund and Financial Assistance Scheme to members of ongoing occupational pension schemes whose pre-1997 contributions remain frozen.
Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government tabled an amendment to the Pension Schemes Bill which provides that compensation payments from the Pension Protection Fund and Financial Assistance Scheme on pensions accrued before April 1997 will now be linked to CPI-inflation (capped at 2.5%). This will apply prospectively for pensioners whose former schemes provided these increases.
In private sector defined benefit pension schemes, analysis published by the Pensions Regulator indicates that, as of March 2023, around 17 per cent of members do not receive any pre-1997 indexation on benefits. This information can be found at: thepensionsregulator.gov.uk/en/document-library/research-and-analysis/data-requests
The reforms in our Pension Schemes Bill give trustees more flexibility to share surplus with sponsoring employers, and negotiate benefits for members, including discretionary increases. Trustees will be in the driving seat in all decision making on surplus release and must act in the best interest of scheme beneficiaries.