Asked by: Lord Bishop of Chelmsford (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether a refugee with newly granted refugee status requires (1) an e-visa, or (2) an asylum decision letter, to apply for Universal Credit.
Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)
A newly granted refugee will have digital status (e-visa) at the point a positive decision is made; the Home Office will create the eVisa account on behalf of the newly granted refugee, and the individual can commence the move on process and access some key services prior to their eVisa account being created. Individuals can use their Application Registration Card (ARC) along with the asylum decision letter to access benefits.
Asked by: Lord Mott (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the change in prevalence of child morning hunger in (1) early years, (2) primary school, and (3) secondary school, settings in England in the past 12 months.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The department appreciates the publication of the report and looks forward to giving it our full consideration. This government is committed to tackling child poverty and delivering meaningful action to support children and families. The removal of the two- child limit on Universal Credit will lift 450,000 children out of poverty, rising to around 550,000 alongside other measures set out in our Child Poverty Strategy, such as the expansion of free school meals. These interventions will lead to the largest expected reduction in child poverty over a Parliament since comparable records began.
We recognise the importance of a healthy breakfast at the start of the day for pupils and the impact this can have on attendance and readiness to learn. This is why we are rolling out free breakfast clubs in every state-funded school with primary-aged pupils in England, so that all children can have the best start in life. Since April 2025, the programme has delivered 7 million meals to almost 180,000 pupils across the country. We are investing a further £80 million to fund approximately 2,000 additional schools between April 2026 and March 2027.
Asked by: Lord Mott (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the findings in the report by Magic Breakfast, Root causes of child morning hunger, published on 9 March.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The department appreciates the publication of the report and looks forward to giving it our full consideration. This government is committed to tackling child poverty and delivering meaningful action to support children and families. The removal of the two- child limit on Universal Credit will lift 450,000 children out of poverty, rising to around 550,000 alongside other measures set out in our Child Poverty Strategy, such as the expansion of free school meals. These interventions will lead to the largest expected reduction in child poverty over a Parliament since comparable records began.
We recognise the importance of a healthy breakfast at the start of the day for pupils and the impact this can have on attendance and readiness to learn. This is why we are rolling out free breakfast clubs in every state-funded school with primary-aged pupils in England, so that all children can have the best start in life. Since April 2025, the programme has delivered 7 million meals to almost 180,000 pupils across the country. We are investing a further £80 million to fund approximately 2,000 additional schools between April 2026 and March 2027.
Asked by: Neil O'Brien (Conservative - Harborough, Oadby and Wigston)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much was spent on the housing element of UC in each region and local authority in 2025.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Information about the amount of Universal Credit Housing Element expenditure is available by country and financial year here: Benefit expenditure and caseload tables 2025 - GOV.UK (see the ‘Housing_Benefits’ tab). However, information about Universal Credit Housing Element expenditure by region and local authority for 2025 is not available and to produce this would incur disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Adam Jogee (Labour - Newcastle-under-Lyme)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to help reduce the number of unemployed young people in Staffordshire.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
For many years our young people have not had the opportunity and support they deserve. Under the last government, between 2021 and 2024, the number of young people not in education, employment or training increased by 250,000.
The Government has recently announced a further £1 billion investment in young people, taking the total investment to £2.5 billion over the next three years though the Youth Guarantee and additional investment in the Growth and Skills Levy. This investment will support almost one million young people and create up to 500,000 opportunities to earn and learn.
This includes the delivery of eight Youth Guarantee Trailblazers in England, expansion of Youth Hubs to more than 360 areas across Great Britain and introduction of a new Youth Guarantee Gateway in Jobcentres. The Gateway will provide 16-24-year-olds on Universal Credit a dedicated session and follow-up support to help them move into work, training or education.
This investment will also create around 300,000 more opportunities to gain workplace experience and training, including up to 150,000 work experience placements and up to 145,000 employer designed training opportunities, such as Sector based Work Academy Programmes, which offer participants a guaranteed job interview at the end.
In addition, the Government is taking action to support employers to recruit and train young people, helping to unlock up to 200,000 more employment opportunities. This includes a new £3,000 Youth Jobs Grant for employers who hire 18–24-year-olds who have been on Universal Credit for over six months, a new £2,000 apprenticeship incentive for small and medium sized employers hiring 16–24-year-old, and the Jobs Guarantee scheme, providing long-term unemployed 18–24-year-olds with a fully funded six month job.
The Government will also prioritise prevention, building on measures announced in the Skills White Paper. The Government will improve support in schools, monitor attendance, increase access to work experience and work with local authorities to pilot auto-enrolling young people in further education, if needed.
Together these measures demonstrate the Government’s commitment to backing young people, supporting employers, and working with partners across Great Britain to create clear pathways into employment and education for young people.
In Staffordshire, our DWP Schools Advisers have supported over 3,600 young people across in the 2024/25 academic year. This includes 220 students in Newcastle-under-Lyme at Orme Academy, St Peter's Academy, and Abbey Hill Special School. Young people have access to training in Digital Marketing, Cyber Security, Web Design, and Emergency First Aid for Mental Health through The Training Initiative.
Asked by: Mark Hendrick (Labour (Co-op) - Preston)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to support young people identified as Not in Education, Employment or Training.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
Building on the December Youth Guarantee and Growth and Skills Levy announcement, the Government has committed a further £1 billion investment in young people, taking total additional investment into the Youth Guarantee and the Growth and Skills Levy to £2.5 billion over the next three years. This investment will support almost one million young people, and create up to 500,000 opportunities to earn and learn.
This includes the delivery of eight Youth Guarantee Trailblazers in England, the expansion of Youth Hubs to more than 360 areas across Great Britain, and the introduction of a new Youth Guarantee Gateway in Jobcentres, providing more intensive support to 16-24 year olds.
This investment will also create around 300,000 more opportunities to gain workplace experience and training. It will also help unlock up to 200,000 more employment opportunities, through £3,000 Youth Jobs Grant for employers who hire 18–24-year-olds who have been on Universal Credit for over six months, a new £2,000 apprenticeship incentive for small and medium sized employers hiring 16–24-year-olds and the Jobs Guarantee scheme, providing long-term unemployed 18–24-year-olds with a fully funded six month job.
Together these measures demonstrate the Government’s commitment to backing young people, supporting employers, and working with partners across Great Britain to create clear pathways into employment and education for young people.
Asked by: Zarah Sultana (Your Party - Coventry South)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what consideration he has given to lowering the sanctions daily rate reduction rate to less than 100% of the Universal Credit standard allowance.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Whilst a sanction typically results in a 100% reduction of the Universal Credit standard allowance rate for each day the sanction is in place (except for couples where this is halved), lower reduction rates apply in certain scenarios where it is reasonable due to the claimant’s circumstances, such as if they are aged 16 or 17. If a claimant is entitled to additional elements on top of their standard allowance such as for children or housing costs, they will continue to be paid.
To keep the conditionality and sanctions system clear, fair and effective in promoting positive behaviours, we keep our policies and procedures under continuous review.
Asked by: Ben Coleman (Labour - Chelsea and Fulham)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to support people migrating to Universal Credit who lack digital skills and are unable to complete online requirements, including accepting their claimant commitment.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Department recognises that not all people moving to Universal Credit have the confidence or ability to use digital services independently. Universal Credit is designed to be “digital-first”, but not “digital‑-only”,‑ and a range of support is already in place to ensure that claimants who lack digital skills, or who cannot complete online actions such as accepting their Claimant Commitment, are fully supported.
All Jobcentres provide free access to WiFi and computers, alongside Work Coach support, so claimants can get help using online services if they need it. For those who cannot use digital channels at all, assistance to make and maintain their claim is available by telephone, and Work Coaches can accept Claimant Commitments verbally where appropriate. If a claimant is unable to accept their commitments digitally, agents may record verbal consent and accept the commitment on their behalf, ensuring no‑-one‑ is disadvantaged because of low digital capability.
Additional help is available through the Citizens Advice “Help to Claim” service, which provides independent support for people moving to Universal Credit, including navigating digital requirements.
These measures ensure that claimants who lack digital skills continue to receive tailored support throughout their migration journey, and that no-one‑ is prevented from accessing Universal Credit because they cannot complete online actions.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many (a) new and (b) existing claimants were waiting for a Universal Credit Work Capability Assessment in each month since January 2025.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Department for Work and Pensions prioritises assessments for new claims to minimise waiting times and ensure claimants receive the right benefit entitlement as soon as possible. We are working with suppliers to increase capacity for clearing the backlog of reassessment cases, including by accelerating the recruitment of assessors.
The number of new claimants waiting for a Universal Credit (UC) Work Capability Assessment (WCA) in each month since January 2025 can be found in the table below.
Month | Outstanding UC WCAs |
Jan-25 | 220,000 |
Feb-25 | 220,000 |
Mar-25 | 220,000 |
Apr-25 | 210,000 |
May-25 | 200,000 |
Jun-25 | 210,000 |
Jul-25 | 210,000 |
Aug-25 | 210,000 |
Sep-25 | 210,000 |
Oct-25 | 230,000 |
Nov-25 | 240,000 |
Dec-25 | 250,000 |
The number of existing claimants waiting for an UC WCA in each month since January 2025 can be found in the table below.
Month | Outstanding UC WCAs |
Jan-25 | 89,000 |
Feb-25 | 90,000 |
Mar-25 | 91,000 |
Apr-25 | 92,000 |
May-25 | 92,000 |
Jun-25 | 93,000 |
Jul-25 | 89,000 |
Aug-25 | 88,000 |
Sep-25 | 87,000 |
Oct-25 | 83,000 |
Nov-25 | 81,000 |
Dec-25 | 63,000 |
Please note:
Asked by: Carla Lockhart (Democratic Unionist Party - Upper Bann)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether payments received by a surrogate mother in the UK are treated as income for the purposes of benefits assessments.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Surrogacy payments in the United Kingdom should only be for reasonable expenses. They are not taken into account as income for Universal Credit purposes. If any of the surrogacy payment is unspent in the period it is paid for, then this can be treated as capital if not spent by the end of the next assessment period. The normal capital rules apply to the build-up of unspent income if capital exceeds £6,000.