Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Restore Britain - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, how many households in (a) social housing lettings and (b) receipt of Housing Benefit or the housing element of Universal Credit in each of the past five years held (i) refugee status, (ii) humanitarian protection, (iii) indefinite leave to remain, (iv) EU settled status, (v) EU pre‑settled status, (vi) family‑route visas with recourse to public funds, and (vii) any other immigration status conferring recourse to public funds.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Available social housing lettings data is not broken down by the nationality of the lead tenant and whether they are in receipt of housing-related benefits, or a lead tenant’s formal immigration status.
The number of new social housing lettings allocated to households who self-report as refugees can be found in the ‘Social Housing Lettings’ statistics tables 3p and 3pi on gov.uk here.
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Restore Britain - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, for each of the past five years, what proportion of new social housing lettings made to (a) UK nationals, (b) EU nationals and (c) non‑EU nationals received Housing Benefit or the housing element of Universal Credit.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Available social housing lettings data is not broken down by the nationality of the lead tenant and whether they are in receipt of housing-related benefits, or a lead tenant’s formal immigration status.
The number of new social housing lettings allocated to households who self-report as refugees can be found in the ‘Social Housing Lettings’ statistics tables 3p and 3pi on gov.uk here.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assistance his Department provides to families affected by long-term illness.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
There is a wide range of support available through the benefits system for families who have a member affected by a long-term illness. Universal Credit can provide financial help for eligible households including additional support in respect of health conditions or caring responsibilities, depending on their circumstances.
Additionally Personal Independence Payment (PIP) is designed to help people aged 16 to state pension age with the extra costs arising from a long-term physical or mental health condition or disability. It is intended to support individuals in leading full, active, and independent lives.
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Restore Britain - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, for each of the past five years, what proportion of households in (a) new social housing lettings and (b) receipt of Housing Benefit or the housing element of Universal Credit held (i) refugee status, (ii) humanitarian protection, (iii) indefinite leave to remain, (iv) EU settled status, (v) EU pre‑settled status, (vi) family‑route visas with recourse to public funds, and (vii) any other immigration status conferring recourse to public funds.
Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
Available social housing lettings data is not broken down by the nationality of the lead tenant and whether they are in receipt of housing-related benefits, or a lead tenant’s formal immigration status.
The number of new social housing lettings allocated to households who self-report as refugees can be found in the ‘Social Housing Lettings’ statistics tables 3p and 3pi on gov.uk here.
Asked by: Lord Scriven (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Sherlock on 4 February (HL14073), what technical reasonable adjustments, beyond "plain English" and dynamically built questions, are embedded in the digital interface to support claimants with learning disabilities; and in particular whether session timeouts have been extended.
Answered by Baroness Sherlock - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
While Universal Credit is delivered as a digital first service, the Department recognises some customers need support to access or manage services online. Universal Credit is designed and built in line with accessibility standards and is regularly tested with users who have a range of access needs, including learning disabilities. Features such as step-by-step journeys, plain English and clear prompts are built-in to support understanding and reduce cognitive load.
Where customers have health conditions or learning disabilities, support is provided operationally through tailored help and reasonable adjustments. Any agreed adjustments are recorded on the customer’s account and reviewed regularly, ensuring support can be delivered consistently throughout the Universal Credit journey. These include telephone and face-to-face support, postal correspondence, home visits and support from an appointee or representative to act on the customer’s behalf if appropriate. The Department also offers the Help to Claim service, delivered by Citizens Advice and Citizens Advice Scotland and provides enhanced support for vulnerable customers, including some moving from ESA.
In addition, regarding session time‑outs, there is a feature to give users the opportunity to extend the time for them to complete that stage. When making a claim there are many points where the data is autosaved, meaning that when a customer is timed out their information is mainly saved. Where session length or digital interaction presents a barrier, customers can be supported through assisted digital routes or non‑digital channels, tailored to their individual needs.
There is continued focus on accessibility and support, allowing customers to transact via a variety of channels according to their needs, including offering non‑digital routes, reasonable adjustments and tailored help for customers who may struggle with the claims process.
Asked by: Antonia Bance (Labour - Tipton and Wednesbury)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department has made of whether existing employer incentive payments adequately support small and micro-businesses to deliver and sustain full four-year Level 3 electrical and plumbing apprenticeships.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The government provides a range of financial support to help employers in all sectors to take on apprentices, including within the electrical and plumbing trades.
We are introducing a new incentive of up to £2,000 for non-levy paying employers (essentially SMEs) that take on 16–24-year-old apprentices as new employees. It will apply to apprenticeship starts from October, as long as they have joined their employer within the past 3 months. Employers hiring apprentices aged 18-24 who have been on Universal Credit for over six months will also be eligible for the new £3,000 Youth Jobs Grant from June 2026.
Additionally, from August 2026, we will fully fund apprenticeship training for non-levy paying employers (essentially SMEs) for eligible people aged 16-24. At the moment, this only happens for apprentices aged 16-21 and apprentices aged 22-24 who have an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) or have been, or are, in local authority care.
The government also pays £1,000 to both employers and providers for apprentices aged 16-18, and for apprentices aged 19-24 who have an EHCP or have been, or are, in local authority care. On top of this, employers are not required to pay anything towards employees’ National Insurance for all apprentices aged up to age 25 (when the employee’s wage is below £50,270 a year).
Asked by: Antonia Bance (Labour - Tipton and Wednesbury)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the potential cumulative impact of changes to employment and administrative costs on small and micro-businesses’ recruitment and retention of electrical and plumbing apprentices.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The government provides a range of financial support to help employers in all sectors to take on apprentices, including within the electrical and plumbing trades.
We are introducing a new incentive of up to £2,000 for non-levy paying employers (essentially SMEs) that take on 16–24-year-old apprentices as new employees. It will apply to apprenticeship starts from October, as long as they have joined their employer within the past 3 months. Employers hiring apprentices aged 18-24 who have been on Universal Credit for over six months will also be eligible for the new £3,000 Youth Jobs Grant from June 2026.
Additionally, from August 2026, we will fully fund apprenticeship training for non-levy paying employers (essentially SMEs) for eligible people aged 16-24. At the moment, this only happens for apprentices aged 16-21 and apprentices aged 22-24 who have an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) or have been, or are, in local authority care.
The government also pays £1,000 to both employers and providers for apprentices aged 16-18, and for apprentices aged 19-24 who have an EHCP or have been, or are, in local authority care. On top of this, employers are not required to pay anything towards employees’ National Insurance for all apprentices aged up to age 25 (when the employee’s wage is below £50,270 a year).
Asked by: Damien Egan (Labour - Bristol North East)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department has taken to support carers whose earnings fluctuate from week to week; and what assessment he has made of the potential impact of variable income patterns on levels of continued eligibility for Carer’s Allowance.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Unpaid carers are vital – to the people they support, to their community, and to our country. We acknowledge and value the important contribution made by unpaid carers every day in providing vital care and continuity of support to family and friends with disabilities.
Universal Credit provides financial support for carers on low incomes and is designed to accommodate fluctuations in earnings. Around 68% of unpaid carers receiving support from the benefit system receive it via Universal Credit.
For carers in England and Wales who are unable to access Universal Credit, Carer’s Allowance can provide financial support. This is available to those who are providing unpaid care for 35 hours a week or more, and whose weekly earnings are at or below 16 hours at the National Living Wage after allowable expenses. These include costs associated with securing alternative care arrangements for the person with care needs. Around 15% of people receiving Carer’s Allowance have earnings. Where earnings are not paid weekly, they can be averaged over a period that best reflects the carer’s working patterns. Where possible, the Department looks for a regular "cycle" or pattern in earnings to achieve this. For cases where fluctuations in earnings are irregular, the Department has recently clarified the processes relating to averaging and publicised them on GOV.UK and in letters sent to Carer’s Allowance recipients.
Income other than earnings does not affect entitlement to Carer’s Allowance.
Asked by: Damien Egan (Labour - Bristol North East)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the issues faced by carers working in the gig economy in maintaining eligibility for Carer’s Allowance; and whether his Department has assessed the potential merits of reforms to address volatility in earnings for such workers.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Unpaid carers are vital – to the people they support, to their community, and to our country. We acknowledge and value the important contribution made by unpaid carers every day in providing vital care and continuity of support to family and friends with disabilities.
Universal Credit provides financial support for carers on low incomes and is designed to accommodate fluctuations in earnings. Around 68% of unpaid carers receiving support from the benefit system receive it via Universal Credit.
For carers in England and Wales who are unable to access Universal Credit, Carer’s Allowance can provide financial support. This is available to those who are providing unpaid care for 35 hours a week or more, and whose weekly earnings are at or below 16 hours at the National Living Wage after allowable expenses. These include costs associated with securing alternative care arrangements for the person with care needs. Around 15% of people receiving Carer’s Allowance have earnings. Where earnings are not paid weekly, they can be averaged over a period that best reflects the carer’s working patterns. Where possible, the Department looks for a regular "cycle" or pattern in earnings to achieve this. For cases where fluctuations in earnings are irregular, the Department has recently clarified the processes relating to averaging and publicised them on GOV.UK and in letters sent to Carer’s Allowance recipients.
Income other than earnings does not affect entitlement to Carer’s Allowance.
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 his Department is taking to ensure that all eligible claimants are made aware of the forthcoming proposed removal of the two-child limit on Child Tax Credit and Universal Credit.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Government has announced that the two child‑ limit in Child Tax Credit and Universal Credit will be removed from 6th April 2026.
For Universal Credit, the Department is contacting customers who are expected to benefit from the removal of the two child limit directly, ensuring that families are aware of the additional support they will be entitled to. Eligible customers will automatically receive the increased child element from April 2026, provided the number of children in their household is correctly recorded on their Universal Credit claim.
The Universal Credit service will be updated to reflect the policy change, and agents will receive updated guidance and communications to support them in responding to claimant enquiries. Customers can also receive additional support through Jobcentres, by telephoning the Universal Credit helpline, or via their online Universal Credit account.
HM Revenue and Customs is responsible for managing any remaining Child Tax Credit claims and will lead on communications with their affected customers.