Asked by: Mohammad Yasin (Labour - Bedford)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to The Universal Credit (Earned Income) Amendment Regulations 2020, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of moving double-paydays to subsequent assessment periods on (a) working Universal Credit recipients and (b) resourcing within her Department; and what steps she is taking to reduce the impact on (i) claimants and (ii) resources.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Department recognises that receiving two sets of earnings from the same employer within a single Universal Credit assessment period can create unexpected fluctuations in a claimant’s award. This situation typically occurs when a claimant’s monthly payday falls very close to the end of their assessment period, resulting in two wage payments being reported through HMRC’s Real Time Information (RTI) system in the same month. To address this, the Universal Credit (Earned Income) Amendment Regulations 2020 were introduced, allowing one set of monthly paid earnings to be reallocated to a different assessment period to ensure awards are calculated fairly. This rule only applies where earnings are paid calendar monthly.
The Department’s assessment found that enabling the reallocation of earnings has a positive impact on working UC recipients. By smoothing income across assessment periods, the change reduces financial volatility for the relatively small number of households affected and helps maintain a regular payment cycle. Importantly, it also prevents claimants from losing their Work Allowance in months when double reporting would otherwise occur.
Most cases affected by double earnings are now identified and corrected automatically, minimising any burden on customers and administrative pressure on the Department.
Asked by: Alex Brewer (Liberal Democrat - North East Hampshire)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant UIN 87565 what steps his Department is taking to address the challenges it has identified in the interaction between Universal Credit and Housing Benefit for young people in supported accommodation, and whether a timetable has been set for considering potential reforms.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
As confirmed at Autumn Budget, we will be introducing new earned income disregards for those in receipt of Housing Benefit and live in Supported Housing and Temporary Accommodation. This will help smooth the transition between the Universal Credit and Housing Benefit, and reduce the financial cliff edge for individuals in Supported Housing and Temporary Accommodation as they move into work or increase their hours.
This will require legislative changes and be accompanied by IT changes made to local authority IT systems. In preparation for this, we have already begun engagement with stakeholders to ensure that the implementation meets the needs of those affected. This is accompanied by clear communications to support local authorities, housing providers and third sector organisations to ensure that eligible customers are aware of and able to utilise this change.
The new disregards will be in place from Autumn 2026.
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, of the households exempt from the Benefit Cap due to receipt of the Limited Capability for Work and Work-Related Activity (LCWRA) element of Universal Credit, how many contain a second working age adult who is not in receipt of LCWRA.
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: Paula Barker (Labour - Liverpool Wavertree)
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 the potential impact of benefit sanctions on people forced into prostitution due to destitution.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The core objective of Universal Credit is to support people who are out of work or on a low income to enter work, earn more, or to prepare for work in the future, and claimants are generally expected to undertake certain work-related activities in return for financial support.
Any work-related requirements are agreed in discussion with the claimant and will always be tailored in light of a claimant’s circumstances, ensuring they are realistic and achievable. Work coaches have the flexibility to personalise work-related requirements for claimants based on the impact of any health condition, caring responsibilities, or other circumstance.
A sanction is only applicable where a claimant fails to undertake their agreed activity without good reason. Before a sanction decision is made, claimants are always asked to provide their reasoning, and several safety measures, including checking for any vulnerabilities, are in place before deciding whether a sanction is applicable. These include: checking to see if the claimants circumstances had changed and if the requirement remained reasonable; considering whether the claimant had undertaken alternative activity that means the requirement was met; and reviewing any known vulnerabilities and their impact on a claimant’s ability to meet their requirements.
If a claimant is sanctioned and can demonstrate that they cannot meet their most immediate and essential needs, we also have a system of recoverable hardship payments. These needs can include heating, food, and hygiene.
DWP’s commitments to the violence against women and girls (VAWG) Strategy will help align us with the wider cross government ambition to tackle sexual exploitation. This includes strengthening the training and guidance provided to frontline staff and Domestic Abuse SPOCs, ensuring they are better equipped to recognise and respond to all forms of VAWG, including sexual exploitation. In addition, DWP is rolling out its 5-year plan for safeguarding following the Written Statement in December 2025.
Asked by: Peter Bedford (Conservative - Mid Leicestershire)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many apprentices the Department recruited in 2025, compared with the figures for i. 2022, ii. 2023 and iii. 2024.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
As the policy holder for apprenticeships and skills, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) recognises the value of apprenticeships in building skills and kickstarting careers. We are committed to creating meaningful apprenticeship opportunities within our department and are proud to be 6th in the Top 100 Apprenticeship Employers ranking.
Since 2022, we have created opportunities for over 500 Universal Credit claimants to start a Level 2 or 3 apprenticeship with entry-level work experience within the department through our Social Mobility Apprenticeship scheme, with many apprentices securing permanent employment in DWP. We have also created apprenticeship opportunities for young people who would have otherwise been at risk of becoming not in education, employment or training (NEET) through our School Leaver SMA scheme.
In 2025, the Department for Work and Pensions had 907 apprenticeship starts, compared with 1824 in 2022, 1348 in 2023 and 1142 in 2024. Numbers have been limited in recent years by headcount restrictions in the Civil Service. At the same time, we have diversified our entry routeways including an increased focus on our other life chances schemes such as Movement to Work, in addition to apprenticeship opportunities. We have also focussed on improving the overall quality and relevance of our apprenticeship programmes to ensure that they support colleagues to develop the right skills and capabilities for DWP roles, particularly in priority areas such as Digital and Counter Fraud.
Asked by: Kim Johnson (Labour - Liverpool Riverside)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps are being taken to reduce childhood obesity rates among children in areas of high deprivation.
Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
As set out in our 10-Year Health Plan for England, we are taking decisive action on the obesity crisis and creating the healthiest generation of children ever. We are restricting junk food advertising targeted at children on television and online and have given councils stronger powers to block new fast-food outlets near schools. We have announced changes to the Soft Drinks Industry Levy and consulted on our proposals to ban the sale of high-caffeine energy drinks to children. We will go further by introducing mandatory reporting on the healthiness of sales for all large food businesses and strengthening the existing advertising and promotions restrictions by applying an updated definition of ‘less healthy food and drink’.
We recognise that obesity is highly unequal and we are taking appropriate steps to support people to access healthier food. Through the Healthy Start Scheme, we are encouraging a healthy diet for pregnant women, babies, and young children under four years old from very low-income households and, in April 2026, we will be uplifting the value of weekly payments by 10%. The Government is committed to reviewing the School Food Standards so that these reflect the most recent dietary recommendations, free school meals will be extended to all children from households in receipt of Universal Credit from September 2026, and phase 1 of the free breakfast clubs programme will commence from April 2026, which will see a further 2,000 new schools delivering free breakfast clubs.
We are also committed to breaking down barriers and getting more people moving, especially those living in more deprived areas. We will do this through delivering the new Physical Education and School Sport Partnerships network, continued investment in grassroots sport, and cycling and walking infrastructure. We have already teamed up with Joe Wicks and launched 'Activate’, a series of animated, fun five-minute workouts to help families and schools tackle inactivity among children.
Asked by: Kim Johnson (Labour - Liverpool Riverside)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps are being taken to ensure that children from low-income households can access healthy food and regular exercise opportunities.
Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
As set out in our 10-Year Health Plan for England, we are taking decisive action on the obesity crisis and creating the healthiest generation of children ever. We are restricting junk food advertising targeted at children on television and online and have given councils stronger powers to block new fast-food outlets near schools. We have announced changes to the Soft Drinks Industry Levy and consulted on our proposals to ban the sale of high-caffeine energy drinks to children. We will go further by introducing mandatory reporting on the healthiness of sales for all large food businesses and strengthening the existing advertising and promotions restrictions by applying an updated definition of ‘less healthy food and drink’.
We recognise that obesity is highly unequal and we are taking appropriate steps to support people to access healthier food. Through the Healthy Start Scheme, we are encouraging a healthy diet for pregnant women, babies, and young children under four years old from very low-income households and, in April 2026, we will be uplifting the value of weekly payments by 10%. The Government is committed to reviewing the School Food Standards so that these reflect the most recent dietary recommendations, free school meals will be extended to all children from households in receipt of Universal Credit from September 2026, and phase 1 of the free breakfast clubs programme will commence from April 2026, which will see a further 2,000 new schools delivering free breakfast clubs.
We are also committed to breaking down barriers and getting more people moving, especially those living in more deprived areas. We will do this through delivering the new Physical Education and School Sport Partnerships network, continued investment in grassroots sport, and cycling and walking infrastructure. We have already teamed up with Joe Wicks and launched 'Activate’, a series of animated, fun five-minute workouts to help families and schools tackle inactivity among children.
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, how universal credit payments are being managed to ensure timely support.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The latest monthly statistics on payment timeliness are available in the Households on Universal Credit section of the official quarterly Universal Credit Statistics published on 17 February 2026, with more detailed statistics available in tables 5 and 6 of the Households on Universal Credit dataset on Stat-Xplore.
Users can log in or access Stat-Xplore as a guest and, if needed, can access guidance on how to extract information. There is also a Universal Credit Official Statistics: Stat-Xplore user guide.
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, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the minimum income floor on farmers.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The government is currently undertaking a review of Universal Credit to ensure it is delivering on its core objectives of tackling poverty and making work pay. As part of that review, we have been engaging with our stakeholders, including those who represent the interests of farmers and have listened to their views and are reflecting on that feedback as part of the review.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to his Department’s press release entitled Major employment drive to help unlock 200,000 new jobs and apprenticeships for next generation, published on 16 March 2026, what estimate he has made of the number of young people aged 18–24 who have been claiming Universal Credit for six months or more and would therefore be eligible for the Youth Jobs Grant scheme.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Youth Jobs Grant is specifically targeted at young people because of the risk of lifelong scarring impacts of extended unemployment at a young age and to support the Government’s commitment to reducing the number of young people not in education, employment or training.
The Youth Jobs Grant is designed to help employers with the early costs of hiring eligible young people. The first payment will not be made until after we’ve had confirmation through other sources that the young person has been employed, and the final payment will not be made until after several months of employment to encourage retention. As with all our employment programmes, we will monitor delivery to ensure the Grant is being used as intended, which is to expand opportunities for young people who need help to enter the labour market.
We estimate there are 200,000 young people eligible for the Youth Jobs Grant now, and we expect to support 60,000 young people with this over three years. We are also expanding the Jobs Guarantee to a wider age range, from 18-21 to 18-24, to create more than 35,000 extra subsidised jobs. This brings the total to be supported through the scheme to over 90,000 in the next three years.
The Youth Jobs Grant is available to employers in all sectors across Great Britain. The roles supported will depend on employers’ hiring needs rather than sector specific targets. We expect more take up in sectors that traditionally recruit young people, such as retail, hospitality, health and social care, logistics and construction, alongside opportunities in growth sectors including digital, engineering and green technologies.
The purpose of the Grant is to help young people into work by reducing the upfront costs of hiring, and it has been designed using evidence from previous schemes in the UK and wider international practice. As with all new programmes, we will monitor delivery and evaluate outcomes, including employment sustainment, once the scheme is in operation.
Further practical details on how employers will claim the Grant will be set out in guidance ahead of the scheme launching.