theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-20)

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Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department has taken to prevent signal cabling theft on the rail network. \p Simon Lightwood: Tackling trespass and vandalism, including cable theft, is a top priority for the rail industry, alongside the British Transport Police (BTP) who are responsible for policing the railway in England, Scotland and Wales.

BTP adopts an intelligence-led approach to combat cable theft across the rail network, working closely with partners such as Network Rail and the National Infrastructure Crime Reduction Partnership to identify high-risk areas and target their resources effectively.

The Department for Transport is using strengthened relationships with Shadow Great British Railways partners such as Network Rail, the DfT Operator and Train Operating Companies to identify immediate and longer-term measures to reduce the impact on railway performance. This work includes improved physical deterrence, the use of new technology and better data collection and analysis.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-20)

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Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to protect the rail network from cyber attacks. \p Simon Lightwood: The Department for Transport (DfT) runs a cyber programme aimed at understanding and addressing risks and vulnerabilities across all modes of transport, including rail, and works across government to introduce relevant standards, guidance, and policies to ensure the cyber resilience of essential services.

The department uses both policy and regulatory levers to help the sector manage cyber risk and secure its systems, networks and assets. This work includes efforts to promote a more consistent and resilient approach to managing cyber risks across operational practices and the broader rail ecosystem. We work closely with the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), industry stakeholders, and other partners to continuously assess and mitigate emerging cyber threats.
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Stuart Anderson:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will reduce the cost of the Veterans Railcard. \p Simon Lightwood: We are not planning to reduce the price of the Veterans’ Railcard. Any long-term changes or concessions made to rail fares policy will require balancing against the potential impacts on passengers, taxpayers and the railway.
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Blake Stephenson:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 11 April 2025 to Question 44055 on Govia Thameslink Railway: Fares, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the annual increases in fares on service experience for passengers. \p Simon Lightwood: As much as we appreciate the impact of fares increases on passengers, we need to balance affordability for both passengers and taxpayers as we reform fares and deliver Great British Railways, ensuring everyone gets a fair deal. Delivering better quality services, and increased reliability of trains, alongside a clearer fares offer will ensure an enhanced passenger experience. A proportionate, annual increase in fares is necessary to support crucial investment and to ensure the long-term financial sustainability of the railway.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-20)

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Sarah Gibson:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of Great Western Railway’s proposals to reduce (a) ticket office windows and (b) station staffing levels on passenger (i) service and (ii) safety in Wiltshire. \p Simon Lightwood: While ticket office opening hours are regulated through the Ticketing and Settlement Agreement process, the operation of ticket office windows and staffing levels is the responsibility of the train operator. We understand that Great Western Railway has no plans to reduce station staff in Wiltshire.
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Sarah Gibson:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of Great Western Railway’s proposed reductions on ticket office staffing on access for disabled and elderly passengers in Wiltshire; and if she will publish that assessment. \p Simon Lightwood: Any changes to ticket office opening hours in relation to regulated stations covered by Schedule 17 of the Ticketing and Settlement Agreement (TSA) must be made following the TSA process and Secretary of State guidance. This includes a requirement to consider the impact the change will have on those with protected characteristics. No proposal has been submitted through the TSA Process.
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Lorraine Beavers:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that Uber accounts are not used by unlicensed taxi drivers. \p Simon Lightwood: Enforcement of the private hire vehicle licensing regime is a matter for licensing authorities and the police. Any licensed private hire vehicle operators found to be enabling the use of unlicensed drivers or vehicles to carry passengers may be prosecuted and risk revocation of their licence.
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Lorraine Beavers:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of introducing mandatory fare meters in private hire vehicles. \p Simon Lightwood: Licensing authorities have the power to set maximum taxi fares for journeys within their area. Regulated fares provide an important element of customer protection in the rank and hail market where passengers do not have a choice over which vehicle they hire. A uniform set of tariffs enables taxi meters to be used to ensure taxi fares are accurately calculated.

Licensing authorities have no power to set fares for private hire vehicles (PHVs). Fares for PHVs, which must be pre-booked with a licensed operator, are set by the PHV operator. The competitive pre-booked market allows PHV operators to compete on price as well as other factors such as quality of service.

Apart from in London, meters can be fitted to PHVs and these would need to reflect the relevant PHV operator’s tariff. As different PHV operator tariffs may vary this could have the effect of restricting the range of operators which drivers could work with. Mandating the fitting of meters in PHVs would reduce the flexibility in the PHV sector and potentially affect the availability of vehicles for passengers and the way in which drivers can work to maximise their earnings.
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Dr Al Pinkerton:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what data her Department holds on modes of transport used by commuters in Surrey Heath constituency. \p Simon Lightwood: The Department holds information on the usual method of travel to work from the Travel to work, England and Wales: Census 2021 publication by the Office for National Statistics. According to this data, 46% of people in employment in the Surrey Heath constituency in 2021 usually travelled to work by driving a car or van. This was followed by 40% working mainly at or from home, and 5% on foot.

Census 2021 took place during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, a period of unparalleled and rapid change; the national lockdown, associated guidance and furlough measures will have affected the travel to work topic.
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Robin Swann:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what progress she has made on the Union Connectivity Fund feasibility study for the reopening of the Antrim to Lisburn rail line. \p Simon Lightwood: The Department provided funding to Translink through the Union Connectivity Fund to deliver a feasibility study for the reopening of the Antrim to Lisburn rail line. The Department understands from Translink that they plan to publish their findings over the Summer and that they will engage with stakeholders to present the results.
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Andrew Rosindell:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much renewable energy generation is delivered from the Network Rail land estate; and which individual facilities generate the largest supplies of electricity. \p Simon Lightwood: Network Rail does not currently hold data on the total amount of renewable energy generation delivered from its land estate as solar installations have been delivered at a regional and route level to date. Network Rail is working to gather this data. The individual facility on Network Rail’s land estate that generates the largest supply of electricity is Blackfriars Bridge, the world’s largest solar bridge, which generates at 850kWp (around 900,000kWh per year) and covers 6,000m2.
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Andrew Rosindell:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the cost to the public purse of the subsidy required to support the railways was in (a) 2018-9, (b) 2020-1 and (c) 2023-4. \p Simon Lightwood: The Government’s net support to the rail industry in Great Britain totalled £7.1 billion in 2018-19, £16.9 billion in 2020-21 and £22.3 billion in 2023-24. This support includes funding for both the operational railway and for enhancement projects such as HS2.

These values as well as further information can be found on the Office for Rail and Road portal: https://dataportal.orr.gov.uk/statistics/finance/rail-industry-finance/.
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Andrew Rosindell:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how much Network Rail spends on renting commercial space outside London; and how much Network Rail commercial space is empty. \p Simon Lightwood: Network Rail does not hold the information centrally regarding it’s spend on renting commercial space outside of London.

Across the 20 stations managed by Network Rail, the commercial vacancy rate is 3.2%.
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Andrew Rosindell:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the proposed Great British Railways online rail ticket retailer on rail’s passenger revenue. \p Simon Lightwood: The Department is working on plans for Great British Railways’ (GBR) future retail capability and assessing its impact. It will go live once GBR is established. We will provide further details in due course.
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Andrew Rosindell:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, when Network Rail last carried out (a) a survey and (b) audit of its land estate which could be suitable for renewable energy generation; and what assessment was made of its megawatt generation potential. \p Simon Lightwood: The most recent survey and analysis of the potential for renewable energy generation across Network Rail’s land estate was carried out in May 2020, with the potential capacity found to be 188 MWp across 34 sites. Network Rail is continuing the roll out of new renewable energy generation assets across its estate.
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Andrew Gwynne:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will make an estimate of the potential cost of increasing the capacity of the railway connection between Manchester and Liverpool; and if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of increasing the capacity of that connection on (a) the number of commuters and (b) levels of commerce between those cities. \p Simon Lightwood: The Government is actively considering improvements between Liverpool and Manchester, starting with options to lengthen trains in the near term, modernise the route via Warrington and the potential provision of new trains as part of the Transpennine Route Upgrade.

As announced in the Autumn 2024 budget, we are maintaining momentum on Northern Powerhouse Rail by progressing planning and design works to support future delivery. We intend to set out more details in due course.
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Andrew Rosindell:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, which open access rail applications are awaiting a decision by the Office of Rail and Road. \p Simon Lightwood: The Office of Rail and Road (ORR) have confirmed to the Department that there are currently 12 open access applications that are awaiting decisions by the ORR.

Details of live applications can be found via the ORR’s website: https://www.orr.gov.uk/rail-guidance-compliance/network-access/regulated-networks/network-rail/current-applications
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Olly Glover:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she has made a comparative assessment of the acceleration capability of trains powered by (a) batteries, (b) overhead catenary systems and (c) contact rail systems for operating speeds of up to 125 miles per hour. \p Simon Lightwood: The Secretary of State has not made an assessment of the acceleration of different types of traction for operating at speeds up to 125mph. It is a matter for operators, when procuring rolling stock, to ensure that the characteristics of their fleet can meet their timetable requirements and best use of the infrastructure.
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Dr Al Pinkerton:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of bus service provision in Surrey Heath constituency. \p Simon Lightwood: The government is committed to seeing better, more reliable bus services delivered right across England. The government introduced the Bus Services (No.2) Bill on 17 December as part of its ambitious plan for bus reform. The Bill puts the power over local bus services back in the hands of local leaders and is intended to ensure bus services reflect the needs of the communities that rely on them right across England.

In addition, the government has confirmed £955 million for the 2025 to 2026 financial year to support and improve bus services in England outside London. This includes £243 million for bus operators and £712 million allocated to local authorities across the country. Local authorities can use this funding to introduce improvements to services and infrastructure to help improve connectivity. Surrey County Council has been allocated £12 million of this funding for this financial year.
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Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she has had discussions with Filey Town Council on the return of the Filey Town Centre Bus. \p Simon Lightwood: The government believes that local authorities, working with bus operators, are best placed to determine and design local bus networks in their area, and the government does not intervene in local decisions regarding individual bus routes or services.
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Sarah Gibson:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the £7 million allocated to Wiltshire Council under the bus service improvement plan 2025–26 in meeting the county's rural transport needs. \p Simon Lightwood: The government allocated £6.9 million to Wiltshire Council in 25/26 through the £712 million Local Authority Bus Grant to support and improve bus services. This includes £4 million to support the delivery of Wiltshire’s Bus Service Improvement Plan (BSIP).

The government used a formula to determine BSIP allocations in 25/26 based on need, including population, the distance that buses travel, and the levels of deprivation. Under the formula, Wiltshire Council have seen an increase in BSIP funding compared to 24/25, when they were allocated £2.1 million.

This funding can be used whichever way the local transport authority wishes to deliver better bus services for passengers, including supporting bus services in rural areas.
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David Taylor:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the level of regularity of bus services in Hemel Hempstead constituency on the ability of residents to commute to work. \p Simon Lightwood: The government knows that a modern public transport network is vital to keeping communities connected, and ensuring people can commute to work. The government believes that local transport authorities, working with bus operators, are best placed to determine and design local bus networks in their area. The government introduced the Bus Services (No.2) Bill on 17 December as part of its ambitious plan for bus reform. The Bill puts the power over local bus services back in the hands of local leaders and is intended to ensure bus services reflect the needs of the communities that rely on them right across England.

In addition, the government has confirmed £955 million for the 2025 to 2026 financial year to support and improve bus services in England outside London. This includes £243 million for bus operators and £712 million allocated to local authorities across the country, of which Hertfordshire County Council has been allocated £12.2 million. Local authorities can use this funding to introduce improvements to bus services to best meet the needs of passengers in their local area, including increasing the frequency of bus services.
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Ruth Cadbury:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to Q146 of the oral evidence given by the Secretary of State to the Transport Committee on 23 April 2025, HC 346, when the National Highways’ safety action plan for 2025-26 will be published. \p Lilian Greenwood: The safety action plan will form part of National Highways 2025-26 delivery plan for the Interim Settlement which will be published in the coming months.
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Kim Johnson:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for the Home Department on the operation of the Skilled Worker route for marine and waterways transport operatives. \p Mike Kane: The Skilled Worker visa for Marine and waterways transport operatives has not been discussed between DfT and Home Office Ministers. Officials continue to liaise with their Home Office counterparts and update Ministers where appropriate.
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Jim Shannon:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether she is taking steps to help promote an increase in the number of jobs available for pilots. \p Mike Kane: The Government is supporting the UK aviation sector to drive economic growth and create jobs, including for pilots. We’re backing airport expansions, promoting sustainable aviation fuel, and working with the industry, the CAA, and international partners to raise the profile of aviation careers and improve access. The Reach for the Sky Challenge Fund has provided over £2 million to support outreach programmes that help young people pursue careers in aviation.
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Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to help ensure that the transport system supports economic growth. \p Simon Lightwood: Kickstarting economic growth across every corner of the UK is the top priority of this Government.

We’re getting on with delivering the Government’s Plan for Change by delivering the basics of a better transport system, from improving peoples’ everyday journeys through our local transport investment to going further and faster on planning reform to accelerate delivery of our major projects.
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Martin Wrigley:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to help increase access to driving tests in the Newton Abbot constituency. \p Lilian Greenwood: The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency’s (DVSA) main priority is upholding road safety standards while it works hard to reduce car practical driving test waiting times.

On the 23 April, the Secretary of State for Transport appeared before the Transport Select Committee and announced that DVSA will take further actions to reduce waiting times for all customers across Great Britain.

Further information on these actions and progress on the DVSA’s 7-point plan, which was set out last year, can be found on GOV.UK.

As well as the above measures, at Newton Abbot driving test centre (DTC) DVSA continue to provide as many tests as possible. The DTC currently has a driving examiner (DE) on temporary duty to add additional capacity. DEs also continue to provide overtime tests at weekends at the DTC.
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Rupert Lowe:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if they will make it their policy to not provide (a) translation and (b) interpretation for speakers of non-UK languages for services provided by their Department. \p Mike Kane: Language service needs and spend are assessed to ensure these services offer good value for money for taxpayers while maintaining high standards of service delivery.
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Mr Angus MacDonald:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of requiring Scottish driving instructors to undergo (a) PVG and (b) DBS checks. \p Lilian Greenwood: The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) takes the safety of learner drivers extremely seriously.

DVSA requires every prospective approved driving instructor (ADI) in Great Britain to apply for an enhanced disclosure and barring (DBS) check before beginning the ADI qualification process. They are also required to repeat the disclosure process every four years when they renew their ADI registration.

The ADI Registrar also has the power to remove an ADI who falls below the standard of fit and proper person.

The process to become an ADI in Northern Ireland is the responsibility of The Driver & Vehicle Agency (DVA).

The Protecting Vulnerable Groups (PVG) scheme, which became mandatory 1 April 2025, is administered by Disclosure Scotland on behalf of the Scottish government and will impact the majority of ADIs in Scotland. Anyone providing driving instruction to under 18’s or protected adults (those with a disability) in Scotland must be registered with the scheme.

DVSA are not responsible for this scheme or its introduction, but did have recent discussions with the relevant bodies to clarify that ADIs would need to register with the scheme in addition to the DBS check which they would have already undertaken as part of the current ADI process.
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Andrew Gwynne:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment she has made of the (a) capacity and (b) adequacy of the supporting infrastructure of (i) the Port of Liverpool, (ii) Manchester airport and (iii) the rail connections between them when negotiating recent trade deals. \p Lilian Greenwood: The Department has made no assessment of the potential impact of the capacity and adequacy of infrastructure supporting Manchester Airport, the Port of Liverpool, and the rail connections between them on the negotiation of recent trade deals.

The Department welcomes recent investment into Manchester Airport’s terminals and the Port of Liverpool. We would welcome further infrastructure that supports connectivity between the two sites, in as far as any scheme is delivered in line with the UK’s legal, climate and environmental obligations.
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Andrew Gwynne:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will take steps to improve access to Manchester Airport from the regions surrounding Greater Manchester. \p Lilian Greenwood: The Government recommends that masterplans and surface access strategies are updated every five years, and we work closely with all airports, including Manchester Airport, as they develop and update their plans.

It is the responsibility of airports to work closely with local stakeholders to develop masterplans and surface access strategies to improve airport access, noting that improvements to airport surface access are generally funded by the airport themselves.
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Andrew Gwynne:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of improving infrastructure surrounding (a) Manchester Airport and (b) the Port of Liverpool on levels of (i) trade through recent international trade deals and (ii) foreign direct investment in those areas. \p Lilian Greenwood: The Department has no plans currently to make an assessment of the potential impact of improving infrastructure surrounding Manchester Airport and the Port of Liverpool on levels of trade through recent international trade deals and foreign direct investment in those areas.

The Department for Transport welcomes recent investment into Manchester Airport’s terminals and the Port of Liverpool.
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Anna Sabine:To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what the (a) average and (b) longest waiting time was for a driving test in Wiltshire in each of the last ten years. \p Lilian Greenwood: The table below shows the (a) average and (b) longest waiting time for car practical driving tests, at driving test centres (DTCs) in Wiltshire, for the last ten financial years.

Driving test wait times (weeks) Wiltshire

Financial Year

2015/16

2016/17

2017/18

2018/19

2019/20

2020/21

2021/22

2022/23

2023/24

2024/25

Average

9.9

9.1

8.4

8.4

9.2

11.3

11.8

15.3

19.0

21.6

Longest

11.1

13.5

9.8

9.9

11.9

16.8

15.6

19.4

23.6

24.0

The table below shows the (a) average and (b) longest waiting time for car practical driving tests, at DTCs in Somerset, for the last five financial years.

Driving test wait times (weeks) Somerset

Financial Year

2020/21

2021/22

2022/23

2023/24

2024/25

Average

10.8

13.9

16.5

19.1

21.8

Longest

18.0

15.6

21.9

24.0

24.0

The table below shows the average wait time for theory tests in Somerset for the financial years 2021/22 to 2024/25.*

Financial year

Average wait time

2021/22 (from Sept 2021)

34.6 days

2022/23

24.6 days

2023/24

20.6 days

2024/25

23.2 days

The overall average for the total time period available (Sept 2021 to today) for theory tests is 24.1 days.

*Please note, The Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA) only hold data from when its new theory test booking service was implemented in September 2021. Theory test data availability is not measured in the same way as practical tests. DVSA’s relevant KPI for theory tests is the difference between the first confirmed booking date and the first confirmed test date, excluding bank holidays.
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Dan Norris:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average time taken was to (a) process and (b) pay Access to Work claims once an invoice had been submitted in each of the last five years. \p Sir Stephen Timms: In response to what the average time taken was to (a) process Access to work claim in each of the last 5 years, Access to work can provide this for the last 4 years. The average time taken was:

2021-2022 = 28.1 days

2022-2023 = 57.8 days

2023-2024 = 45.1 days

2024-2025 = 56.9 days

(b) the average time taken to process a payment once an invoice has been submitted is not available as there is no reporting systems in place.

Please note that the data supplied is derived from unpublished management information, which was collected for internal Departmental use only, and have not been quality assured to National Statistics or Official Statistics publication standard. They should therefore be treated with caution.
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Patricia Ferguson:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what discussions she has had with the Pensions Ombudsman on the adequacy of the time taken for a complaint to be allocated to an adjudicator. \p Torsten Bell: I met with the Pensions Ombudsman and Chief Operating Officer to discuss the significant increase over a period of several years in complaints received; a trend that is continuing. This increase has impacted on waiting times for cases to be allocated to an adjudication specialist. In response, The Pension Ombudsman has implemented an Operating Model Review (OMR) programme.

DWP are working closely with TPO to rigorously monitor the impact the OMR is having on waiting times and case allocation to adjudication specialists.
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Stuart Anderson:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she has taken to increase awareness of the availability of Pension Credit in rural areas. \p Torsten Bell: The Government wants all pensioners to get the support to which they are rightly entitled. That is why we ran the biggest ever Pension Credit take-up campaign across the whole of Great Britain. This included adverts on television; radio (including Greatest Hits Radio Black Country & Shropshire, Hits Radio Black Country & Shropshire, Classic FM Midlands, Smooth Radio); social media; on YouTube; on advertising screens in Pharmacies, Post Offices and leisure centres. The campaign also featured on train advertising panels as well as in national and regional press (including the Shropshire Star).

As part of the campaign, the Department engaged with all councils in Great Britain, through the regular Local Authority Welfare Direct bulletins. Shropshire Council supported the Pension Credit campaign during our ‘Week of Action’ in September 2024, and on social media.

More recently, around 11 million pensioners will have received a leaflet promoting Pension Credit along with their State Pension uprating letter.

Further campaign and promotional activity is planned for this year.

The latest Pension Credit applications and awards statistics were published on 27 February and are available at: Pension Credit applications and awards: February 2025 - GOV.UK(opens in a new tab). The statistics show that the Department made almost 50,000 extra awards on the comparable period in 2023/24.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-20)

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Neil Duncan-Jordan:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what is the average amount of basic state pension paid to (a) individuals and (b) couples under the old pension. \p Torsten Bell: The weekly amount of basic State Pension paid to individuals who reached State Pension age before 6 April 2016 was £148.53, as of March 2025. This was before April 2025 increases. This is based on the basic State Pension only and does not include other components such as earnings-related additional State Pension and Graduated Retirement Benefit which individuals may also be receiving.

State Pension is paid on an individual basis. Data on State Pension incomes by relationship status (single pensioners and couples) is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

Source: Department for Work and Pensions Quarterly Statistical Enquiry 5% sample March 2025.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-20)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-05-20 conversation_135

Neil Duncan-Jordan:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many (a) single pensioners and (b) couples receive a full old basic state pension. \p Torsten Bell: The pre-2016 State Pension system for those who reached State Pension age before 6 April 2016 consisted of a basic State Pension, an earnings-related additional State Pension and Graduated Retirement Benefit. (If people were contracted out of the additional State Pension, they will have a workplace or private pension instead.) People may also have derived some basic State Pension from a spouse or civil partner’s National Insurance record or inherited some State Pension from a deceased spouse or civil partner. There is no full rate of additional State Pension or Graduated Retirement Benefit as the amount an individual receives will vary depending on their earnings, the amount of contributions they have paid and whether they were contracted out of the State scheme.

As of March 2025, around 5.8 million received the full basic State Pension. Source: Department for Work and Pensions Quarterly Statistical Enquiry 5% sample March 2025. Numbers have been grossed up to 100% and rounded to the nearest 0.1 million.

State Pension is paid on an individual basis. Data on State Pension incomes by relationship status (single pensioners and couples) is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-20)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-05-20 conversation_136

Neil Duncan-Jordan:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many pensioners are in receipt of a full new State Pension. \p Torsten Bell: The latest figures, for the quarter ending November 2024, show 2,458,948 individuals were in receipt of at least the full rate of the new State Pension. Source: Stat-Xplore
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-20)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-05-20 conversation_137

Bobby Dean:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of disputes involving the Child Maintenance Service on the backlog of cases in the family courts; and what steps she is taking to reduce the time taken to resolve those disputes. \p Andrew Western: Should a Child Maintenance (CM) claimant dispute a decision made by DWP, they can request a Mandatory Reconsideration (MR) to review the decision made. Subsequently, if they are still dissatisfied with the decision, they can appeal to His Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service (HMCTS). Once DWP are notified of the appeal, the Department has 42 days to prepare their appeal response or lapse the appeal if we can improve the decision.

To reduce the time taken to resolve Child Maintenance Service (CMS) disputes that have reached Appeal stage, the disputes service has taken the following actions:
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-20)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-05-20 conversation_138

Ms Polly Billington:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what proportion of people who receive (a) enhanced daily living Personal Independence Payment awards and (b) standard daily living Personal Independence Payment awards did not score four or more points on any individual activity descriptor in 2024-25. \p Sir Stephen Timms: Information on the proportion of Personal Independence Payment (PIP) claimants who received a standard Daily Living award rate and scored less than four points in all daily living activities can be found in Table 1 below.

There will be no immediate changes. Our intention is the changes will start to come into effect from November 2026 for PIP, subject to parliamentary approval. After that date, no one will lose PIP without first being reassessed by a trained assessor or healthcare professional, who assesses individual needs and circumstance. Reassessments happen on average every 3 years. Someone who didn’t score 4 points in an activity in a previous assessment may well score 4 points in a future assessment – not least as many conditions tend to get worse, not better, over time.

Table 1: Proportion of PIP claimants who are in receipt of the standard daily living award rate and scored less than four points in all daily living activities

Daily Living Award

Proportion of PIP claimants who scored <4 points

Enhanced

13%

Standard

87%

Source(s): PIP administrative data

Notes:
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-20)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-05-20 conversation_139

John Milne:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will make an estimate she of the potential impact of changes to (a) PIP entitlement rules, (b) the Universal Credit health element and (c) the Universal Credit standard allowance and (d) all three measures on the number of (i) families, (ii) people and (iii) children who are (A) in and (B) not in relative poverty after housing costs pre-measures in 2029-30, using baselines in which the Autumn Statement 2023 Work Capability Assessment descriptor reforms are assumed to have (1) been implemented and (2) not been implemented. \p Alison McGovern: An assessment of the potential impact of the planned changes to health and disability benefits is available here: Spring Statement 2025 health and disability benefit reforms – Impacts.

This includes breakdowns for each change separately on levels of poverty. It also includes estimated impacts regarding the changes to the Work Capability Assessment descriptors proposed at Autumn Statement 2023, but which were subsequently reversed.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-20)

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Sorcha Eastwood:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, for what reason her Department's consultation on the Health and Disability Green Paper, published on 18 March 2025, does not include proposals to (a) abolish the Work Capability Assessment, (b) freeze the Universal Credit Limited Capability for Work and Work-Related Activity element and (c) make change to the PIP daily living component; and if she will (i) change that consultation to include those measures and (ii) extend the consultation period. \p Sir Stephen Timms: The Pathways to Work Green Paper set out our plans and proposals for reform to health and disability benefits and employment support. This includes urgently needed reforms to PIP eligibility and Universal Credit rates that are not subject to consultation but which Parliament will fully debate and vote on. The reforms are included in the Green Paper to provide the wider context.

We are also scrapping the Work Capability Assessment to end the dysfunctional process which drives people into dependency – delivering on the Government’s commitment to reform or replace it. The details will be set out in a White Paper in autumn 2025, following the Green Paper consultation, which closes on 30 June. This will be followed by further primary legislation, which we expect to take forwards in the second session, subject to parliamentary approval. We will not be changing the scope of the consultation or extending the consultation period.

The Green Paper does consult on many key elements of the reform package, including employment support and Access to Work, which are at the centre of our plans to improve the system for disabled people. We hope that a wide range of voices will respond to the consultation, and we are holding a programme of public consultation events across the country to help facilitate input.

We are also developing other ways to facilitate the involvement of stakeholders and disabled people in our reforms. In addition to the consultation itself, we will establish ‘collaboration committees’ that bring groups of people together for specific work areas and our wider review of the PIP assessment will bring together a range of experts, stakeholders and people with lived experience.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-20)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-05-20 conversation_141

Alex Sobel:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of the Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working Green Paper, published on 18 March 2025, on students no longer eligible for personal independence payment under proposed reforms. \p Sir Stephen Timms: No assessment has been made. The Department does not hold data about the student status of Personal Independence Payment (PIP) claimants.

Information on the impacts of the Pathways to Work Green Paper has been published here ‘Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working Green Paper’(opens in a new tab).

There will be no immediate changes. Changes to PIP eligibility and rebalancing of UC aren’t coming into effect immediately. Our intention is these changes will start to come into effect from April 2026 for UC and November 2026 for PIP, subject to parliamentary approval.

PIP changes will only apply at the next award review after November 2026. The average award review period is about three years. At the award review, claimants will be considered by a trained assessor or healthcare professional and assessed on individual needs and circumstances.

We are consulting on how best to support those who are affected by the new eligibility changes, including how to make sure health and eligible care needs are met.

We have also announced a wider review of the PIP assessment which I will lead, and we will bring together a range of experts, stakeholders and people with lived experience to consider how best to do this and to start the process as part of preparing for a review. We will provide further details as plans progress.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-20)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-05-20 conversation_142

Sorcha Eastwood:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department has taken with (a) disabled people and (b) disabled people’s organisations to develop the Health and Disability Green Paper; and what plans she has to work with disabled people to develop the (i) design and (ii) delivery of any proposed reforms. \p Sir Stephen Timms: Our Green Paper, “Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working” is an important staging post on a journey of reform, building on the vision and approach set out in the Get Britain Working White Paper in November 2024. It sets out our vision, strategy and proposals for change. Our conversations with disabled people and people with health conditions, as well as experts, have already shaped and informed this Green Paper. We are committed to continuing this dialogue and drawing on a wide range of insights and experiences to get these reforms right.

The Pathways to Work consultation invites people to share their views on our proposals, and we hope that a wide range of voices will respond before it closes on the 30 June 2025. Our schedule of virtual and in-person public consultation events across the country will further facilitate input and help us to hear from disabled people and stakeholder organisations directly. Full details of how to respond to the consultation and join the events can be found on.gov.uk.

We have also committed to the establishment of a panel to consult disabled people on our reforms, and of ‘collaboration committees’ to develop them further, both on design and delivery. These committees will involve bringing together groups of disabled people, representative organisations, and other experts for specific work areas to collaborate and provide discussion, challenge, and recommendations.