theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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Sarah Champion:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 28 February 2025 to Question 30996, what powers the Ministers from the Department for Education have been delegated in relation to implementing IICSA. \p Jess Phillips: The recommendations of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse (the Inquiry) covered a broad range of issues and departmental responsibilities, including reforms to the child protection system, improving data, awareness-raising and supporting victims and survivors.

Responding to child sexual abuse requires a cross-Government effort and the Home Office is working collaboratively with departments across Government, including the Department for Education, to take action on the findings and recommendations of the Inquiry.
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Sarah Coombes:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of the number of vehicle number plate cloning offences in the last five years. \p Dame Diana Johnson: The Home Office does not hold information on the number of vehicle number plate cloning offences recorded by the police in England and Wales as this is included within the offence sub-code of ‘Fraud and forgery associated with registration and licensing documents’ offences.

The table shows the total number of such offences recorded, from 2019/20 to the year ending September 2024.

Table: the number of ‘Fraud, forgery etc. associated with registration and licensing documents’ offences recorded by the police in England and Wales1, 2019/20 to the year ending September 2024.

Year

Offences

2019/202

447

2020/21

376

2021/22

419

2022/23

362

2023/24

393

Year ending September 2023

373

Year ending September 2024

471

1. Humberside police are excluded from all years, as they have been unable to provide data to the Home Office Data Hub

2. 2019/20 excludes Greater Manchester police, who were unable to provide data to the Home Office Data Hub for this period.
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Sarah Coombes:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the Automatic Number Plate Recognition camera system. \p Dame Diana Johnson: ANPR is a valuable tool to help the police tackle crime and keep the road safe.

We keep the effectiveness of police and law enforcement use of ANPR under regular review, to ensure it remains a robust tool for identifying vehicles of interest to the police and drivers who break the law.
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Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether she has had discussions with the London Fire Brigade on (a) the issuance of advice to Transport for London on flammable material in sub-surface stations and (b) book exchanges in London Underground Tube stations. \p Dame Diana Johnson: The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (FSO) places a range of legal duties on Responsible Persons (the person in control of a premises), chief among which is the need to undertake a fire risk assessment to identify any general fire safety precautions that need to be taken to ensure that the premises, and people within it, are safe from fire.

In the vast majority of premises, the FSO is enforced by the local fire and rescue authority and within London that is through the London Fire Brigade. Enforcing authorities can provide advice on premises they audit, and they have complete operational independence from Government on these matters.

The Fire Precautions (Sub-surface Railway Stations) (England) Regulations 2009, which were designed to update earlier regulations and ensure they align with the FSO state that all parts of station premises must be kept clear of any accumulation of combustible refuse or other combustible matter.

The government published guidance explaining the Regulations for both enforcing authorities and those responsible for them in Guidance Note 3: Fire safety on sub-surface railway stations.
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Carolyn Harris:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many victims of modern slavery were granted temporary leave to remain under section 65 of the Nationality and Borders Act 2022 for (a) assisting a person in their recovery from any physical or psychological harm arising from the relevant exploitation, (b) enabling a person to seek compensation in respect of the relevant exploitation and (c) enabling a person to co-operate with a public authority in connection with an investigation or criminal proceedings in respect of the relevant exploitation in (i) 2023 and (ii) 2024. \p Seema Malhotra: The requested data is not currently available in a verified and published form. Other data on modern slavery can be found at National Referral Mechanism statistics - GOV.UK.
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Andy McDonald:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps are available to applicants to the Afghan civilian resettlement scheme who have evidence of biometric data taken for application where the Home Office (a) did not retain the content of and (b) process an earlier application. \p Seema Malhotra: Everyone seeking resettlement under the Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme (ACRS) is required to meet the eligibility requirements published on gov.uk.

The window to submit a referral under ACRS Pathway 1 Stage 2: Separated Families was opened on 30 July 2024 and closed on 30 October 2024. Those who have been resettled in the UK under ACRS Pathway 1 and were evacuated during Operation Pitting without their immediate family members, were able to submit a referral under this pathway. This includes those that have submitted previous visa applications to the Home Office.

Further information is viewable at: Afghan citizens resettlement scheme: Separated Families Pathway - GOV.UK

To obtain entry clearance to the UK under the ACRS, individuals must successfully complete the required entry clearance processes, which includes meeting the relevant suitability requirements. The Home Office does not consider previous applications.
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Paulette Hamilton:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the eligibility criteria will be for the Windrush advocacy support fund; and whether Windrush groups providing advocacy will be able to apply. \p Seema Malhotra: This Government is determined to put right the appalling injustices caused by the Home Office’s treatment of members of the Windrush community, making sure that those affected receive the compensation they deserve quickly, and ensuring cultural change is embedded permanently into the fabric of the department.

The new Windrush Unit in the Home Office is undertaking a careful and detailed review of all 30 recommendations in the Windrush Lessons Learned Review to assess how far the department has come and identify those recommendations which require more work. We recognise that people have waited far too long for action, and we are making progress to put things right.

Recruitment for the Windrush Commissioner has closed and the successful candidate will be in post by the summer. Once appointed, the Commissioner will advise on the Home Office’s response to the Windrush Lessons Learned Review, driving improvements and promoting lasting change across the whole Department. The Commissioner will also assure the Home Office’s delivery of the Windrush Compensation Scheme, providing advice to Ministers on the scheme’s effectiveness in achieving its objectives.

In the interim, the Government is working to ensure that Windrush victims and their families get the maximum support and compensation they are entitled to quickly and efficiently, as we promised in our manifesto.

The Windrush Compensation Scheme has been designed to be as simple as possible to access, and existing caselaw has underlined that while the application process can be emotionally complex, individuals are not required to argue complex points of law. It is not therefore our intention to introduce legal aid support for individuals to complete their claims.

Nevertheless, we have recognised the need for additional advocacy support, we are working at pace to develop a program of £1.5 million grant funding for organisations to provide advocacy and support with the application process.

This assistance will be offered alongside - but separate from - existing claims support, so that potential claimants have maximum flexibility and choice regarding the type of help they want and where they can access it. This is designed to make the prospect of making a claim more accessible for each person, keeping the needs of the individual at the heart of everything we do and keeping our support programmes under review.

We also continue to engage with community representatives and victims to ensure their voices are heard in this area. So far, officials have spoken with and listened to over 30 stakeholders, advocates and community representatives to inform the structure of the advocacy support fund.
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Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the enhanced tier of the Foreign Influence Registration Scheme on (a) Russian, (b) Iranian and (c) Chinese interference in democratic processes. \p Dan Jarvis: Protecting the integrity and security of UK democratic processes from threats of foreign interference is a priority for the government.

The Foreign influence Registration Scheme will increase transparency of foreign power influence over the core aspects of the UK’s democracy, including elections, political party proceedings, parliamentarians and decisions of the Government. Once the scheme is in force those carrying out political influencing activities at the direction of any foreign power, will need to register under the political influence tier. We have published an impact assessment on gov.uk setting out its potential impact.

As I committed to in Parliament on the 4th March, the Home Office will lay regulations in Parliament as soon as possible, with a view to having the scheme up and running by the summer.
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Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 13 March 2025 to Question 35843 on Marshall Bioresources: Audit, what the outcome was of the unannounced audit by the Animals in Science Regulation Unit of Marshall BioResources in April 2024. \p Dan Jarvis: The outcome of the last unannounced audit carried out in April 2024 was that there were no critical, major or minor findings, and no low-level concerns identified.
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Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 13 March 2025 to Question 35843 on Marshall Bioresources: Audit, on what dates did (a) announced and (b) unannounced audits by the Animals in Science Regulation Unit of Marshall BioResources take place between 2016 and 2025 inclusive. \p Dan Jarvis: Marshall BioResources was granted an establishment licence in October 2017. Since then, the Animals in Science Regulation Unit have conducted 8 announced inspections/audits and 7 unannounced as set out below.

Announced

Unannounced

2021 September

2024 April

2020 November

2023 August

2020 September

2022 July

2019 November

2021 June

2019 May

2019 July

2019 March

2018 July

2018 October

2018 January

2018 April
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Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the Answer of 10 March 2025 to Question HL5013 Islam, what is the Government’s working definition of Islamism as it relates to (a) extremism, (b) violence or (c). terrorism. \p Dan Jarvis: I refer the Hon. Member to Question UIN 19354 answered on 27 December 2024.
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Dame Harriett Baldwin:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate she has made of the number and proportion of barber shops that are linked to money laundering. \p Dan Jarvis: According to a report by the Local Data Company and Green Street, the average number of barber shops per 10,000 people has more than doubled in the last 10 years, from 1.4 per 10,000 people in 2013, to 3.1 per 10,000 in 2023. The Government recognises that cash intensive businesses such as barber shops can be exploited by criminals who seek to legitimise their criminal cash enabling them to profit from their illegal activities.

That is why addressing cash-based money laundering is one of the strategic priorities of the National Economic Crime Centre which sits within the National Crime Agency, and who are currently working with partners to facilitate an increased operational response to this threat.

In parallel, the National Police Chiefs’ Council economic crime co-ordinators are engaged in the development of Clear Hold Build strategies to help police forces tackle serious and organised crime. Clear Hold Build aims to reclaim and rebuild neighbourhoods affected by organised crime and increase public confidence in the police and partner agencies. This includes tackling financial crime on the high street.
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Amanda Hack:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many unused animals originally acquired for scientific procedures were euthanized in 2023 due to (a) a surplus to requirement and (b) any other reason. \p Dan Jarvis: The Annual Statistics of Scientific Procedures on Living Animals, Great Britain 2023 was published on the 11 September 2024. The statistics provide full details on the number of licensed procedures carried out, the species of animals and the purposes for which the procedures have been undertaken.

The 2023 Annual Statistics show that 2.68 million scientific procedures involving living animals were carried out in Great Britain in 2023; this is a decrease of 3% on last year and the lowest number since 2001.

In 2017, the Home Office published additional statistics covering the number of non-genetically altered animals that were bred for scientific procedures but were killed or died without being used in procedures; and the number of animals (genetically altered and non-genetically altered) subject to tissue sampling for the purposes of genotyping. That data is available at: Additional statistics on breeding and genotyping of animals for scientific procedures, Great Britain, 2017. The additional statistics are not presently routinely collected. Future publication of this data is under review.
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Alex Mayer:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of sanctions applied by the Animals in Science Regulation Unit for incidents of non-compliance with licence conditions or with the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986. \p Dan Jarvis: The Animals in Science Regulator has published its compliance framework which explains how it identifies and investigates potential incidents of non-compliance and decides on appropriate and proportionate measures and remedies where non-compliance has been found to occur. The Regulator’s published compliance policy aims to reduce the risk of future non-compliance.

All cases of non-compliance are thoroughly investigated, and the outcomes are published in ASRU’s annual report.
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Lee Anderson:To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she made of the potential merits of holding a public inquiry into the murder of Sir David Amess. \p Dan Jarvis: The Home Office is committed to learning all the lessons from the appalling attack on Sir David Amess. We have therefore published both the Prevent Learning Review on the case in the interests of maximum transparency, and tasked Lord Anderson, the interim Prevent Commissioner, with conducting a rapid review of the case.

Lord Anderson will identify whether changes are required arising from the specific handling of that case; examine improvements made to the Prevent programme since the attack and determine whether they have sufficiently strengthened the system; and identify any remaining gaps or shortcomings in the wider programme that require further improvement. This review will be published and swift action will be taken to implement the findings.

The Government does not believe that a public inquiry would unearth any information that has not already been considered by the Courts, by the Prevent Learning Review, and by the ongoing Anderson review. However, the Home Secretary has confirmed that we will scrutinise all the previous reviews that have taken place to see if there are any questions that still need to be answered or issues that still need to be addressed, and we will act as necessary if any such gaps are identified as a result of that process.
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Andrew Rosindell:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether his Department is taking steps to help support Australia following Cyclone Alfred; and whether he has held discussions with his Australian counterpart on natural disaster relief. \p Catherine West: The UK stands ready to support our Australian partners as they recover from Cyclone Alfred. The Prime Minister expressed his support for the Australian people when he spoke to Prime Minister Albanese on 8 March.
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Sarah Champion:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what discussions he has had with his Peruvian counterpart on that country's new law expanding the powers of the Peruvian Agency for International Cooperation. \p Catherine West: We are aware that Peru's Congress has approved a controversial reform expanding the powers of the Peruvian Agency for International Cooperation (APCI) and strengthening state oversight of non-governmental organisations.

We have been monitoring the debate closely in recent months. Along with international partners, we have previously raised concerns about potential risks with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (who are responsible for APCI), and offered to share best practice.

We are now evaluating the new regulations. We will continue to collaborate closely with the Peruvian government to promote sustainable development underpinned by respect for human rights, democracy and the rule of law.
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Priti Patel:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 17 March 2025 to Question 36631 on Foreign Influence Registration Scheme, what the nature was of discussions with his counterparts in China on the foreign influence registration scheme. \p Catherine West: The Foreign Secretary met his counterpart Wang Yi in China in October 2024. The conversations covered the full range of bilateral issues. We engage frankly on the difficult issues, as part of our consistent and regular engagement with China. National Security is the first duty of government, and we will always act to protect it.
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Pippa Heylings:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what plans he has for the funding of global vaccination programmes, in the context of the reduction in Official Development Assistance spending. \p Stephen Doughty: The UK is one of the largest donors to Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. We have committed £1.65 billion to the current strategic period covering 2021-2025. The UK is working to ensure a successful replenishment of Gavi through our diplomatic and development network. Following the difficult decision to reduce UK Official Development Assistance (ODA) from 0.5 per cent of GNI to 0.3 per cent by 2027 we are taking a rigorous approach to ensure all ODA delivers value for money. Announcements on individual investments will be made following the completion of the Spending Review process.
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Monica Harding:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what his Department's top development priorities are. \p Stephen Doughty: The UK remains committed to investing internationally to build a safer world. Reducing the overall size of our Official Development Assistance budget will necessarily have an impact on the scale and shape of the work we do. We will set out how our spending plans deliver on our priorities following the completion of the Spending Review and departmental resource allocation processes.
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Richard Burgon:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, if he will make it his policy to spend at least £1 billion on humanitarian aid in each year of this Parliament. \p Stephen Doughty: The Prime Minister has set out a new strategic vision for government spending on defence and security and Official Development Assistance (ODA). Detailed decisions on how the ODA budget will be used will be worked through as part of the ongoing Spending Review based on various factors including impact, and value for money.
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Wendy Morton:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 4 February 2025 to Question 28556 on International Day of Education, how much funding his Department will provide in (a) 2025-26 and (b) subsequent years for (i) girls' education overseas, (ii) Education Cannot Wait and (iii) the Global Partnership for Education. \p Stephen Doughty: The difficult decision to reduce UK Official Development Assistance (ODA) spending to 0.3% of Gross National Income (GNI) to fund an increase in defence spending to 2.5% of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by 2027 has been taken by the Prime Minister to address the imperative of national security. Impacts on future ODA budgets are currently under review as part of the wider Spending Review process. Given the multi-year nature of many commitments, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) is reassessing its ODA spending plans for 2025/26 to ensure they deliver maximum value for money in the context of the transition to spending 0.3% of GNI on ODA by 2027. Initial budget allocations for FCDO ODA in 2025/26 will be set later in March 2025, with final allocations for 2025/26 agreed in the summer. We therefore cannot at this time confirm how much funding will be provided in 2025/26 and beyond for global education; however, the UK remains committed to playing a significant role in international development. Education Cannot Wait and the Global Partnership for Education remain important partners for the UK.
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Wendy Morton:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the meeting of the All-Serbian Assembly in June 2024. \p Stephen Doughty: While the UK welcomes inclusive regional cooperation, economic integration and inter-connectivity initiatives across the region, we have underlined to Serbia's leadership concerns about the June 2024 All Serb Assembly and Declaration and encouraged adherence to the commitments on good neighbourly relations made by all Western Balkans leaders at the 2018 London Summit. We consistently emphasise at senior levels the importance of Serbia's role in building and supporting regional stability; I did so when I met Foreign Minister Djuric in October and reinforced the message with President Vucic and Foreign Minister Djuric in Serbia in January 2025.
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Wendy Morton:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, with reference to the UK’s £25 million commitment to the Pandemic Fund, how much of this funding (a) had been spent, (b) had been committed and (c) remained unallocated as of 30 December 2024. \p Stephen Doughty: The UK has committed £25 million to the Pandemic Fund. £10 million has been transferred to the Pandemic Fund. The remaining £15 million will be transferred in 2025/26.
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Jim Shannon:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, whether he has had recent discussions with counterparts in NATO countries on improving sexual health education in relation to (a) AIDS and (b) HIV in developing countries. \p Stephen Doughty: The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office officials do not engage directly with NATO regarding Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) HIV education.

The UK is proud to defend and promote universal and comprehensive SRHR, which includes comprehensive sexuality education, family planning, maternal and newborn health, HIV and AIDS treatment and prevention, safe abortion and period poverty. We remain committed to the global HIV response and to working in partnership with other UN member states as well as with the global health institutions towards a collective goal of ending AIDS as a public health threat. Together we have helped to reduce new HIV infections by 60 per cent since the peak in 1995 and reduce AIDS-related deaths by 69 per cent since the peak in 2004.
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Wendy Morton:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that (a) gender equity and (b) the needs of (i) women, (ii) indigenous groups, (iii) people with disabilities and (iv) other vulnerable communities are prioritised in international climate finance initiatives. \p Stephen Doughty: The International Development Act 2002, as amended by the International Development (Gender Equality) Act 2014, requires a consideration of gender equality before spending development and humanitarian assistance, including International Climate Finance. The duty ensures that gender equality remains at the heart of the UK's Official Development Assistance work. In addition, we seek to prioritise the needs of vulnerable communities, such as people with disabilities and indigenous groups, including through amplifying the voices of those whose views are often most marginalised, empowering them as decision-makers, advocates and leaders.
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Priti Patel:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, pursuant to the Written Statement HCWS451 of 13 February 2025 on Syria Sanctions, if he will list the Syria Regulations he is planning to change; and what conditions he plans to apply to the Government of Syria in relation to the relaxation of sanctions. \p Mr Hamish Falconer: As my statement to the House on 10 March made clear, the interim Syrian authorities must ensure the protection of all Syrians and to make progress towards an inclusive political transition. We will judge them by their actions, not their words.

On 6 March, the Government lifted asset freezes on 24 Syrian entities that were previously used by the Assad regime to fund the oppression of the Syrian people, including the Central Bank of Syria. This follows the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation publishing on 12 February a General Licence, allowing payments that support humanitarian assistance in Syria. Sanctions remain in place against the Assad family, their associates, and those complicit in committing atrocities.

We keep our sanctions under close review. Where there are changes to the Syria Regulations, Members of Parliament will have the opportunity to debate in line with the made affirmative procedure for sanctions Statutory Instruments.
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Jayne Kirkham:To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, when he last raised the case of Alaa Abd El-Fattah with the Egyptian Government; and how often he has raised the case of Mr El-Fattah with that Government. \p Mr Hamish Falconer: The UK Government continues to raise Mr Alaa Abd El-Fattah's case at the highest levels with the Egyptian government. We have been consistently clear in calling for his release and continue to press for urgent consular access. The Prime Minister raised the case in a phone call with President Sisi on 28 February 2025 and previously wrote to President Sisi on 26 December 2024 and 8 January 2025. The Foreign Secretary has raised this case regularly with the Egyptian Foreign Minister, most recently on 23 January 2025. I raised the case with the Egyptian Ambassador to London on 18 February 2025. The National Security Adviser also raised the case with Foreign Minister Abdelatty in a phone call on 2 March.
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Dr Beccy Cooper:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she has taken to implement a strategic plan to remove asbestos from all non-domestic buildings. \p Sir Stephen Timms: The Government is committed to working towards asbestos removal across Great Britain’s (GB) workplaces, whilst ensuring the safe management of any asbestos present.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is engaging with stakeholders about how to improve what is known about the scale and condition of asbestos remaining in GB workplaces. This will be used to develop a robust evidence base that can support or improve legacy asbestos management as part of a wider, long term strategic plan.
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Dr Al Pinkerton:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to support disabled people with increases in the cost of living in Surrey Heath constituency. \p Sir Stephen Timms: The extra costs disability benefits, Attendance Allowance, Disability Living Allowance and Personal Independence Payment (PIP), provide a contribution towards the extra costs that may arise from a long-term disability or health condition. These additional costs are not defined, and customers are able to spend the money they receive according to their own priorities.

In England, the Household Support Fund (HSF) provides discretionary support to those most in need towards the cost of essentials, such as food, energy, and water.

The Government is further extending the HSF by a year, from 1 April 2025 until 31 March 2026. Funding of £742 million will be provided to enable the HSF extension plus additional funding for the Devolved Government through the Barnett formula to be spent at their discretion, as usual. This builds on the previous investment of £421 million to extend the current HSF in England for six months, running from 1 October 2024 until 31 March 2025.
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Jim Shannon:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many new Personal Independence Payment claims her Department has received in the last 12 months. \p Sir Stephen Timms: Between February 2024 and January 2025, there were a total of 979,100 New Personal Independence Payment claims registered. Of these, 889,300 were New Claims and 89,800 were reassessments from Disability Living Allowance.

This information can be found on Stat-Xplore in the ‘PIP Registrations’ dataset.
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Sarah Olney:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average wait time is for a Work Capability Assessment reassessment when a claimant reports improved health. \p Sir Stephen Timms: The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

ESA clearance times for initial claims only are reported via Stat-Xplore and UC WCA clearance times are planned to be released under Phase 4 of the Universal Credit WCA statistics: release strategy - GOV.UK
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-24)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-24 conversation_243

Richard Burgon:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to ensure that changes to the Work Capability Assessment prevent disabled people from entering poverty. \p Sir Stephen Timms: The Health and Disability Green Paper published on 18th March 2025 outlines why we think removing the Work Capability Assessment and moving to using an amended version of the PIP assessment to determine what financial support people receive for health and disability in the Universal Credit system is the correct decision for the reformed system. We will be publishing estimated impacts on claimants for the changes announced on 18 March 2025 on the day of the Spring Statement or shortly after.

We understand that for some people, work is simply not possible. We will work through how, without a WCA, these people can be identified and appropriate protections put in place, such as considering award reviews. Engagement with employment support will be determined on a personal basis, according to needs.

Following the Green Paper consultation, we will bring forwards a White Paper in autumn 2025 to set out our full proposals.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-24)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-24 conversation_244

Terry Jermy:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what her planned timetable is for making the Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working Green Paper accessible for persons with disabilities online. \p Sir Stephen Timms: Further accessible formats will be published on GOV.UK in due course. The consultation will close 12 weeks after the point at which all accessible versions of this Green Paper are available.

We have published this paper ahead of all accessible versions to put detailed information about the matters subject to consultation in the public domain at the earliest opportunity, although the production of accessible versions requires additional time. The consultation will run for a full 12 weeks after all of the accessible versions of the paper are published.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-24)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-24 conversation_245

Helen Maguire:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment she has made of the potential merits of removing the (a) two-child cap and (b) benefit cap for families in receipt of Universal Credit. \p Sir Stephen Timms: Tackling child poverty is at the heart of the Government’s mission to break down barriers to opportunity and improve the life chances of every child. The Child Poverty Taskforce is exploring how we can harness all available levers to reduce child poverty, including considering social security reforms, before publishing a strategy that will deliver lasting change.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-24)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-24 conversation_246

Neil Duncan-Jordan:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether she plans to take steps to remove the role of the private sector in carrying out (a) PIP assessments and (b) PIP reassessments. \p Sir Stephen Timms: In September 2024, new five-year contracts for functional health and disability services commenced. In advance of the procurement of these contracts, a delivery model assessment was carried out in line with commercial best practice, which determined that outsourced delivery remained the best way of achieving value for money and service stability. The Department will conduct a further delivery model assessment in due course to inform decisions on future service delivery, beyond the current contracts.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-24)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-24 conversation_247

Sarah Olney:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average wait time is for a Work Capability Assessment reassessment when a claimant reports improved health in South West London. \p Sir Stephen Timms: The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

ESA clearance times for initial claims only are reported via Stat-Xplore and UC WCA clearance times are planned to be released under Phase 4 of the UC WCA Release Strategy.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-24)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-24 conversation_248

Clive Jones:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 11 November 2024 to Question 12286 on Pension Credit: Uptake, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of reducing the complexity of the Pension Credit application form. \p Torsten Bell: As the Department continues to modernise the Pension Credit service, we review the user experience, balancing simplification of application with capturing the right information to ensure accuracy of award. A key objective of DWP’s Service Modernisation Programme is to utilise end user research to understand how the application process should operate in the future and consider the opportunities on how services can be more user friendly and easily accessible for citizens. To that end we are streamlining all Pension Credit application routes by using information held internally to reduce the number of questions the citizen must answer.

Claims for Pension Credit can be made online, by telephone or by post. By far, the most popular way to claim is online where a claim can be made 24/7 with the help of a family member, a friend or a third party. The online claim form means it now takes just 16 minutes on average to complete, with 90 per cent of new customers applying using the simple online form, or over the phone.

With the telephone service, the caller will be guided through the claim process. We will keep the Pension Credit application process under review.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-24)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-24 conversation_249

Wendy Morton:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many Pension Credit applications her Department has processed in the latest period for which data is available. \p Torsten Bell: On 27 February 2025 we published Pension Credit applications and award statistics. This publication provides application volumes up to 23 February 2025. Pension Credit Applications and Awards - February 2025.

Please note, the figures presented are from DWP’s Pension Credit system which has previously been collected for internal departmental operations use only and has not been quality assured to Official Statistics publication standards.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-24)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-24 conversation_250

Neil Duncan-Jordan:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to ensure that adequate support is provided to help disabled people that can work into work before the implementation of reforms to (a) the levels of and (b) eligibility requirements for ill health benefits are introduced. \p Sir Stephen Timms: Disabled people and people with health conditions are a diverse group so access to the right work and health support, in the right place, at the right time, is key. We therefore have a range of specialist programmes to support individuals to stay in work and get back into work, including some that join up employment and health systems.

Measures include support from Work Coaches and Disability Employment Advisers in Jobcentres and Access to Work grants, as well as joining up health and employment support around the individual through Employment Advisors in NHS Talking Therapies and Individual Placement and Support in Primary Care.

Employers play a key role in increasing employment opportunities and supporting disabled people and people with health conditions, to thrive as part of the workforce. Our support to employers includes increasing access to Occupational Health, Support with Employee Health and Disability service, a digital information service for employers and the Disability Confident scheme.

Additionally, under the Government’s new Get Britain Working Strategy, the forthcoming voluntary, locally led Supported Employment programme ‘Connect to Work’ will support disabled people, those with health conditions and other complex barriers including people with learning disabilities, to get into and on in work.

With a phased rollout shaped by Local Authorities’ own timetables, we expect to see local areas starting to offer Connect to Work support through 2025, with the first areas going live in the Spring.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-24)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-24 conversation_251

Chris Bloore:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what proportion of people claiming universal credit under the age of 25 are living (a) in someone else's home and (b) independently. \p Sir Stephen Timms: The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-24)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-24 conversation_252

Neil Duncan-Jordan:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made 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 reducing health inequalities. \p Sir Stephen Timms: Good quality employment is an important determinant of health. The Marmot Review in 2010 concluded that to reduce health inequalities and improve the health of the nation we needed action on 6 policy objectives. One of those was the creation of fair employment and good work for us all. Unemployment is associated with an increased risk of mortality, long-term illness, cardiovascular disease, poor mental health, suicide, and health-harming behaviours.

Our current health and disability benefits system does not encourage and enable disabled people and people with health conditions to engage with the labour market or thrive in employment. Without change, this will harm people’s living standards, wellbeing and life chances, as well as harming our economy, including by restricting our ability to reach the goal of an 80% employment rate.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-24)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-24 conversation_253

Martin Wrigley:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the role of the Personal Independence Payment in enabling work. \p Sir Stephen Timms: Personal Independence Payment is not means-tested, it is payable in addition to any other income received and is available to people whether they are in work or not.

This Government wants to alleviate people’s worries around trying work. The Pathways to Work Green Paper published this week sets out our plan to remove barriers to trying work. We will legislate to give people the confidence to try work and ensure that working will not, in and of itself, trigger an award review in PIP, removing the perceived risk of trying work whilst on benefits.

We are also consulting to understand what more can be done to ensure the benefit system supports people to try work without the worry that it may affect their benefit entitlement.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-24)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-24 conversation_254

Sarah Olney:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average wait time is for a PIP reassessment when a claimant reports improved health in South West London. \p Sir Stephen Timms: The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

PIP clearance times for New Claims and Reassessments can be found in the latest Personal Independence Payment statistics to January 2025 - GOV.UK. Figures are broken down by region and they are available for London.