theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-17)

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James Wild:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 30 June 2025 to Question 61228 on Government Departments: Reviews, how many lines of activity in his Department were considered as part of the zero based review. \p Andrew Western: At Spending Review 2025, the government conducted the first zero-based review (ZBR) of department budgets in 18 years, with every line of spending scrutinised to ensure value for money.

Through the zero-based review, the Department for Work and Pensions carried out a line by line review of its current budgets. The review involved differing levels of granularity depending on the type and size of expenditure under review.

To ensure consistency in approach, cross-government guidance set expectations for the level of granularity each review should consider, recommending that departments review all spending within individual programme expenditure – at a minimum reflecting any lines of spending in excess of £1m per annum.

Savings identified through this process will support delivery of the government's commitment for all departments to deliver at least 5% savings and efficiencies by 2028-29.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-17)

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Wendy Morton:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 29 October 2025 to Question 83834, with reference to his Department’s decision to withdraw funding for Level 7 apprenticeships from January 2026, what evidence from Skills England informed the conclusion that there would be no significant or unavoidable fall in the supply of these skills; whether that evidence will be published. \p Andrew Western: The government's decision on defunding Level 7 apprenticeships, except for young apprentices under the age of 22, and those under 25 who are care leavers or have an Education, Health and Care Plan, including a summary of the evidence that informed that decision, is published here: Written Statements - Hansard - UK Parliament.

This includes Skills England’s engagement with over 700 stakeholders including representatives from various sectors, employer representative bodies, and young people.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-17)

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Luke Akehurst:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate his Department has made of the backlog of cases within the Child Maintenance Service; and what steps he is taking to reduce the time taken to (a) process new applications and (b) resolve disputes. \p Andrew Western: The Child Maintenance Service (CMS) have no application or Mandatory Reconsideration (dispute) backlogs.

CMS is working on modernising service delivery with an aim of making services more cost efficient, effective, and timely. Both the applications and the Mandatory Reconsideration (dispute) process have been developed by improving customer communications, introducing digital options for making and progressing applications and disputes. Improved data sharing through enhanced collaboration with HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) and improvements to DWP systems to increase accuracy and speed of service.

Additionally, we are investing in improving training and guidance products and ensuring all of our services are resourced at stable levels that meet demand.

The CMS continues to monitor the effectiveness of these measures and continue to build on these improvements.

His Majesty's Courts and Tribunals Service have responsibility for appeals on CM decisions.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-17)

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Jess Brown-Fuller:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the minimum (a) English and (b) maths requirements are to complete (i) apprenticeships and (ii) vocational courses; and whether he plans to review those requirements. \p Andrew Western: Since February 2025, adults aged 19 and over no longer need to achieve a standalone English and maths qualification on top of their apprenticeship, where their employer agrees that this is not an essential part of their training. Young apprentices who are aged 16-18 at the start of their apprenticeship will continue to be required to achieve English and maths qualifications to put them in the best position to progress in their life and careers.

Upskilling in English and maths will continue to remain a key feature of all apprenticeships. All apprentices will continue to be required to secure and be assessed on the job-specific English and maths skills they need as part of the apprenticeship standard.

Regarding wider vocational courses, any student on a 16 to 19 study programme or T Level, who has not yet achieved an English and/or maths GCSE grade 4 or higher, must continue to be taught these subjects. However, the award of a qualification for these vocational courses is not contingent on their achievement of a grade 4.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-17)

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Wendy Morton:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 29 October 2025 to Question 83834, what discussions his Department has had with the Department of Health and Social Care on the potential impact on NHS workforce (a) recruitment and (b) retention; and how many (i) current and (ii) planned Level 7 nursing apprenticeships are expected to be affected by the withdrawal of funding. \p Andrew Western: The department continues to work closely with the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC), to support apprenticeships and skills provision. The DHSC has confirmed that it will fund the ongoing provision of level 7 apprenticeships in five professions including Specialist community public health nurse, District nurse and Advanced clinical practitioner.

The department continues to fund level 7 apprenticeships for young people under the age of 22, and those under 25 who are care leavers or have an Education, Health and Care Plan.

The government completed an equality impact assessment ahead of making its decision on the changes to level 7 apprenticeship funding.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-17)

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Neil Duncan-Jordan:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what discussions his Department is having with relevant stakeholders on supporting small and medium sized businesses to provide apprenticeship schemes in Poole constituency. \p Andrew Western: The government facilitates and funds the Apprenticeship Ambassador Network (AAN) which comprises 2,500 employers and apprentices who volunteer to promote the benefits of apprenticeships. It operates across England through nine regional networks. These networks provide buddying and mentoring support to small and medium sized businesses to help them recruit and train apprentices, often for the first time. The South-East AAN network is actively engaging small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) across the region including in Poole.

In addition, through Skills England, the government is simplifying the skills system and strengthening support for SMEs. Skills England provides the single, authoritative view of skills needs, working with employers, training providers and local leaders to ensure training reflects real labour-market demand. Skills England’s regions teams work with Employer Representative Bodies through Local Skills Improvement Plans. In Poole, this is led by the Dorset Chamber of Commerce and Industry, covering Bournemouth, Christchurch and the wider Dorset area.

To ensure its work is shaped by real business experience, Skills England maintains regular dialogue with the B5 group of major employer organisations, including the Federation of Small Businesses. It also has a dedicated SME sponsor on its board and an executive team actively engaging SMEs across the country, ensuring smaller firms have a strong voice in shaping the skills system.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-17)

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Luke Akehurst:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what training is provided to Child Maintenance Service caseworkers to ensure fair treatment of non-resident parents for (a) complex or disputed and (b) other cases. \p Andrew Western: All Child Maintenance Service Case Workers are provided with the Decision Making and Welfare of the Child topics during new entrant learning.

These cover the principles of the decision-making process, gathering different types of evidence, applying the balance of probabilities, ensuring impartiality in the decision-making process in relation to resident and non-resident parents, and, where appropriate, the importance of considering the impact on any child who will be affected by the decision.

These principles are reinforced throughout the learning, for example, in deciding the number of nights of care for a shared care decision.

Child Maintenance Service Caseworker learning is standardised to ensure a consistent decision-making process and to allow for transparency if the decision is disputed in the future.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-17)

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Luke Akehurst:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that the Child Maintenance Service does not deduct excessive amounts from non-resident parents. \p Andrew Western: When negotiating arrears agreements and arrangements, CMS must consider all the circumstances of the non-resident parent and the case. The main aim is to get on-going maintenance payments flowing and to recover arrears as quickly and reliably as possible. The most severe measures are restricted to those parents who wilfully refuse or culpably neglect to pay their maintenance.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-17)

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Luke Akehurst:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to improve transparency in Child Maintenance Service (a) calculations and (b) deductions (i) in general and (ii) where deductions from earnings orders are applied. \p Andrew Western: The Child Maintenance calculation is based on the paying parent’s gross income, verified through HMRC data. To improve transparency, the CMS has enhanced data sharing with HMRC to ensure accurate income assessments, including unearned income such as dividends and rental income. Whenever a calculation is made both parents are notified of the amount, the reason for the calculation and how the calculation has been made enabling parents to challenge assessments they believe do not reflect the paying parent’s true financial position. The online portal, My Child Maintenance Case, allows parents to view all prior calculations.

The CMS applies general deductions through either voluntary arrangements or enforcement mechanisms. To improve transparency, the CMS has published guidance on Gov.uk detailing how these processes are applied.

Deductions from earnings orders (DEO) are a key enforcement tool used when a paying parent fails to meet their obligations. To improve transparency in this area, the CMS has issued clear employer guidance on how DEOs operate, including legal obligations, calculation methods, and reporting requirements. This includes ensuring employers receive formal written instructions from the CMS before any changes to deductions are made, preventing unauthorised or unclear adjustments. The protected earnings rate ensures that short term variations in earnings do not allow deductions to reduce a paying parent’s net income below a minimum level required for essential living costs.

Additionally, the CMS provide paying parents with notice of enforcement action and the opportunity to appeal or request a reconsideration of their maintenance calculation before a DEO is applied.

The Department continues to review and refine CMS processes to ensure they are transparent, fair, and effective in delivering financial support to children in separated families.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-17)

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James McMurdock:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what mechanisms are in place to allow the collection of child maintenance arrears after a qualifying child ceases to be a qualifying child; and what guidance his Department has issued to receiving parents on this matter. \p Andrew Western: If Paying Parents fail to meet their financial obligation to their children, the Child Maintenance Service (CMS) has a range of strong enforcement powers including deduction from earnings orders and bank accounts, removing a parents passport or driving license and committal to prison. These powers can be used to collect debt of any age, including after a child ceases to be a qualifying child.

When ongoing maintenance ends due to there no longer being a qualifying child, the CMS will contact both parties to explain what this means. Receiving Parents are informed of any arrears outstanding and provided with guidance on whether they want the arrears collecting, and how the CMS can recover the arrears owed.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-17)

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Blake Stephenson:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make an estimate of the cost to the public purse of (a) consultations and (b) reviews conducted by his Department since 4 July 2024. \p Andrew Western: The information requested is not held centrally and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-17)

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Callum Anderson:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department plans to take to measure the effectiveness of early-intervention employment support for people at risk of leaving work due to ill health. \p Dame Diana Johnson: Evaluation is a key driver in delivering DWP’s priority outcomes and ensuring alignment with the Government’s Plan for Change. As set out in the DWP Evidence and Evaluation Strategy, ongoing evaluation of new and existing initiatives assesses whether they are achieving intended results and informs future policy design.

All early intervention employment and health programmes are accompanied by robust evaluation strategies as per HM Treasury guidance. For example, for the WorkWell pilots there is a published feasibility study that outlines approaches to estimating the impact of the programme.

On completion of the evaluation, externally commissioned evaluation reports are published. For example, the evaluation of the Work Choice programme - a voluntary scheme supporting disabled people facing employment barriers or at risk of job loss showed - published in April 2025 found that, eight years after referral, participants had a payrolled employment rate 11 percentage points higher than the comparison group. This meant the programme delivered strong value for money, returning £1.67 to the Exchequer for every £1 spent.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-17)

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Ruth Cadbury:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to support unemployed people over the age of 50 years old. \p Dame Diana Johnson: We offer support for those out of work through our network of Jobcentres and contracted employment programmes. However, we recognise the employment challenges faced by some older people and that is why we offer additional support for older jobseekers.

For eligible new over 50s jobseekers on Universal Credit, we offer Additional Work Coach Time (AWCT) which provides more intensive, tailored support during the first nine months of their claim. This is in addition to the skills provision and job search support that work coaches currently offer to Jobcentre customers.

Work coaches and employers are supported by a network of 50PLUS Champions working across all 37 Jobcentre Districts. Champions provide a critical layer of support through Jobcentres to ensure the needs of older people are met. Activity includes facilitating engagement with local employers, promoting age inclusive policies, and supporting work coaches to deliver activity locally.

Further support is available to eligible over 50s on Universal Credit through Midlife MOTs. These are delivered in Jobcentres and provide an opportunity to review health, finances and skills, and signpost to suitable support. There is also a digital Midlife MOT which is available to everyone.

We know that work helps everyone, including older people, play active and fulfilling roles in society while building financial security for retirement. That’s why the Government is committed to reforming employment support to ensure it is inclusive and meets the needs of those who require it.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-17)

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Ruth Cadbury:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what discussions he has had with the Minister for Women and Equalities office on supporting women over the age of 50 years old back into employment. \p Dame Diana Johnson: There have been no direct discussions with the Minister for Women and Equalities’ office on this specific issue. The Government recognises the valuable contribution that women over the age of 50 make to the economy and society. Work helps everyone play active and fulfilling roles in society while building financial security for retirement.

We offer support for those out of work through our network of Jobcentres and contracted employment programmes. However, we recognise the employment challenges faced by some older women and that is why we offer additional support for older jobseekers.

For eligible new over 50s jobseekers on Universal Credit, we offer Additional Work Coach Time (AWCT) which provides more intensive, tailored support during the first nine months of their claim. This is in addition to the skills provision and job search support that work coaches currently offer to Jobcentre customers.

Work coaches and employers are supported by a network of 50PLUS Champions working across all 37 Jobcentre Districts. Champions provide a critical layer of support through Jobcentres, to ensure the needs of older people are met. Activity includes facilitating engagement with local employers, promoting age inclusive policies, and supporting work coaches to deliver activity locally.

Further support is available to eligible over 50s on Universal Credit, through Midlife MOTs, delivered in Jobcentres which provide an opportunity to review health, finances and skills and signpost to suitable support. There is also a digital Midlife MOT which is offer available for everyone.

We know that work helps everyone, including older people, play active and fulfilling roles in society while building financial security for retirement. That’s why the Government is committed to reforming employment support to ensure it is inclusive and meets the needs of those who require it, including unemployed or economically inactive women over the age of 50.

DWP officials also work closely with the Office for Equality and Opportunity on the policy proposals in the Employment Rights Bill which will require large employers with more than 250 employees to produce Menopause Action Plans on how they will support employees through the menopause. The Government has published guidance on menopause, including for small employers on measures to consider relating to uniform and temperature, flexible working and recording menopause related leave and absence.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-17)

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Callum Anderson:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department has established indicators for employer participation in health-and-work initiatives in Buckingham and Bletchley constituency. \p Dame Diana Johnson: The Department has no specific indicators for employer participation in health-and-work initiatives specifically in Buckingham and Bletchley constituency.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-17)

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Callum Anderson:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department plans to make an assessment of the potential impact of employer-partnership programmes on labour market participation in Buckingham and Bletchley constituency. \p Dame Diana Johnson: The Department for Work and Pensions continually monitors and evaluates the impact of its programmes on labour market participation across Great Britain, including in Buckingham and Bletchley.

Employer-partnership initiatives such as the Restart Scheme, Sector-based Work Academy Programmes (SWAPs), and Skills Bootcamps are subject to independent evaluation, which informs future policy and contractual decisions. For example, the Restart evaluation by the Learning & Work Institute and Ipsos UK, and the Skills Bootcamp evaluation by CFE Research, are publicly available on GOV.UK.

Locally, Jobcentres in Aylesbury and Milton Keynes deliver a range of employer-led programmes to help people move into sustainable employment. These include tailored support through Restart, mentoring circles with NHS and other employers, and SWAPs in sectors such as construction, logistics, retail, and health and social care.

The Department’s wider reforms will create a new service across Great Britain, enabling people to access support to find good, meaningful work and progress in employment, while working with employers to overcome recruitment barriers and meet skills needs.

Through these measures, the Department aims to improve labour market participation and ensure inclusive employment opportunities in Buckingham, Bletchley, and beyond.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-17)

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Martin Wrigley:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of making it a legal requirement that all operatives entering a UK home to undertake gas work must display their Gas Safe Register accreditation and ID. \p Sir Stephen Timms: The Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations (1998) place a legal requirement on those who undertake gas work to be competent and Gas Safe Registered. The Gas Safe Register Rules of Registration require engineers to carry an in-date, valid ID card which displays who the holder is, and what gas work they are competent to perform. HSE continue to advise consumers to always verify the identity and credentials of engineers or persons entering their property.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-17)

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Stephen Gethins:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of Student Awards Agency Scotland (a) loans and (b) grants on levels of entitlement to Universal Credit. \p Sir Stephen Timms: Most people in full-time education are excluded from Universal Credit because financial support for students comes from the system of student loans and grants designed for their needs. The level of that support is a matter for the Department of Education and the Devolved Governments.

If an eligible student makes a claim to Universal Credit any loan or grant which provides for the student's basic maintenance is taken into account as income. Student income which covers additional costs, such as tuition fees and books, is disregarded.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-17)

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James Naish:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make and assessment of the adequacy of funding for the voluntary sector through the Crisis Resilience Fund. \p Dame Diana Johnson: No assessment has been made on the adequacy of funding for the voluntary sector through the Crisis Resilience Fund. The Government is providing £842 million per year (£1 billion including Barnett consequential) to reform crisis support, which represents the first ever multi-year settlement for locally delivered crisis support. Whilst funding will be going directly to local authorities, the voluntary and community sector will play a pivotal role in delivery of the fund
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-17)

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Dr Al Pinkerton:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of trends in the level of unemployment of autistic adults in the (a) South East and (b) Surrey Heath constituency on the economy. \p Dame Diana Johnson: The Department has not made an assessment of the potential economic impact of trends in unemployment among autistic adults in the South East or the Surrey Heath constituency.

The 2025 publication by DWP on The employment of disabled people reported that, across the UK, 34.0% of disabled people with autism (as either main or secondary condition) aged 16-64 were in employment in 2024/25, compared to 55.3% for all non-disabled people.

This data is based on the Annual Population Survey. Data for disabled people for the South East and Surrey Heath constituency is available from the above publication (tables LMS009 and LMS010). However, equivalent data for disabled people with autism is not readily available and would be unreliable due to the small number of responses to the survey for this group in these areas.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-17)

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Jim Shannon:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to support families with food poverty in winter 2025-26. \p Dame Diana Johnson: The UK Government is committed to tackling poverty and ending mass dependence on emergency food parcels.

Universal Credit is claimed by more than 8.2 million people across the UK and we are committed to reviewing it to make sure it is doing the job we want it to, to make work pay and tackle poverty. We have already introduced the Fair Repayment Rate, reducing the Universal Credit overall deductions cap from 25% to 15% of a customer’s standard allowance. In addition, we will increase the Universal Credit Standard Allowance from April 2026, estimated to be worth £725 annually by 2029/30 in cash terms. In Northern Ireland, all DWP policy is wholly transferred, and decisions about policy and delivery are the responsibility of the Assembly.

The UK Government has also taken further action to support low-income households including through the increase in the National Living Wage to £12.21 an hour from April 2025, boosting the pay of 3 million workers. It has also announced further measures to support families in a number of other areas where policy in Northern Ireland is transferred including, for example, our expansion of Free School Meals and Breakfast Clubs in England and additional investment in the Holiday Activities and Food Programme in England.

To further support struggling families, we provided £742 million to extend the Household Support Fund (HSF) in England until 31 March 2026, enabling local authorities to continue to provide vulnerable households with immediate crisis support towards the cost of essentials, such as energy, water and food. The Devolved Governments receive consequential funding through the Barnett formula to be spent at their discretion.

Good work can significantly reduce the chances of families falling into poverty. Our Get Britain Working White Paper, backed by an initial £240 million investment in 2025/26, will target and tackle economic inactivity and unemployment and join up employment, health and skills support to meet the needs of local communities. In Northern Ireland, these are transferred matters. Ministers and officials continue to work closely with their counterparts in the Northern Ireland Executive, with a view to maintaining parity on social security matters and sharing best practice in the development of employment support.

The UK Government will publish a UK-wide Child Poverty Strategy this Autumn that will look at all available levers to give every child the best start in life, building on work already across all four nations. The Four Nations Ministerial Group on Child Poverty gave Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland an opportunity to contribute to the development of the strategy and ensure that it complements their own initiatives.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-17)

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Antonia Bance:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of reducing the Housing Benefit taper rate from 65% to 55% for people living in supported accommodation who are in work. \p Sir Stephen Timms: The Department recognises the challenge arising from the interaction between Universal Credit and Housing Benefit for residents in supported and temporary accommodation.

A wide range of customers currently receive rent support through Housing Benefit, including pensioners, residents in supported or temporary accommodation, and those who have not yet migrated to Universal Credit. Any amendment to the Housing Benefit taper would therefore apply across these groups.

The Department is considering options to improve work incentives for residents of supported and temporary accommodation, taking account of stakeholder views. Any future decisions on housing support will be made in the round, prioritising measures that best meet Government objectives within the current fiscal environment.

It remains our priority to ensure that those who can work are supported to enter and sustain employment.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-17)

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James Naish:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to help reduce Child Maintenance Service (a) response and (b) decision times. \p Andrew Western: The Child Maintenance Service (CMS) has made significant strides through its Service Modernisation and Digital Transformation Programmes, improving response times and expanding online services for separated parents. It has optimised digital channels and self-service options, reducing caseworker involvement in many processes and speeding up outcomes for customers. Staff support has also improved through upgraded training and operational guidance. Communication with customers is quicker and clearer thanks to greater use of SMS, email, and simplified letters.

As the demand for the service continues to grow, CMS is actively reviewing resources and recruiting to meet future needs. It regularly gathers feedback through the Customer Experience Survey and uses this insight to identify areas for improvement. Its focus remains on delivering efficient, accessible services while continuing to review, evaluate, and enhance tools, processes, and customer experience as part of the ongoing Service Modernisation Programme.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-17)

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Sir John Hayes:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many (a) single sex and (b) gender neutral bathroom facilities his Department provides in its Whitehall premises. \p Sir Stephen Timms: The DWP’s main Whitehall building, Caxton House has 84 single sex cubicles, 34 urinals and 0 non-gendered universal toilets (individual self-contained lockable toilet rooms which contain a toilet, washbasin and hand-drying facilities). This is in addition to 26 wheelchair accessible toilets.

Caxton House does not have any gender neutral toilets (i.e. toilets where users, of any gender, share a single space containing toilet cubicles, urinal facilities and shared hand washing facilities).
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-17)

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Martin Wrigley:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will will make an assessment of the potential merits of forming a national digital verification tool such as a gas tag to allow only qualified professionals to purchase gas critical products and parts. \p Sir Stephen Timms: The Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations (1998) requires gas-fuelled appliances to be installed by a competent and Gas Safe Registered engineer. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has no power to restrict online or physical sale of gas appliances or parts. HSE strongly advises that gas appliances, flues and pipework are installed, regularly maintained and serviced at least annually by a Gas Safe registered engineer.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-17)

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John McDonnell:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, why income that was disregarded under Employment Support Allowance is now being considered as income on Universal Credit for Council Tax and Social Care purposes. \p Sir Stephen Timms: Universal Credit does not replicate previous legacy benefits. Therefore, customers migrating to Universal Credit may be subject to different rules, including different treatment of income and how it is disregarded in assessing their benefit entitlement.

Treatment of income and income-related benefits for purpose of council tax reduction or adult social care charges is not set by the Department, this is set respectively by local authorities and the Department for Health and Social Care.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-17)

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Graeme Downie:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to ensure the compatibility of his Department's guidance on political crowdfunding for people on Universal Credit with Article 3 of Protocol 1 of the European Convention on Human Rights. \p Sir Stephen Timms: Money received personally by an individual through crowdfunding, including for their political purposes, is generally treated as capital in Universal Credit, and can affect eligibility and payment amounts if a customer’s total capital exceeds £6,000. There are no plans to review these rules.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-17)

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Dr Al Pinkerton:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent discussions his Department has had with (a) disability employment charities and (b) business representatives on improving access to skilled work for autistic adults in Surrey Heath constituency. \p Dame Diana Johnson: My Department has numerous contacts with organisations in the Surrey Heath constituency on these matters.

Camberley Jobcentre works with Surrey Choices, which provides specialist employment support for individuals with autism through bi-weekly sessions.

The Work Well programme and a newly appointed Connect to Work Employment Specialist are also co-located at the Jobcentre, strengthening support for neurodivergent customers.

Additionally, our Disability Employment Advisors provide outreach via GP surgeries and partner with local charities such as Safe New Futures, Voluntary Support North Surrey, and Sight for Surrey to offer tailored support for residents with health conditions and disabilities.

Frimley Park Hospital delivers supported internships for healthcare roles, successfully helping individuals into work.

At national level, the DWP Strategic Relationship Team work in partnership with two national charitable organisations, Ambitious about Autism, and the National Autistic Society. We have utilised their expertise to deliver upskilling session to build awareness, capability, and confidence in DWP Work Coaches and Disability Employment Advisers. We have also developed an Autism Toolkit with support from these organisations, bringing together various resources utilised by colleagues to coach and guide our customers.

Ambitious about Autism support a quarterly session to employers and partners, raising awareness of autism in the workplace, myth busting and providing some tips on how to create inclusive recruitment and retention of autistic talent. These sessions offer an opportunity for DWP colleagues to arrange follow up conversations with attendees, to influence inclusive recruitment, discuss the DWPs Disability Scheme and any offer general support to meet employer needs.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-17)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-17 conversation_42

Dan Norris:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will set out his Department’s plans to provide support to help sick and disabled people into work. \p Dame Diana Johnson: Good work is generally good for health and wellbeing, so we want everyone to get work and get on in work, whoever they are and wherever they live. Backed by £240 million investment, the Get Britain Working White Paper launched in November 2024 is driving forward approaches to tackling economic inactivity and work toward the long-term ambition of an 80% employment rate.

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 initiatives to support individuals to stay in work and get back into work, including those 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, Individual Placement and Support in Primary Care, WorkWell and NHS Health and Growth Accelerators.

In our March Green Paper, we set out our Pathways to Work Guarantee, backed by £1 billion a year of new additional funding by 2030. We will build towards a guaranteed offer of personalised work, health and skills support for all disabled people and those with health conditions on out of work benefits.

In recognition of employers’ vital role in addressing health-related economic activity, we appointed Sir Charlie Mayfield to lead the independent Keep Britain Working Review. The Report was published on 5 November. In partnership with the Department for Business and Trade and the Department for Health and Social Care (DHSC), we are immediately launching Vanguards to test new employer-led approaches to support individuals to stay in work and develop a Healthy Workplace Standard, putting Sir Charlie’s key recommendations into action from day one.

Additionally, the DWP and DHSC Joint Work and Health Directorate has developed a digital information service for employers, continues to oversee the Disability Confident Scheme, and continues to increase access to Occupational Health.

The 10 Year Health Plan, published in July, builds on existing work to better integrate health with employment support and incentivise greater cross-system collaboration, recognising good work is good for health. The Plan states our intention to break down barriers to opportunity by delivering the holistic support that people need to access and thrive in employment by ensuring a better health service for everyone, regardless of condition or service area. It also outlines how the neighbourhood health service will join up support from across the work, health and skills systems to help address the multiple complex challenges that often stop people finding and staying in work.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-17)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-17 conversation_43

Dr Al Pinkerton:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if his Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing an autism employment strategy to help improve (a) recruitment, (b) retention and (c) career progression for autistic people. \p Dame Diana Johnson: In the plan to Make Work Pay (October 2024), government committed to raising awareness of all forms of neurodiversity in the workplace. This includes autism. In January 2025, DWP launched an independent panel of academics with expertise and experiences of neurodiversity to advise us on why neurodivergent people have poor experiences in the workplace, and a low overall employment rate. We have now received a final version of the Panel’s report. We will need to consider the findings alongside other key pieces of work, such as the Keep Britain Working Review.

We also support employers to be more inclusive in their workplace practices, regardless of diagnosis. DWP's current offer to employers includes:

In addition, the DWP are committed to supporting disabled people and people with health conditions, including autistic people, with their employment journey and there are currently a number of initiatives to support individuals, including autistic people, to return to work.

This includes support through our local jobcentres. Pathways to Work Advisers are delivering support in Jobcentres for disabled people and people with health conditions to help them move towards and into work, building on and expanding existing evidenced measures like additional work coach support. Disability Employment Advisers in Jobcentres offer advice and knowledge on how to help disabled people and people with health conditions into work.

DWP’s voluntary, locally led Supported Employment Programme, Connect to Work, helps disabled people, people with health conditions and those with complex barriers to employment to find sustained work. For neurodivergent people, including autistic people, Connect to Work follows the Supported Employment Quality Framework, which is backed by an international evidence base and has been proven to support neurodivergent people into sustainable employment. For the Surrey Connect to Work delivery area, Surrey County Council are the lead authority. Their Connect to Work service is live and more information, including how to apply for support, can be found here: Connect to Work - Surrey County Council
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-17)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-17 conversation_44

Neil Duncan-Jordan:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Written Statement of 5 November 2025 on Keep Britain Working Review: Government Response, HCWS1020, if he will publish a categorisation of the nature of the health problems affecting the additional 800,000 people that have become economically inactive since 2019. \p Dame Diana Johnson: DWP publishes data, as part of its Employment of Disabled People Official Statistics publication, on the number of people who are economically inactive due to long-term sickness. These statistics are broken down by main and main or secondary long-term health condition (Tables EIA016 and EIA017). The latest data covers the period from April to June 2013 to the same quarter of 2025.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-17)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-17 conversation_45

Mrs Elsie Blundell:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when his Department plans to undertake formal evaluation of the Trailblazer schemes currently in operation; and when that will be published. \p Dame Diana Johnson: Trailblazers were launched from April 2025 across 17 areas and are testing more localised delivery approaches to support young people and those who are economically inactive to move closer to the labour market.

The Trailblazer areas are required to demonstrate to the Department satisfactory progress towards implementing their agreed delivery plans. Management Information is being collected by the areas and will be shared with the Department, which includes volumes and characteristics of people supported by the Trailblazers.

The Department expects to publish scoping research in 2026, which was commissioned to baseline Trailblazer plans and inform the evaluation design. The Department will be commissioning a new evaluation contract, starting in December 2025, and we will then agree the most effective approach to evidencing outcomes, good practice and value for money. Where applicable this will include evidence on improving mental health, tackling social isolation and supporting sustained employment. We expect to publish interim findings during the next two years and will develop the value for money assessment once longer term impacts have been developed.

In addition, the Department is working closely with Trailblazer areas to support the design of their own local evaluations.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-17)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-17 conversation_46

Suella Braverman:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what support is available to farmers facing financial hardship due to (a) extreme weather events and (b) market volatility. \p Dame Angela Eagle: For farm businesses to stay viable in an increasingly uncertain world, they must be able to profit from other activities.

The Government is offering a New Deal for Farmers to help address this. We have allocated a record £11.8bn to sustainable farming and food production over this parliament, protected farmers in trade deals and unlocked new markets for British produce, and extended the Season Worker Visa Scheme for 5 years. We have started to make the supply chain fairer, and we want our farmers to be primed to bid for a fair share of the £5 billion pounds a year spent on public-sector food and catering contracts.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-11-17)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-11-17 conversation_47

Dr Roz Savage:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department plans to introduce a successor scheme to support on-farm natural flood management and drainage maintenance from 2026 onwards. \p Dame Angela Eagle: This Government is increasing its funding for flood protection. We are investing £4.2 billion over three years in flood defences across the country – an average of £1.4 billion each year and a 5% increase compared to the current spending review period. This money will fund construction of new flood schemes and maintain and repair existing defences.