theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-10)

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Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how many approved nationally significant infrastructure projects use greater than (a) 50%, (b) 60%, (c) 70% and (d) 80% of best and most versatile land. \p Michael Shanks: In respect of energy developments, no nationally significant infrastructure projects have been consented which will use greater than 50% best and most versatile agricultural land.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-10)

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Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what estimate his Department has made of the obsolescence date of the current generation of photovoltaic panels. \p Michael Shanks: The lifespan of a solar panel can vary depending on environmental factors and standards of maintenance. Typically, the panels have a guaranteed lifespan of 25 years, though many will continue to produce electricity reliably after that point. Decisions about the precise point at which it is no longer economical to maintain ageing panels are left to solar farm operators.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-10)

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Graeme Downie:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment his Department has made of the security risks posed by the use of Chinese-manufactured technology in (a) smart grids, (b) renewable energy systems and (c) the UK’s energy infrastructure. \p Michael Shanks: The Department collaborates with other government departments, agencies and industry partners to understand and mitigate threats to energy infrastructure, setting robust regulatory standards for cyber through the Network and Information Systems Regulations. This includes working with regulators to ensure these regulations cover critical operators as the sector evolves.

Recognising the importance of renewable and smart energy systems for flexibility and decarbonisation, the department is working to ensure the system is developed in a way that is secure by design, and protects energy supply, infrastructure and consumers. As part of this work, Government has published two consultation packages which sets out proposals for minimum security and grid stability requirements, including for organisations remotely controlling electrical load.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-10)

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Graeme Downie:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if his Department will restrict Chinese-manufactured components in the UK’s energy infrastructure projects. \p Michael Shanks: We take a consistent, long-term and strategic approach to managing relations with China and will co-operate where we can, compete where we need to, and challenge where we must.

As an open economy, we welcome foreign trade and investment where it supports growth and jobs in the UK and meets our legal and regulatory requirements. We work closely with industry to build secure supply chains and back UK businesses. The government has also established Great British Energy to drive forward greater investment in clean, home-grown energy production and to build supply chains across the UK.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-10)

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Sir John Hayes:To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what proportion of food procured by his Department is sourced in the UK. \p Michael Shanks: The Department is a customer of the Government Property Agency (GPA). GPA is the landlord or building manager at the Department’s office occupations, where the space is often shared with several other tenant organisations. The Department buys catering services, or a share of, from GPA alongside all other building services. This information is therefore not held by the Department.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-10)

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Sir John Hayes:To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she is taking with local authorities to help maintain community libraries in Lincolnshire. \p Chris Bryant: Public libraries are funded by local authorities and each local authority is responsible for assessing the needs of their local communities and designing a library service to meet those needs within available resources.

I understand that Lincolnshire County Council has a network of 49 static libraries of which 15 are in the statutory service, while the remaining 34 are community run and outside the statutory service. The statutory libraries are operated, on behalf of the Council, by Greenwich Leisure Limited. GLL also provides professional support and advice to the community run libraries, who also have access to the Lincolnshire wide catalogue and stock services.

The government is committed to getting local government back on its feet. The final Local Government Finance Settlement for 2025-26 makes available over £69 billion for local government, which is a 6.8% cash terms increase on 2024-25.
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Mr James Frith:To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether her Department plans to provide support to the Live Comedy Association's initiative to consult with the sector on (a) introducing a code of conduct and (b) improving working conditions. \p Chris Bryant: Comedy is a vital performing art and part of our cultural landscape. It enriches lives. It shapes our collective identity. And it provides a much-needed corrective to pervasive political pomposity and prolixity, especially from ministers.

The government welcomes constructive action on improving working conditions across the creative industries. We know that poor working practices represent a threat to growth and disproportionately affect people who are under-represented. We welcome further details on the Live Comedy Association initiative to consider how we can provide support.

More widely, the Good Work Review, published in February 2023, by the Creative Industries Policy and Evidence Centre, was the first sectoral deep dive of its kind into job quality and working practice in the creative industries. We are working closely with the sector as it responds to the recommendations of the review, which set out a number of priorities, including developing dedicated support and guidance for self-employed and freelance creators, building awareness of employment rights and responsibilities for creative workers and businesses, and encouraging the establishment of good work standards that reflect the distinct job quality issues in creative sub-sectors.
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Jim Shannon:To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what recent steps her Department has taken to support local sports teams across the UK. \p Stephanie Peacock: This Government recognises that grassroots sports teams are central to communities up and down the UK.

We have committed to continued funding for grassroots facilities, having invested £123 million UK-wide via the Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities Programme throughout 2024/25. In 2024/25, 637 facilities have been built or upgraded to date. These facilities support local sports teams across the UK. The Autumn Budget on 30 October 2024 committed the Government to continued support for elite and grassroots sport through future investment. Further details will be confirmed in due course.

This funding is delivered through delivery partners in each nation: in England, the Football Foundation; the Scottish FA in Scotland; the FAW’s Cymru Football Foundation in Wales and the Irish Football Association in Northern Ireland
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Matt Bishop:To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the School Games Organisers in supporting school children. \p Stephanie Peacock: Our mission-led Government puts children and young people at the heart of our priorities.This includes breaking down barriers to opportunity for every child to access high-quality sport and physical activity, especially those who are less likely to be active.

The School Games Organisers (SGOs) are essential in ensuring that all children have the opportunity to take part in local and accessible sport and physical activity.

In the 2023/24 academic year, the country-wide network of 450 SGOs provided 2.3 million opportunities for school children to engage in local and inclusive sporting competitions across 40 different sports and activities.

We are currently undertaking a review of the School Games Organisers network, which will address the impact and value for money of a variety of school sport models in place across the network of 450 SGOs, and develop and appraise different delivery models of a future school sport network. Findings from the review will be published in due course.
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Daniel Francis:To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of gambling advertising on the uptake of gambling by children. \p Stephanie Peacock: While advertising is a legitimate advantage which licensed operators have over illegal gambling firms, increased exposure to gambling advertising can have an impact on gambling participation and some forms of advertising can also have a disproportionate impact on particular groups, such as children.

There are existing robust rules in place to ensure that advertising, whenever it appears, is socially responsible, with a particular regard to the need to protect children, young persons and other vulnerable persons from being harmed and exploited. Gambling adverts cannot be targeted at children and cannot be of ‘strong appeal’ to children, for example they cannot feature Premier League footballers and celebrities popular with children.

However, we recognise that more can be done to improve protections. We have set the gambling industry a clear task to raise standards and this work will be monitored closely.
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Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to the Answer of 1 December 2020 to Question 119355 on Planning Permission: Local Press, what her Department's policy is on the continued role of statutory notices in local newspapers, in relation to (a) the revenue for local newspapers and (b) bringing matters of importance to the attention of local residents. \p Stephanie Peacock: Public notices are important for ensuring that the public is kept informed of decisions made by their council which may affect their quality of life, local services or amenities, or their property. The independent 2019 Cairncross Review into sustainable journalism found that public notices are also an important source of revenue for local newspapers. The sector’s Public Notice Portal is a welcome innovation, intended to take advantage of print publishers’ growing digital audiences and provide a centralised resource for all types of public notice. We continue to monitor the progress of the Portal and the effect that it has on the audience reach of public notices.

We also welcome the plans for expansion of the Portal, announced in December and funded by the Google News Initiative, including a fully searchable archive and new consultation functions to help public bodies and commercial entities engage with the public more effectively. We consider this type of industry innovation and collaboration to be integral to securing the sector’s future, and will seek to further support and incentivise it through our Local Media Strategy.

With specific reference to the answer to Question 119355 on 1 December 2020, planning law requires local planning authorities to publicise planning applications through various means, including site notices, advertisements in local newspapers, and publishing information on their website. In addition to these requirements, we are exploring ways to enhance community engagement in the planning system, including by leveraging digital platforms.
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Cameron Thomas:To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to support all-weather sports facilities in (a) Gloucestershire and (b) rural areas. \p Stephanie Peacock: The Government is committed to ensuring that everyone, regardless of background, has access to and benefits from quality sport and physical activity opportunities, and that high-quality, inclusive facilities help ensure everyone has access to sport.

The Government provides the majority of funding for grassroots sport through our Arm’s Length Body, Sport England, which annually invests over £250 million in Exchequer and Lottery funding in areas of greatest need to tackle inactivity levels through community-led solutions.

We are also supporting more players in getting onto the pitch wherever they live via the Multi-Sport Grassroots Facilities Programme, which has invested £123 million UK-wide throughout 2024/25. Projects include funding for artificial grass pitches, floodlights, and maintenance machinery, helping sites to improve availability all year round. Funding from the Programme continues to be invested in England through our delivery partner, the Football Foundation. This funding is structured so that areas that need it most are prioritised, taking both local inactivity rates and deprivation into account.

The Football Foundation plans their investment pipeline based on Local Football Facility Plans (LFFPs). These plans have been developed in partnership with local authorities and are in the process of being refreshed to reflect the current landscape. The existing LFFP for Tewkesbury can be found here.

The Autumn Budget on 30 October 2024 committed the Government to continued support for elite and grassroots sport through future investment. Further details will be confirmed in due course.
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Mr Louie French:To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps she is taking to ensure organisations funded by her Department promote free speech. \p Stephanie Peacock: Everyone has the right to express themselves and share ideas without interference from the government. This right is protected by Article 10 of the Human Rights Act 1998.

We are committed to freedom of speech, including in the creative and cultural sectors, and the Secretary of State has expressed an unequivocal ambition that the era of the government stoking “culture wars” should be over.
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Jack Rankin:To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment she has made of whether the funding of the UK Youth Parliament delivers value for money to taxpayers; and whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of transitioning its funding from public expenditure to a model reliant on voluntary donations. \p Stephanie Peacock: DCMS is currently overseeing a number of projects reviewing the UK Youth Parliament and its funding. Further details on their conclusions will be published in due course.
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Daniel Francis:To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what plans her Department has to include local communities in (a) VE and (b) VJ Day commemorations. \p Stephanie Peacock: The 80th anniversaries of VE and VJ Day are important opportunities for communities to come together to pay tribute to the millions of people across the UK and Commonwealth who served in the Second World War, telling the stories of those who fought and sacrificed in delivering lasting peace. 80 years on, we will come together through a series of national and local events to show our gratitude.

This week, the Government announced a UK-wide programme to mark the commemorations, with the early May Bank Holiday ushering in the beginning of the events to mark VE and VJ Day 80 for communities. The announcement included plans for the 5th May including street parties, barbecues and community get togethers across the UK, to be supported by the Big Lunch and Together Coalition, kicking off with an event on HMS Belfast. These events will echo the celebrations 80 years ago as the population welcomed the end of the war. Funding will be made available through the National Lottery Community Fund Awards for All for organisations across the UK to bid for grants to host community events, activities and exhibitions to help tell the stories of the Second World War at a local level, ensuring the legacy of the war and its impact on individuals and communities across the country is not forgotten.

There will be a service to mark the end of the war in the Far East on 15 August, and a nationwide engagement programme through Spring and Summer 2025 to recognise and honour all those who fought and sacrificed across the UK and Commonwealth.

Further details regarding community events and school resources will be announced soon.
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Harriet Cross:To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology on ensuring broadcast network resilience is considered in potential decisions on the future of television broadcasting. \p Stephanie Peacock: The Government understands how important it is that everyone can access information in times of national emergency and that television has a role to play in providing such access. The Government’s project looking into the future of TV distribution is considering a range of relevant factors, including resilience. It is important that audiences continue to receive consistent levels of service regardless of how they receive their television, and ensuring that this can happen will be a priority for the project.
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Harriet Cross:To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the loss of terrestrial digital television services after current licences expire in the 2030s on (a) elderly people, (b) low-income households and (c) rural communities. \p Stephanie Peacock: The Government’s project on the future of TV distribution is seeking to understand how people receive their television now and in the next decade. This will inform any decision concerning the future of digital terrestrial television services after 2034.

As part of this process, a wide range of views are being sought from across the TV sector, audience groups and infrastructure, including through a stakeholder forum that I chair. Membership of the Stakeholder Forum includes a number of groups representing rural, older and lower income audiences, including the Rural Services Network, Silver Voices and Digital Poverty Alliance.

In addition to independent research led by Exeter University and published last year, the Government has commissioned follow up research to understand in more detail the specific preferences, motivations and barriers regarding TV viewing among a variety of groups including rural, older and low-income households.
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Saqib Bhatti:To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, whether her Department is updating its impact assessment on restrictions on advertisements for less healthy food and drink products. \p Chris Bryant: DCMS is working closely with the Department for Health and Social Care, the lead department for the less healthy food and drink advertising restrictions, to monitor and assess the impacts and potential impacts of the legislation which was enacted by the previous government.
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Adam Dance:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she plans to take to help train employers to (a) recognise and (b) support employees with (i) dyslexia and (ii) neurodivergent conditions. \p Alison McGovern: Neurodivergent people bring many positive benefits to workplaces but face particular barriers to employment, which is reflected in a poor overall employment rate. As a government, we want to support all forms of neurodiversity in the workplace, including dyslexia, by encouraging employers to adopt neuro-inclusive working practices so that everyone can thrive at work well before diagnosis.

On 29 January this year, the Government launched an independent panel of academics with expertise and experiences of neurodiversity to advise us on boosting neurodiversity awareness and inclusion at work. Many of the panel are diagnosed or identify as neurodivergent and/or have familial experience alongside their professional experience and expertise.

The panel will consider the reasons why neurodivergent people have poor experiences in the workplace, and a low overall employment rate. Recommendations are expected to include employer actions that can support the inclusion of neurodivergent people, including in recruitment and day to day workplace practices.

Employers have a key role to play. Our support to employers includes the online Support with Employee Health and Disability service, to support employers managing health and disability in the workplace. This includes questions of disclosure and equipping employers to feel confident having conversations about health and disability. The Disability Confident scheme also signposts employers to expert resources which support the employment of disabled people, including neurodivergent people.

The Department of Education has invested £1.34 billion in the 2024/25 academic year in education and skills training for adults through the Adult Skills Fund (ASF). Education and Skills Funding Agency funded ASF includes funds for Learning Support, which helps providers to meet the additional needs of learners with learning difficulties and/or disabilities, including the costs of reasonable adjustments as set out in the Equality Act 2010. Learning Support can cover a range of needs including an assessment for dyslexia.

Adults who wish to be assessed for dyslexia are advised to contact a local or national dyslexia association for advice. Further information on dyslexia assessments, can be found on the NHS.uk website: Dyslexia - Diagnosis - NHS
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Sir John Hayes:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of job centres on economic growth in Lincolnshire. \p Alison McGovern: I refer the Rt Hon. member to the answer I gave on 26 February to PQ 31769.
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Sir John Hayes:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to support disabled people into work in Lincolnshire. \p Alison McGovern: Appropriate 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. We want people to avoid poverty, and for this to happen we must ensure that disabled people and people with health conditions have the opportunity to work and save for as long as they wish and are able to.

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 (DEAs) 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.

In particular, Spalding Jobcentre in Lincolnshire has a proactive and dedicated DEA who has regular engagement with the Employment Advisors within the NHS Talking Therapies service and Individual Placement and Support in Secondary Care, often case-conferencing to focus on any specific cases or identify any additional support that can be offered. Spalding Jobcentre also support and liaise with Local Supported Employment (Showcase), a DWP funded programme led by Lincolnshire County Council, offering support to find and retain sustainable employment for participants.

It is also recognised that employers play an important role in addressing health and disability. To build on this, the Joint DWP & DHSC Work and Health Directorate (JWHD) is facilitating “Keep Britain Working”, an independent review of the role of UK employers in reducing health-related inactivity and to promote healthy and inclusive workplaces. The lead reviewer, Sir Charlie Mayfield, is expected to bring forward recommendations in Autumn 2025.

Additionally, the JWHD has developed a digital information service for employers, continues to oversee the Disability Confident Scheme, and continues to increase access to Occupational Health.

Backed by £240m investment, the Get Britain Working White Paper launched on 26 November will drive forward approaches to tackling economic inactivity and work toward the long-term ambition of an 80% employment rate.
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Esther McVey:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether she plans to increase the powers of the Child Maintenance Service to obtain accurate data on self-employed parents. \p Andrew Western: For self-employed paying parents, the gross income used in a maintenance calculation is provided by HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC). People who are self-employed are required to keep accurate records of their business income and expenses for tax purposes. HMRC can charge penalties for inaccurate reporting where it results in tax being unpaid.

Cases involving complex income can be investigated by the Financial Investigation Unit (FIU). This is a specialist team which can request information from financial institutions to check the accuracy of information the CMS is given. The FIU uses its extensive investigative powers to ensure that families receive child maintenance appropriately and in accordance with the paying parent’s whole income.

If necessary, criminal charges relating to information offences linked to the calculation, will be brought against those who persistently and deliberately evade their responsibility to provide financially for their children.

The department is conducting a programme of work to review the child maintenance calculation to make sure it is fit for purpose and reflects today’s social trends. The review is wide-ranging and includes consideration of a range of issues including bringing the treatment of unearned income and assets within the calculation automatically. Proposed changes which emerge from the review will be subject to consultation.
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Euan Stainbank:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of individual stipends for people using access to work. \p Sir Stephen Timms: Access to Work grants provide funding for workplace adjustments that go beyond what would normally be expected from an employer through their duty to provide reasonable adjustments as outlined in the Equality Act 2010. The Access to Work scheme is highly personalised and each grant that is awarded is tailored to the individual, taking into account their specific circumstances.

When awarding Access to Work grants, the Scheme aims to balance the level of funding required to ensure individuals are able to purchase support needed to help them get into, and stay in, sustainable paid employment alongside the need to safeguard public money and provide a value for money service. The customer can always ask for a change of circumstance if their needs increase, or their support worker or travel costs increase. This support is based on current market value.
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Helen Maguire:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to (a) improve response times and (b) ensure mandatory reconsiderations are adequately assessed. \p Sir Stephen Timms: Whilst we aim to make the right decision as early as possible in the claim journey, Mandatory Reconsideration (MR) is a key element of the Department’s decision-making process. MR offers customers an opportunity to challenge decisions and provide any additional information which may be relevant to their claim.

In law there is no time limit within which a MR decision must be made. This reflects the overarching policy that the focus should be on making the right decision and not on the speed of response. Decisions should always be made without delay, but if the Decision Maker believes more time is needed to gather or consider evidence, they must give themselves that time to ensure they are confident that the decision made is correct. However, for PIP we are recruiting MR decision makers and making overtime available to increase productivity.

We have a multi-tiered Quality Assurance Framework to ensure MR decisions are legal and payments are accurate, and Decision Makers receive thorough training on all aspects of decision-making.
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Alex Ballinger:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether she has considered the introduction of an official ID scheme for (a) disabled people and (b) their carers. \p Sir Stephen Timms: While some disabled people may welcome a card that acts as a proof of disability, we are aware that some disabled people would not wish to carry a card which confirms their impairment. Other people who may meet the criteria for the Equality Act 2010 definition of disability do not identify as disabled, although they may require reasonable adjustments.

The Equality Act 2010 places a duty on businesses and service providers to make reasonable adjustments to improve disabled people’s access to goods and services, so they are not placed at a substantial disadvantage compared to non-disabled people. This reasonable adjustment duty is an anticipatory duty, meaning that those who provide goods, facilities and services to members of the public are expected to anticipate the reasonable adjustments that disabled customers may require.

There are a number of optional schemes and cards in the UK that have been created to meet particular needs and which people may use if they wish. These include the Hidden Disability Sunflower Scheme which discreetly identifies where additional support may be needed and is gaining widespread recognition, and Nimbus Disability’s Access Card which can help when communicating with a business about the types of support or reasonable adjustments that might be needed to access their services.

Introducing an ID scheme for carers could prove restrictive. A disabled person may have more than one carer or may be accompanied by different people on different occasions.

There are therefore no plans to introduce an ID scheme for disabled people or their carers at this time.
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Florence Eshalomi:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of local housing allowance rates. \p Sir Stephen Timms: Local Housing Allowance (LHA) rates are reviewed annually, usually in the Autumn. LHA determines the maximum housing support for tenants in the private rented sector and do not cover all rents in all areas. The Secretary of State’s decision to maintain LHA rates at current levels for 2025/26 considered a range of factors including rental data; the impacts of LHA rates; the fact that rates were increased in April; and the wider fiscal context.

We currently spend around £32bn annually on housing support for renters. The April 2024 one-year LHA increase cost an additional £1.2bn in 2024/25, and approximately £7bn over 5 years.

For those who need further support, Discretionary Housing Payments (DHPs) are available from local authorities. DHPs can be paid to those entitled to Housing Benefit or Universal Credit who face a shortfall in meeting their housing costs.

We continue to monitor shortfalls and rents and are working with MHCLG on their long-term housing strategy.
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Helen Whately:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what proportion of young people claiming Personal Independence Payments for mental health conditions receive enhanced support for (a) daily living and (b) mobility. \p Sir Stephen Timms: Data on Personal Independence Payment (PIP) can be found on Stat Xplore. The requested data can be found in the ‘PIP Cases with Entitlement from 2019’ dataset, by filtering for age using the ‘Age (bands and single year)’ category and ICD Summary Code’ filter to select ‘Mental and Behavioural Disorders (F00-F99)’ for mental health conditions, including neurodiverse and some learning disability conditions. To filter for claimants receiving enhanced support for daily living and mobility, you can use the ‘Daily Living Award Status’ and ‘Mobility Award Status’ to select the ‘Enhanced’ filter.

You can also filter for “DWP policy ownership” under the ‘Geography’ category if you wish to do so.

You can log in or access Stat-Xplore as a guest user and, if needed, you can access guidance on how to extract the information required.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-10)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-10 conversation_275

Helen Whately:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people aged between 18 and 24 were in receipt of Personal Independence Payments for mental health conditions (a) this year and (b) in each of the last five years. \p Sir Stephen Timms: Data on Personal Independence Payment (PIP) can be found on Stat Xplore. The requested data can be found in ‘PIP Cases with Entitlement from 2019’, by filtering for age using the ‘Age (bands and single year)’ filter, and the ‘ICD Summary Code’ filter to select ‘Mental and Behavioural Disorders (F00-F99)’ for mental health conditions, including neurodiverse and some learning disability conditions. The ‘Month’ filter can be used to select March of each of the last five years and October 2024 for the latest year needed for your request. If you choose to, you can also filter for “DWP policy ownership” under the ‘Geography’ category.

You can log in or access Stat-Xplore as a guest user and, if needed, you can access guidance on how to extract the information required.
wrans/answers2025-03-10 conversation_276
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-10)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-10 conversation_276

Helen Whately:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate her Department has made of the number of Personal Independence Payment claims for mental health conditions over the next three years. \p Sir Stephen Timms: The Department does not forecast benefit claims by health condition, though it is implicitly assumed that the mix of conditions follows recent trends.
wrans/answers2025-03-10 conversation_277
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-10)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-10 conversation_277

Helen Whately:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what proportion of Personal Independence Payment claims for mental health conditions are required to undergo reassessment. \p Sir Stephen Timms: Once someone has been awarded Personal Independence Payment (PIP), which can be paid at one of eight rates, that award will be either be reviewed or the claimant will be required to submit a new claim. Award rates and their durations are set on an individual basis, based on the claimant’s needs and the likelihood of those needs changing.

Data on PIP award types and their durations can be found on Stat-Xplore. In particular, the requested data can be found by applying the following filters to the ‘PIP Clearances’ dataset:

The variable ‘Award Type’ can be used to break down the clearances by award type, including ‘Awarded under Special Rules for End of Life’ and ‘Short Term Award (no review date) - NR’ which are the two award types that do not have a review date set. To filter for mental health conditions, the category ‘Mental and Behavioural Disorders (F00 - F99) under the ‘ICD Summary Code’ variable can be used, which also includes conditions such as neurodiverse conditions and some learning disabilities.

You may also wish to filter for “DWP policy ownership” under Geography due to the devolution of some disability benefits to Scotland.

You can log in or access Stat-Xplore as a guest user and, if needed, you can access guidance on how to extract the information required.
wrans/answers2025-03-10 conversation_278
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-10)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-10 conversation_278

Helen Whately:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what proportion of Personal Independence Payment (a) claims are and (b) spending is for mental health-related conditions. \p Sir Stephen Timms: Data on Personal Independence Payment (PIP) can be found on Stat Xplore.

You can log in or access Stat-Xplore as a guest user and, if needed, you can access guidance on how to extract the information required.

a) In September 2024, 38% of the PIP caseload was in receipt of the benefit with a primary medical condition classified as mental or behavioural disorders.

b) This subset of the caseload accounts for an estimated 38% of the PIP expenditure in 2024/25.

This is based on the International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision, published by the World Health Organisation, and is not solely confined to mental health conditions - for example it also includes neurodiverse conditions.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-10)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-10 conversation_279

Helen Whately:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the annual expenditure on Personal Independence Payments for mental health conditions was in the most recent financial year for which data is available. \p Sir Stephen Timms: Data on Personal Independence Payment (PIP) can be found on Stat Xplore.

You can log in or access Stat-Xplore as a guest user and, if needed, you can access guidance on how to extract the information required.

An estimate for the annual PIP expenditure in 2024/25 for claimants with a mental health or behavioural condition as their primary condition is £9.94 billion.

This is based on the International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision, published by the World Health Organisation, and is not solely confined to mental health conditions - for example it also includes neurodiverse conditions.
wrans/answers2025-03-10 conversation_280
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-10)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-10 conversation_280

John McDonnell:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to increase transparency in her Department. \p Andrew Western: We want to be more open about the work taken forward within the department. We will continue to look at what information can be shared to further increase transparency, taking into consideration constraints that we can’t ignore, such as protecting personal customer information, and policy development and other risks.

A great example of increasing transparency can be seen with the work the department is taking forward to continue building on the information it started publishing in its Annual Report and Accounts two years ago. Detailing the work of its Advanced Customer Support Teams, and the support for vulnerable customers.

To further increase transparency in this area we will soon be releasing two separate publications. One publication will see us release Internal Process Review information for the first time, showing the learning and improvements taken forward from the departments most serious cases. The second is a publication that highlights and explains how DWP, specifically through its Advanced Customer Support teams, is delivering support for vulnerable customers and the improvements that were delivered to help those who require additional support.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-10)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-10 conversation_281

Alex McIntyre:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to support (a) parents and (b) single parents to access employment in Gloucester. \p Alison McGovern: As part of the Get Britain Working White Paper, which was published in November 2024, we set out our aspirations, backed by a £55million investment for 2025/26, to transform Jobcentre Plus and create a new service across Great Britain that will enable everyone, including parents and single parents in Gloucester to access support to find good, meaningful work, and to help people to progress in work, including through an enhanced focus on skills and careers.

The Get Britain Working White Paper also committed DWP to supporting and providing all areas in England with resource to produce a local Get Britain Working Plans. We are asking local areas to develop detailed plans that address the challenges related to labour force participation (employment, unemployment, and economic inactivity) and progression in work. Local Get Britain Working plans will enable all areas to take the lead in shaping a coherent offer of support for their local citizens, including the offer of support for parents, across work, health, and skills.

Parents have existing support from Work Coaches, who provide individual, tailored help to all customers across the country, this includes supporting the development of skills needed to look for and obtain sustained employment, advice to parents on childcare support or help to address their skills gaps to aid career progression.

We are also considering how we can improve our support to help parents into work as part of our Child Poverty Strategy which will be published later this year.
wrans/answers2025-03-10 conversation_282
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-10)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-10 conversation_282

Martin Wrigley:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make an assessment of his Department's adherence to Access to Work scheme guidelines, published in May 2024, when working with outside organisations providing one-to-one job coaches in Devon. \p Sir Stephen Timms: Access to Work adheres to the scheme guidelines when working with outside organisations providing one to one job coaches., A job coach is a person who gives specialised on-site support to someone disabled who has a job to start and will assist the employee to learn the job and keep the job. The scheme guidelines are applicable to all areas in England, Wales and Scotland.
wrans/answers2025-03-10 conversation_283
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-10)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-10 conversation_283

Neil Duncan-Jordan:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many agricultural workers are claiming Universal Credit. \p Sir Stephen Timms: The requested information is not held. We do not systematically collect data on the employment sector background of Universal Credit (UC) claimants because this does not affect entitlement to UC.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-10)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-10 conversation_284

Tony Vaughan:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether the Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of uprating temporary accommodation subsidy rates on local authorities. \p Sir Stephen Timms: We continue to keep the rates used for Housing Benefit subsidy under review and are working closely with MHCLG and the Inter-Ministerial Group on Homelessness and Rough Sleeping to explore the impacts of subsidy rates on local authorities.

The Government will prioritise the best way to achieve its mission and goals within the current challenging fiscal situation at the appropriate fiscal event.
wrans/answers2025-03-10 conversation_285
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-03-10)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-03-10 conversation_285

Jim Shannon:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many carers have received an earnings-related Carer’s Allowance overpayment since (a) 16 October and (b) 9 December 2024. \p Sir Stephen Timms: We do not have the in-year estimates for the time frame suggested however last year’s statistics are a guide to the overall overpayment levels.

Levels of Carer’s Allowance overpayments for the year 23/24 can be found here:

Fraud and error in the benefit system, Financial Year Ending (FYE) 2024 - GOV.UK

For ease, here are the latest statistics:

Expenditure (£m)

Total Rate (%)

Total Value (£m)

Fraud Rate (%)

Fraud Value (£m)

Claimant Error Rate (%)

Claimant Error Value (£m)

Official Error Rate (%)

Official Error Value (£m)

3,700

5.2

190

3.0

110

2.0

80

0.1

10