theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the answer of 24 October 2025 to Question 77559 on Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government: Aviation, what was the topic of the training course. \p Samantha Dixon: The topic of the course was risk management.
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Jim McMahon:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of financial caps on political donations for UK political parties, national, devolved and local elections. \p Samantha Dixon: The Government is focused on delivering our manifesto commitment to protect UK democracy from foreign interference, through measures such as Know Your Donor, transparency surrounding connected sources of funding and tightening regulations on company donors and unincorporated associations. The Government does not currently have plans to put a cap on political donations. Political parties play a vital role in our democracy, and it is important that they are able to fundraise effectively and communicate with the electorate.
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Richard Fuller:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether the Government intends to provide exceptional funding support to Bedford Borough Council to cover costs incurred as a result of the Cleat Hill explosion on 19 October 2024. \p Alison McGovern: The impact of the explosion and fire and the tragic loss of life would have been traumatic and I have great sympathy for all those affected.

The Department continues to engage directly with Bedford on its overall financial position, including communicating a response to the Council's request to activate the Bellwin scheme in relation to the Cleat Hill explosion.

The Local Government Finance Policy Statement published on 20 November confirmed that there will continue to be a framework in place to support councils in the most difficult financial positions. This reflects the ongoing challenges for councils dealing with the legacy of the previous system, while the Government is delivering much needed reforms to the funding framework. Following the Policy Statement the Department issued technical guidance to councils which set out that they should confirm any request for support by 12 December, and that any decisions under this framework are usually taken shortly after the final Local Government Finance Settlement.
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Dr Al Pinkerton:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what support his Department is providing to local authorities managing cultural venue refurbishment projects in (a) Surrey and (b) Surrey Heath constituency. \p Alison McGovern: This government is committed to supporting this country's world renowned creative and cultural industries. We understand that a fit-for-purpose cultural infrastructure, which increases access for all, is part of this sector's success.

In addition to the £270 million Arts Everywhere Fund announced in February 2025, the recent Spending Review committed further significant investment for Arts, Culture and Heritage infrastructure, the details of which will be announced in due course.

The 2025-26 Local Government Finance Settlement makes available over £69 billion for local government. The majority of funding in the Local Government Finance Settlement is unringfenced recognising that local leaders are best placed to identify local priorities.
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Lee Anderson:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to ensure people with visual impairments can access necessary home adaptations. \p Alison McGovern: The Disabled Facilities Grant (DFG) is there to enable all eligible disabled people, including those with visual impairments, to access vital home adaptations, subject to a needs assessment and means test. This Government has increased funding for the DFG by £86 million, bringing the total to £711 million per year in 2025-26.
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Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the written statement on 19 November 2025, HCWS1071, on Local Government Reorganisation, what is the timetable for the statutory consultation on other two-tier areas not listed in the statement, other than Surrey. \p Alison McGovern: Following the statutory invitations issued on 5 February 2025 to two-tier authorities and neighbouring small unitary authorities to develop proposals for unitary local government, the Government received final proposals from the remaining 14 invitation areas on 28 November 2025. I expect to launch statutory consultations on these proposals in the new year.
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Max Wilkinson:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of Gloucester City Council's finances on local government reorganisation in Gloucestershire. \p Alison McGovern: We have made no such assessment at this stage. On 28 November we received proposals for unitary councils from Gloucestershire councils, which included information on efficiencies and financial sustainability. Decisions on the most appropriate option for each area will be judgements in the round, having regard to the statutory guidance, responses to the statutory consultation and the available evidence.

Gloucester City Council have indicated publicly that they may need to seek Exceptional Financial Support from Government. The Department stands ready to talk to any council that is worried about its financial position.
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Jim McMahon:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what process his Department plans to use to allocate funding following the end of UK Shared Prosperity Fund in regions and counties without an elected mayor. \p Miatta Fahnbulleh: The UK Shared Prosperity Fund will conclude in March 2026. Looking ahead, the government is introducing a long-term approach to local growth, providing sustained and predictable support for local authorities through the Local Government Finance Settlement and complemented by targeted interventions designed to drive local growth and strengthen communities.

The recent Spending Review provided over £5 billion of new grant funding over the next three years for local services that communities rely on, including £3.4 billion of new grant funding through the Local Government Finance Settlement for 2026-27 to 2028-29.

In addition, a new Local Growth Fund will target 11 mayoral city regions in the North and Midlands with the greatest potential for productivity catchup and agglomeration.

Further, the Pride in Place programme is providing up to £5bn over 10 years to support 244 places across the country, helping build strong, resilient and integrated communities in areas that experience the most entrenched social and economic challenges.
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Vikki Slade:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what his planned timeline for progression is for areas of England not included in the devolution priority programme. \p Miatta Fahnbulleh: Decisions on future devolution areas beyond those in the Devolution Priority Programme have not yet been taken, but the Department will continue to engage with local authorities, including any new unitary authorities following local government reorganisation, about possible future devolution agreements.

We want to see devolution that is built on strong foundations, with strong unitary structures in place before areas access mayoral devolution. The Government recognises that Mayoral Strategic Authorities are most successful when they are built on a strong history of partnership and joint delivery. Moving forward, we will therefore seek to facilitate the establishment of Foundation Strategic Authorities in areas without a significant history of collaboration, to build local capacity ahead of areas accessing mayoral powers.
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Jim Shannon:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps are being taken to improve the condition of derelict buildings in town centres. \p Miatta Fahnbulleh: This Government is committed to supporting town centre regeneration including bringing derelict buildings back into use through targeted investment. Our Pride in Place programme is delivering significant funding to help communities thrive, create vibrant town centres, and celebrate local heritage, as part of phase 1 of the programme, which included funding for Northern Ireland.

As part of Phase 2 of the programme, corresponding funding will be made available, and MHCLG and the Northern Ireland Office will work in partnership with the NI Executive to determine the appropriate delivery approach, of which further detail will provided in due course

We will continue to work closely with local partners to ensure this funding delivers lasting benefits for businesses and residents, helping to strengthen high streets and foster pride in local places.
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Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he plans to amend electoral law to prevent British councillors standing for election in overseas countries. \p Samantha Dixon: I refer the Hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 95058 on 4 December 2025 for councillors in England. Local government is devolved, and it is for devolved national governments to govern their own local government members.
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Andrew Rosindell:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to help reduce housefires in social housing in (a) England and (b) Romford constituency. \p Samantha Dixon: The Department continues to run its national Fire Kills campaign to raise awareness of key fire safety messages and behaviours to help keep people safe in their homes. The latest advertising campaign launched on 17 November and reminds people to ensure they have a sufficient number of working smoke alarms in their home. The Department works in close partnership with the National Fire Chiefs Council to support local community fire safety activity undertaken by local fire and rescue services, often targeted at those most vulnerable to fire.

Under the Smoke and Carbon Monoxide Alarm Regulations 2015, all private and social landlords must ensure at least one smoke alarm is equipped on each storey of their homes where there is a room used as living accommodation.

Awaab’s Law was introduced in October 2025 and means that landlords must take action to investigate emergency hazards, including fire hazards, and make them safe within 24 hours (excluding work to fix cladding). The landlord must also take action on significant damp and mould in fixed timelines. In 2026 the requirements will expand to apply to a wider range of hazards, including significant fire hazards.

The Department has also consulted on reviewing the Decent Homes Standard that social landlords must meet, including a proposal to add fire alarm systems to the list of building components that must be kept in good repair. The response to the consultation will be published in due course.
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Stuart Anderson:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of the cost of extending Energy Performance Certificate regulations to short-term holiday lets on the finances of owners of those properties. \p Samantha Dixon: We expect that the impact of extending Energy Performance of Buildings regulations to short-term holiday lets on the finances of owners of those properties will be minimal. We published an impact assessment alongside our consultation on reforms, accessible here: Reforms to the Energy Performance of Buildings regime: impact assessment, in which we modelled the cost of obtaining a domestic EPC at £70, which are valid for 10 years. We are keeping the impacts of the proposals under review, and will publish a government response shortly.
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Jim McMahon:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what discussions he has had with local government on improving community cohesion and building stronger local relationships between people from different backgrounds. \p Miatta Fahnbulleh: Ministers regularly meet with external stakeholders. As is precedent, details of Ministerial meetings with external organisations and individuals are published quarterly on gov.uk here.

The department also continues to work in partnership with local government, communities and stakeholders on improving community cohesion.
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James McMurdock:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will publish his Department's analysis of any legal obligations owed by the Government to proceed with mayoral elections in (a) Greater Essex and (b) other areas in which 2026 inaugural mayoral elections were cancelled. \p Miatta Fahnbulleh: The Government has announced that it is minded to hold inaugural mayoral elections for the four Devolution Priority Programme places that are also undertaking local government reorganisation in May 2028 rather than May 2026, so that areas can complete the reorganisation process before Mayors take office. This decision has been taken because devolution is strongest when it is built on strong foundations. The establishment of the Greater Essex Combined County Authority would be done via secondary legislation and this legislation would set out the date of the first mayoral elections, subject to the approval of both Houses of Parliament and the consent of the constituent councils.
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Sir James Cleverly:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to the answer of 14 November 2025 to Question HL11496 on Sites of Special Scientific Interest: Ebbsfleet, what the purpose was of the site visit to the Swanscombe Peninsula Site of Special Scientific Interest; and whether the Ebbsfleet Development Corporation made representations during that visit. \p Matthew Pennycook: The purpose of the visit in question was to share knowledge and expertise between DEFRA, MHCLG, Ebbsfleet Development Corporation (EDC) and Natural England about how to best to harmonise development and nature recovery, drawing on insights from EDC and Natural England’s joint working on this recently designated site.
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Edward Morello:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to help improve support for firefighters in West Dorset attending mental health emergency call-outs. \p Samantha Dixon: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 89240 on 18 November 2025.

Fire and Rescue Authorities (FRAs) are responsible for ensuring that firefighters receive the training they need to safely respond to the wide range of incidents that they attend.

The National Fire Chiefs Council maintains national operational guidance for fire and rescue services to draw upon when developing operational policies, procedures and training.

The Fire and Rescue National Framework requires all FRAs to work collaboratively with partner agencies such as the NHS, mental health services and the police, and to integrate training reflecting current societal risks such as mental health crises. Each FRA must align its training and response strategies to meet these national policy expectations.
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Chris Hinchliff:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the answer of 4 December 2025 to question 94312, what a wholly exceptional reason would be. \p Matthew Pennycook: Further guidance on how local planning authorities should implement the protections relating to irreplaceable habitats can be found in Planning Practice Guidance on gov.uk here and the footnotes to the National Planning Policy Framework on gov.uk here.
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Mohammad Yasin:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps the Government is taking to help ensure that telecommunications operators engaging in permitted development applications for 5G infrastructure adequately consult and engage with local communities, particularly in residential areas; and what guidance is provided to local planning authorities on assessing siting and appearance under permitted development rules. \p Matthew Pennycook: Electronic communications code operators using permitted development rights are required to follow the Code of Practice for Wireless Network Development in England.

The code has an important role in making sure that appropriate engagement takes place with local communities and other interested parties. Guidance on permitted development rights is available on gov.uk here.
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Jim McMahon:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether his Department plans to give councils additional planning powers to help tackle unwanted uses such as barbers, vape shops and betting shops. \p Matthew Pennycook: My Department has no current plans to amend local planning authorities’ powers along the lines suggested.

The government is empowering communities to curate healthy, vibrant public spaces through the Pride in Place Strategy.

We have committed to introduce Cumulative Impact Assessments in respect of gambling licensing which will allow councils to take data-driven decisions on premises licences, particularly in areas that have been identified as being vulnerable to gambling-related harm.
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Zöe Franklin:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment he has made of the cost to councils in the mayoral areas of Greater Essex, Norfolk & Suffolk, Hampshire & the Solent, and Sussex & Brighton for election preparations which have now been cancelled; and if he will reimburse these costs in full. \p Miatta Fahnbulleh: We remain committed to the long-term funding offer to all Devolution Priority Programme areas announced on 4 December. We will provide £1 million mayoral capacity funding for all areas following the laying of the secondary legislation, and a minimum of £3 million over the following three financial years. Greater Essex, Norfolk and Suffolk, Hampshire and the Solent and Sussex and Brighton will receive a third of their annual investment funds in both 2026 and 2027, and receive their full annual allocations thereafter.
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Zöe Franklin:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he will commit to laying before the House of Commons the Structural Change Order for local government reorganisation in Surrey. \p Alison McGovern: I am happy to repeat the commitment from the Written Ministerial Statement made on 28 October (HCWS998) that we will bring to the House, for approval, a Structural Changes Order to implement the proposal for two new unitary councils – East Surrey Council and West Surrey Council.
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Chris Hinchliff:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he plans to add chalk streams to the National Planning Policy Framework as an irreplaceable habitat. \p Matthew Pennycook: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to Question UIN 94314 on 3 December 2025.
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Shaun Davies:To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what plans his Department has to support wards receiving funding through the Pride in Place programme in (a) Telford, (b) West Midlands and (c) England. \p Miatta Fahnbulleh: On 25 September, the Government launched its overarching Pride in Place Strategy, committing up to £5 billion in funding and support to 339 communities.

The flagship Pride in Place Programme will provide up to £20 million in flexible funding and support to 244 places over the next decade. This will serve as the cornerstone of this Government’s support for communities, incorporating the existing 25 trailblazer areas announced at Spending Review and the 75 Phase 1 Plan for Neighbourhoods programme areas that were announced in March.

The neighbourhoods selected to receive funding and support from the Pride in Place Programme include Woodside in Telford and 28 places in the West Midlands. In addition, 7 local authorities across the West Midlands have been awarded funding through the Pride in Place Impact Fund, with each receiving up to £1.5m over two years. In total, the Government is investing up to £570.5 million across the West Midlands through the Pride in Place Programme and the Pride in Place Impact Fund.

Each area selected through the Pride in Place Programme will receive dedicated delivery support from the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government to ensure the successful delivery of the programme. This support will be provided by the Communities Delivery Unit, which will work in partnership with Neighbourhood Boards and local authorities, and will include access to place-specific data, guidance and capability support tailored to local needs.

The Communities Delivery Unit will establish a Network for Neighbourhoods across the UK to build connection and learning between community leaders, convene the partners that support and strengthen community organisations, groups and social clubs, and embed participatory approaches in how local decisions are made. With the Pride in Place Programme at its heart, the Network will share learning and best practice across the Neighbourhood Boards and beyond, to support strong, capable and empowered communities to lead change locally.

The Communities Delivery Unit in the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government will also work with other government departments to identify relevant programmes, data and support that Pride in Place neighbourhoods can draw on as they develop their local plans.
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Liam Byrne:To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, with reference to the policy papers entitled Spending Review 2025, published on 30 June 2025, and Budget 2025, published on 28 November 2025, what their Department’s capital Departmental Expenditure Limit (DEL) will be in each year of the Spending Review period; how much capital funding has been allocated to each of their Department’s programmes; and how much and what proportion of the capital DEL allocation remains unallocated in each year. \p Jo Stevens: The Wales Office Capital Departmental Expenditure Limit (DEL) over the Spending Review is shown below:

Financial Year

£Million

2025/26

0.975*

2026/27

0.030

2027/28

0.030

2028/29

0.030

The Department does not have capital programmes. The capital DEL is to cover the purchase of office equipment.

*The 2025-26 Capital DEL includes £0.945m for a change in valuation of the Departments building leases resulting from a technical accounting adjustment to comply with HM Treasury Consolidated Budgeting guidance.
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Llinos Medi:To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what Barnett consequential funding will Wales receive as a direct result of measures set out in the UK Government’s child poverty strategy published on 5 December 2025. \p Jo Stevens: The Barnett formula has been applied in the normal way to changes in UK Government Departmental Expenditure Limit (DEL). Spending Review 2025 provided the Welsh Government with their largest spending review settlements in real terms since devolution. As a result of decisions at Budget 2025, the Welsh Government will receive an additional £320 million RDELex and £185 million CDEL through the operation of the Barnett formula on top of these record settlements. This means the Welsh Government’s settlement continues to grow in real terms between 2024-25 and 2028-29.

Tackling child poverty is at the heart of this government’s mission to break down barriers to opportunity and give every child the best start in life. The Government is investing in the future of our children and introducing a fundamental change by removing the two-child limit on Universal Credit, benefitting 69,000 children in Wales. This comes alongside a package of measures that will drive down working poverty by raising the minimum wage, creating more secure jobs by strengthening rights at work.

The Strategy builds on the reform plans already underway across government and the important work underway in Welsh Government. We are committed to continued collaboration with the Welsh Government to tackle child poverty across Wales, particularly through the implementation phase that will now follow.
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Stephen Flynn:To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, with reference to Written Statement HCWS867, whether the devolution settlement would prevent the Scottish Government from taking any of the same actions in Scotland. \p Kirsty McNeill: We are working closely with the Devolved Governments on a range of issues related to the deployment of digital infrastructure. This includes improving access and collaborating to deliver Project Gigabit - the UK Government’s nationwide programme to deliver gigabit-capable broadband to UK premises that are not included in suppliers' commercial plans. In addition, the UK Government is supporting the Scottish Government’s Reaching 100% programme, which aims to ensure homes and businesses across Scotland have access to faster broadband.
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Liam Byrne:To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, with reference to the policy papers entitled Spending Review 2025, published on 30 June 2025, and Budget 2025, published on 28 November 2025, what their Department’s capital Departmental Expenditure Limit (DEL) will be in each year of the Spending Review period; how much capital funding has been allocated to each of their Department’s programmes; and how much and what proportion of the capital DEL allocation remains unallocated in each year. \p Kirsty McNeill: The Departments capital Departmental Expenditure Limit (DEL) over the Spending Review is shown below:

Financial Year

£M

2025-26*

0.500

2026-27

0.050

2027-28

0.050

2028-29

0.050

2029-30

0.050

The Department does not have any capital programmes. The capital DEL is to cover the purchase of office equipment.

*The 2025-26 Capital DEL includes £0.450m for a change in valuation of the Departments building leases resulting from a technical accounting adjustment in line with HM Treasury Consolidated Budgeting guidance.
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Gareth Thomas:To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, pursuant to the Answer of 26 November 2025 to Question 92513, if he will confirm who the relevant authorities are. \p Kirsty McNeill: The Secretary of State is aware that the Solicitors Regulation Authority and the Legal Ombudsman have been responding to the implications for clients in England and Wales of the firm’s closure. It would not be appropriate for him to comment any further and any inquiries should be directed to these relevant authorities.
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Mike Wood:To ask the Right hon. Member for Kenilworth and Southam, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, how many donations received as cryptocurrencies has Reform UK declared to the Electoral Commission; what the value of those donations were; and on what dates those donations were received. \p Sir Jeremy Wright: Parties are required to report donations in cryptocurrencies as non-monetary donations, with the type and amount of crypto asset identified.

No political party has reported any donations to the Electoral Commission that they have identified as cryptocurrency.

Last week, the Commission published the latest donations to political parties for the third quarter of 2025. Information about all reported donations is available on the Commission’s website, providing important transparency for voters.
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Zöe Franklin:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if her Department will take steps to establish a funding scheme to support disabled candidates for elections in England. \p Sir Stephen Timms: It is the Government’s ambition to see more disabled people in public office. The Government takes positive action to promote disabled people’s participation in public life, including protecting disabled people through the Equality Act 2010. In relation to accessing elected office specifically, political parties have responsibilities under the Equality Act 2010 to make reasonable adjustments to ensure that their disabled members who contest any political position are not disadvantaged and can take part in the same processes and opportunities as non-disabled people.

The Government has been clear that it will champion disabled people's rights, and work closely with them so that disabled people's views and voices are at the heart of all we do. We know that some disabled people still face additional financial barriers when standing for elected office. We are looking at how we might work with political parties and others to help tackle this.
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Jim Shannon:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment has been made of the adequacy of the uptake of Universal Credit in under 21s in the last 12 months. \p Sir Stephen Timms: Monthly statistics for the number of Starts to Universal Credit in Great Britain by age, are published quarterly on Stat-Xplore, and are currently available to October 2024, with statistics to January 2025 due to be published on Tuesday 18th February 2025.

Users can log in or access Stat-Xplore as a guest and, if needed, can access guidance on how to extract the information required. There is also a Universal Credit Official Statistics: Stat-Xplore user guide.

The Department’s Youth Offer provides individually tailored Work Coach support to young people aged 16 to 24 who are claiming Universal Credit. This support includes the Youth Employment Programme, Youth Employability Coaches for young people with additional barriers to finding work, and Youth Hubs across Great Britain.
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Bell Ribeiro-Addy:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will make it her policy to increase Local Housing Allowance rates in line with inflation. \p Sir Stephen Timms: The Local Housing Allowance (LHA) was introduced in 2008 and determines the maximum housing support for tenants in the private rented sector. Claimants in similar circumstances living in the same area are entitled to the same maximum rent allowance regardless of the contractual rent paid. LHA rates do not cover all rents in all areas.

In April 2024, LHA rates were restored at the 30th percentile of local market rents at a cost of approximately £7bn over 5 years.

In relation to LHA rates remaining at current levels for 2025/26, the Government has had to take difficult decisions at Autumn Budget to address the challenging fiscal context. For LHA a range of factors were considered, including rental data, the impacts of LHA rates, the fact that rates were increased in April, and the wider fiscal context.

Decisions on LHA rates for future years will be taken in the context of the Government’s missions, housing priorities, and the fiscal context.

For those who need further support, Discretionary Housing Payments (DHPs) are available from local authorities. DHPs can be paid to those entitled to housing support who face a shortfall in meeting their housing costs.
wrans/answers2025-02-11 conversation_4
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-11)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-02-11 conversation_4

John McDonnell:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will make an estimate of the proportion of claimants who are unfit for work in the Universal Credit (a) limited capability for work and work related activity and (b) (i) income-related and (ii) contributory Employment and Support Allowance group who would not able to move into work if their additional disability component was removed. \p Sir Stephen Timms: In the interim findings report of our Work Aspirations research, 62% of ESA/UC customers with no work-related activity requirements, and 36% with work-related activity requirements, felt they would never be able to work or work again. 28% of ESA/UC customers with no work-related activity requirements, and 38% with work-related activity requirements, felt they might be able to work in future if their health improved. 3% of ESA/UC customers with no work-related activity requirements, and 8% with work-related activity requirements, felt they could work right away if the right job or support was available.

The Work Capability Assessment is not working and needs to be reformed or replaced alongside a proper plan to help disabled people into work, which will help them, businesses and the economy.

We know that change is desperately needed but equally these sorts of changes shouldn’t be made in haste. So, alongside our Get Britain Working White Paper, we want to engage with disabled people, and others with expertise and experience on these issues, to consider how to address these challenges and build a better system.

We will reconsult on the WCA changes as part of our Green Paper in spring 2025 that will bring forward wider proposals to reform the health and disability benefits system.
wrans/answers2025-02-11 conversation_5
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-11)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-02-11 conversation_5

Adam Thompson:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Education on financial support available for mature students with caring responsibilities. \p Sir Stephen Timms: Successive Governments have held the principle that the benefit system does not normally support full-time students. Rather, they are supported by the educational maintenance system. Part-time students can receive Carer’s Allowance if they meet the entitlement conditions. Certain students when they have additional daily living costs that are not met by the student finance system may be eligible for Universal Credit (UC) and carer element of UC.

If a student with the consent of the educational establishment ceases the course temporarily to care for someone and they are not eligible for a student grant or loan, they may be eligible for UC for that period.

The Department works very closely with other departments and stakeholders, to help ensure young carers get the help and support they need and deserve. How we can best identify and support young carers to combine study with their caring responsibilities where they can, including taking account of changes in the education system, will form an important strand of our future work.
wrans/answers2025-02-11 conversation_6
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-11)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-02-11 conversation_6

Helen Whately:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what artificial intelligence technologies are used by her Department; and for what purpose each technology is used. \p Andrew Western: DWP is working with a range of artificial intelligence technologies, such as Large Language Models (LLMs) and generative AI (gen AI) which will help DWP improve its ability to respond to customers’ needs in a more personalised and seamless way. Some of the details of these are already in the public domain as set out in DWP annual report and accounts 2023 to 2024 - GOV.UK.

DWP has already committed to publishing more details about work in this area as part of the Algorithmic Transparency Recording Standards (ATRS) requirements from the Government Digital Service. The Personal information charter - Department for Work and Pensions - GOV.UK sets out individuals rights when we process their data.

DWP does not use AI to replace human judgement to determine or deny a payment to a claimant.
wrans/answers2025-02-11 conversation_7
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-11)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-02-11 conversation_7

Helen Whately:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of pilot schemes for third party data sharing powers as set out in the Public Authorities (Fraud, Error and Recovery) Bill. \p Andrew Western: The Third Party Data sharing powers were a proposal under the previous government, separate to the measures proposed in this Bill.

The Eligibility Verification Measure (EVM) is significantly different to the previously proposed Third Party Data power. EVM will be limited to information from banks and financial institutions only and will be used only for the purpose of helping to verify eligibility for benefits. The State Pension will be explicitly excluded, and it will be focussed initially on three benefits only: Universal Credit, Pension Credit and Employment and Support Allowance. A statutory Code of Practice will also be introduced and consulted on. There will be independent oversight reporting annually on the effectiveness of the measure and the legislation tightly defines what data can be gathered and for what purpose providing strong safeguards.

To demonstrate the feasibility and potential of using data from banks to help verify eligibility for benefits, DWP has already conducted two Proof of Concepts which consisted of establishing data-sharing collaborations with two high-street banks. These exercises showed promising results, for example in the first exercise around half of the matches generated for DWP to review led to a positive outcome for the department. Further information about these Proof of Concepts can be found in the published impact assessment for the Bill - Impact Assessment

The government is committed to rolling out the measure carefully through a test and learn approach to ensure it is workable and as effective as possible.
wrans/answers2025-02-11 conversation_8
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-11)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-02-11 conversation_8

Helen Whately:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what discussions she has had with financial services sector stakeholders on the Public Authorities (Fraud, Error and Recovery) Bill. \p Andrew Western: DWP continues to seek feedback on the bill through regular engagement with key stakeholders, including the financial services sector, at both official and ministerial level.

Where there are particular areas of interest and expertise, detailed working group discussions are being held to ensure the measures are designed to be effective and take into consideration wider feedback from the sector.
wrans/answers2025-02-11 conversation_9
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-11)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-02-11 conversation_9

Helen Whately:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the white mail artificial intelligence programme used by her Department. \p Andrew Western: Whitemail scanning complements existing systems. The AI tool flags correspondence for review by operational agents to determine customer vulnerability and appropriate actions. During solution development, digital teams collaborated closely with operational areas to identify vulnerable customers. This approach ensured that communications received by post were prioritised for those most in need. The solution was rolled out using a test and learn method, incorporating feedback from specialist support teams, and was widely adopted due to its positive impact on customer experience.
wrans/answers2025-02-11 conversation_10
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-11)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-02-11 conversation_10

Sarah Champion:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the value was of Pension Credit overpayments that were written off as resulting from official error in each of the last three years. \p Andrew Western: Value of Official Error Pension Credit Scheduled Write Offs

Value

February 2022 - January 2023

£28.802m

February 2023 - January 2024

£24.858m

February 2024 - January 2025

£27.856m

Above table identifies the value of Official Error Pension Credit Overpayments written off at source by referring benefit offices within the last 3 years.

These overpayments do not reach Debt Manager for recovery as PC overpayments are not recoverable and are written off when the overpayment is identified at source.

Data is GB only.
wrans/answers2025-02-11 conversation_11
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-11)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-02-11 conversation_11

Mr Peter Bedford:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will make an estimate of the (a) number of migrants who have arrived in the UK in the last five years in receipt of benefits in Mid Leicestershire constituency and (b) the total value of those benefits in the latest period for which data is available. \p Andrew Western: The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost. The Department is exploring the feasibility of developing suitable official statistics related to the immigration status of non-UK / Irish Universal Credit customers.
wrans/answers2025-02-11 conversation_12
Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-02-11)

UK Parliament Hansard data: wrans/answers2025-02-11 conversation_12

Sarah Gibson:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many calls to the Pension Service helpline (a) were not answered, (b) involved the caller being on hold for more than 10 minutes and (c) were terminated by the Pension Service following the caller being on hold for more than 10 minutes in each of the last 12 months. \p Andrew Western: Response:

Part (a)

The table below shows the total number of unanswered calls (Calls Abandoned from Agent Queue) for The Pension Service, for each of the last 12 calendar months.

Month Year

Directorate

Calls Abandoned from Agent Queue

Feb-2024

Pension Service

60,495

Mar-2024

Pension Service

56,400

Apr-2024

Pension Service

72,485

May-2024

Pension Service

36,733

Jun-2024

Pension Service

24,900

Jul-2024

Pension Service

23,709

Aug-2024

Pension Service

25,554

Sep-2024

Pension Service

36,407

Oct-2024

Pension Service

36,412

Nov-2024

Pension Service

31,481

Dec-2024

Pension Service

23,077

Jan-2025

Pension Service

34,704

Part (b) The department does not hold data that enables us to answer this question.

Part (c) The department does not hold data that enables us to answer this question.

There are many reasons why calls to a service line can attract a high call abandonment rate which can include but is not limited to increased hold times. The abandonment of calls is an area that we are unable to fully analyse as there is no data to tell us exactly why a specific customer terminates a call. We are continuously monitoring the service and reviewing our approach to ensure we are able to deliver for our customers.

DISCLAIMER

Please note this information is derived from the Department’s management information, designed solely for the purpose of helping the Department to manage its business. As such, it has not been subjected to the rigorous quality assurance checks applied to our published official statistics. As DWP holds the information internally, we have released it. However, it is possible information held by DWP may change due to operational reasons and we recommend that caution be applied when using it.