theodi/ndl-core-corpus huggingface dataset:
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Robin Swann:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much Apprenticeship Levy has been (a) collected from and (b) provided to Northern Ireland employers in each of the last five years. \p James Murray: Reliable estimates of the revenue raised from businesses in Northern Ireland from the Apprenticeship Levy are not available as any estimate would need to be based on where employers are registered, and therefore would not necessarily reflect where the liabilities are accrued or where employees are based. Any estimate would not include businesses registered in Wales, Scotland, or England, who have a presence and pay employees in Northern Ireland.

While the Apprenticeship Levy is UK wide, apprenticeship policy and spending is devolved. This means that the devolved governments receive funding through the Barnett formula in relation to English apprenticeship spending as part of their block grant. The Block Grant Transparency publication breaks down all changes in the devolved governments’ block grant funding from the 2015 Spending Review up to and including Main Estimates 2023-24. The most recent report was published in July 2023. It is for the devolved governments to allocate their funding in devolved areas as they see fit, including investing in their skills programmes.
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Mr Angus MacDonald:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if her Department will make promoters of disguised remuneration schemes jointly liable for Loan Charge tax liabilities. \p James Murray: The Government has commissioned an independent review of the Loan Charge. The review has a focused remit, allowing it to report by this summer and the Government will respond by Autumn Budget 2025.

Alongside the review, on 30 October 2024, the Government announced further measures to tackle promoters of marketed tax avoidance. On 26 March 2025 a consultation document was published setting out proposals to tackle these promoters. The Government has also already announced measures to tackle the significant tax avoidance and fraud in the umbrella company market.
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Kevin Hollinrake:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 2 April 2025 to Question 41059 on Energy: Shops, whether Energy Performance Certificate is a positive material consideration for the Valuation Office Agency in the (a) council tax banding and (b) valuation of a property. \p James Murray: The impact of Energy Performance Certificates alone is unlikely to be significant in increasing a property’s Council Tax band. To band a property for Council Tax the Listing Officer of the VOA assesses a property’s value as being within a broad range of values as at 1 April 1991 in England, and 1 April 2003 in Wales. Whether a property has an Energy Performance Certificate is one of the many factors that may be taken into consideration but unless the value is close to the boundary between two bands, the effect of any energy efficient improvements is unlikely to result in a higher band.

Valuation of a property for other purposes may have regard to any Energy Performance Certificate relating to the property. Whether it is a material consideration will depend on the purpose of the valuation and the circumstances of the case.
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Mr Peter Bedford:To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps her Department is taking to help maintain the level of return on savings in the context of her proposal to consolidate pension schemes that have under £25 billion of assets. \p Torsten Bell: Increasing the returns on savings is a key priority of the Pensions Investment Review. Our proposals to consolidate schemes will improve efficiencies, reduce costs, and allow for more effective investment strategies. Together, the review and measures outlined in the King’s Speech, such as the Value for Money framework, are focussed on improving the levels of pension scheme performance and improving saver outcomes
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Sir John Hayes:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has had recent discussions with the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government on long term funding solutions for the internal drainage board. \p Emma Hardy: Defra officials are in regular contact with MHCLG officials regarding internal drainage boards (IDBs) and are working together, along with the IDB sector and local authorities, on a new research project. This project will review IDBs’ funding and costs, including considering whether any changes are needed to the IDB funding model.

The review is expected to start this summer and will last for around a year. Once it has concluded Defra and MHCLG will consider the findings carefully.
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Andrew Rosindell:To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking with relevant authorities to prevent cold-related deaths of farm animals in (a) Romford constituency and (b) England. \p Daniel Zeichner: All farm animals are protected by comprehensive and robust animal health and welfare legislation whether on-farm, during transport or at slaughter, with the Animal Welfare Act 2006 making it an offence either to cause any captive animal unnecessary suffering or to fail to provide the welfare needs of the animal.

It is the responsibility of livestock keepers and authorised transporters to have contingency plans in place to ensure their animals' welfare in extreme weather, including advice on checking on animals more regularly and ensuring all animals have easy access to water on a daily basis, and not transporting animals in temperatures over 30 degrees Celsius. We also publish advice on GOV.UK specifically for keepers: Keeping farm animals and horses in extreme weather

Defra’s Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) also closely monitors weather forecasts and issues guidance to all authorised transporters on key actions that can be taken when transporting animals to help mitigate the impact of extreme temperatures.
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Sarah Gibson:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment his Department has made of the cause of the persistent odour affecting residents in Calne, Wiltshire. \p Emma Hardy: The Environment Agency (EA) has received a significant number of reports of odour in the Calne area throughout April. EA officers have attended and substantiated odour, believed to be landfill gas from regulated activity in Compton Bassett.

While landfill activity will on occasion give rise to a level of odour, the odour substantiated by the EA indicates an unacceptable level of pollution and the EA is actively investigating potential sources.

As part of their investigations, the EA has carried out surface emission surveys to detect landfill gas at two landfill sites in Compton Bassett. These inspections have highlighted several points on the site infrastructure at Lower Compton Landfill where improvements are required to reduce emissions of landfill gas; the EA has required the operator to make these improvements. While these works will reduce the level of odour from this site, it is unlikely that in isolation the issues identified are the sole cause of the recent complaints. The EA is considering multiple potential sources.

Further inspections of both regulated landfill sites are planned, to confirm the improvements required at Lower Compton Landfill have been completed and to continue investigations into other potential sources.
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Andrew Rosindell:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to require all (a) dogs and (b) cats to be treated against tick borne diseases prior to entering the UK. \p Daniel Zeichner: The Government takes biosecurity very seriously. Disease risk is monitored carefully and is kept under constant review. Where necessary we have the powers in legislation to introduce preventive health measures to protect animal or public health by controlling diseases or infections that are likely to be spread due to the movement of pet animals into Great Britain.

We will continue to monitor and consider any further actions that may be necessary to prevent tick borne diseases as appropriate.
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Satvir Kaur:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to help protect the marine (a) environment and (b) biodiversity. \p Emma Hardy: Protecting the ocean, and its biodiversity will deliver on our domestic and our international commitments, such as achieving Good Environmental Status in domestic seas and supporting the Global Biodiversity Framework target to protect at least 30% of the ocean by 2030. Key steps we are taking are set out in the latest UK Marine Strategy ‘programme of measures’ published on 29 January 2025. This includes information about our network of Marine Protected Areas, our Highly Protected Marine Areas, Fisheries Management Plans, actions to eliminate or minimise bycatch of sensitive marine species, and work done under the English Seabird Conservation and Recovery Pathway.

The UK also provides global leadership in marine protection, as chair of the Global Ocean Alliance and Ocean Champion of the High Ambition Coalition for Nature and People, supporting the global target to protect at least 30% of the ocean. In addition to implementing the Global Biodiversity Framework under the Convention of Biological Diversity, we are delivering conservation and management of cetaceans under the International Whaling Commission, ratifying the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction Agreement, and are working with international partners to agree an ambitious treaty to end plastic pollution.
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Terry Jermy:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to (a) protect the health and (b) promote (i) research, (ii) regulation and (iii) public awareness of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances. \p Emma Hardy: Following the publication of a Regulatory Management Options Analysis (RMOA) on PFAS in April 2023, my department asked the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) to investigate whether to restrict PFAS in firefighting foams under the UK REACH (Restriction, Evaluation, Authorisation & Restriction of Chemicals) regime. HSE’s restriction dossier is due to be published for consultation in Spring 2025. Alongside this, my department is also considering further measures on PFAS.

This includes working across government to help us assess levels of PFAS occurring in the environment, their sources and potential risks to inform policy and regulatory approaches.

The Government recently completed a rapid review of the Environment Improvement Plan (EIP) 2023 and will introduce a revised EIP in 2025. The revised EIP will include the Governments approach to managing chemicals, including the risks posed by PFAS.
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Jim Shannon:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to help reduce global warming. \p Emma Hardy: While DESNZ leads across Government on net zero, Defra is responsible for reducing emissions from agriculture, land use (including peat), F-gases and waste (including wastewater), whilst simultaneously increasing England's carbon saving potential through our forestry policies. DESNZ will deliver an updated plan that sets out the policy package out to the end of Carbon Budget 6 in 2037 for all sectors by October 2025. This will outline the policies and proposals needed to deliver Carbon Budgets 4-6 and our Nationally Determined Contribution commitments on a pathway to net zero.
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Dame Caroline Dinenage:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans his Department has to reduce the time taken for the licensing process for marine restoration projects. \p Emma Hardy: Defra officials are working with arms-length bodies to understand whether improvements could be made to the marine licensing regime when considering applications for habitat restoration. This includes reviewing the time taken to grant licences for marine restoration projects to identify any opportunities that may reduce consenting timeframes.

The MMO's key performance indicator for new marine licence applications is to determine 90% of applications within 13 weeks. However, some applications, particularly those with significant public interest or complex characteristics, may take longer.
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Ben Obese-Jecty:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the answer of 28 April 2025 to Question 46188 on the River Great Ouse, what was the outcome of the Environment Agency's inspection of the Ouse washes flood Storage reservoir banks. \p Emma Hardy: The Middle Level Barrier Bank was last inspected in March 2025 and was found to be generally in good condition, with some minor defects including scour damage and vermin activity with repairs identified and planned for the coming years programme. The Cradge Bank was inspected throughout autumn and winter by Environment Agency staff, who identified scour from overtopping and wave erosion. Emergency repairs were completed in December 2024, with priority repairs planned for Summer 2025 and further repairs scheduled for 2026/27.
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James Wild:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will commission Ofwat to provide an assessment of the potential impacts of extending competition to the residential retail water market. \p Emma Hardy: Ofwat has a duty to protect the interests of consumers, wherever appropriate, by promoting effective competition and does this through the economic regulation of the sector.

As part of the Independent Commission’s call for evidence, the Commission sought views on the strengths and limitations of existing competition schemes - as well as potential options for reform - to areas including the New Appointments and Variations market and competitive delivery models for large infrastructure projects.

The Commission is planning on reporting to the government by Q2 2025.
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Terry Jermy:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what data his Department holds on levels on lead in tap water exceeding safe limits in (a) England, (b) Norfolk and (c) South West Norfolk constituency. \p Emma Hardy: The Drinking Water Inspectorate (DWI) holds data on lead in drinking water based on compliance samples taken by water companies. These tests assess whether lead levels meet the regulatory standard of 10 micrograms per litre under the Water Supply (Water Quality) Regulations 2016.

Where a sample exceeds this limit, it is recorded as a failure and triggers an investigation. Each failure is followed up to a satisfactory resolution. Most failures are linked to lead pipework, often in the final sections of pipework in private ownership. In such cases, customers may need to replace their section of pipe, with support from the water company. In the meantime, companies mitigate risk by adding orthophosphate to reduce lead solubility.

To support long-term improvements, companies are delivering lead reduction strategies under the current Asset Management Period (AMP8), which began in 2024. Anglian Water, which supplies South West Norfolk, reported 16 exceedances across its entire supply area - serving 5 million consumers - over the past five years. Its AMP8 lead strategy is being closely monitored.

National compliance with the lead standard was 99.60% in 2020–2022. More detail is available in DWI’s triennial report.
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Rupert Lowe:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to protect Hemsby from coastal erosion. \p Emma Hardy: The shoreline management approach for Hemsby’s coastline is managed realignment, as outlined in the Shoreline Management Plan which has been developed locally. The flood and coastal erosion risk management investment programme includes risk management structures for the coast where it is sustainable and affordable to build them. In areas where it is not, other approaches such as managed realignment will be needed.
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Ben Maguire:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to monitor the presence of (a) antidepressants, (b) contraceptives and (c) other over-the-counter medications in the water supply. \p Emma Hardy: Water companies are required by law to assess and manage risks to drinking water quality, including those posed by pharmaceutical substances such as antidepressants, contraceptives and over-the-counter medications. Where a risk is identified, appropriate monitoring and treatment processes must be in place to ensure the safety of drinking water.

The DWI has commissioned research and monitoring to assess the presence of pharmaceuticals in source and treated waters. This includes a toxicological evaluation and targeted monitoring studies, which have concluded that levels found, where detectable, are extremely low and do not pose an appreciable risk to human health.

The Department continues to monitor emerging scientific evidence and works with expert bodies including the UK Committee on Toxicity and the World Health Organization to ensure that drinking water standards remain protective of public health.
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Edward Morello:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to help increase levels of public awareness of the responsibilities of dog owners to prevent livestock worrying incidents. \p Daniel Zeichner: The Countryside Code highlights best practice for signage for livestock keepers, and comprehensive guidance for dog walkers. We encourage livestock keepers to adhere to this, raising public awareness by indicating the presence of animals with signs on walkways or field entrances. The Countryside Code also promotes messages on its social media pages and campaign web pages to raise awareness.

The Government is supporting a Private Members’ Bill which will introduce new measures to tackle the serious issue of livestock worrying in England and Wales. The Bill will modernise definitions and scope, strengthen police powers, and increase the maximum penalty from a fine of £1,000 to an “unlimited” fine to act as a deterrent.
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Terry Jermy:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of banning per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances where alternatives are available. \p Emma Hardy: The Government has already prohibited three key PFAS through our domestic legislation on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs), which implements the UN Stockholm Convention on POPs.

Defra, Scottish and Welsh Ministers agreed that understanding the risks posed by PFAS was a top priority for the UK REACH Agency (HSE) under the first UK REACH Work Programme, 2021-22. Defra asked the EA and HSE to examine the risks posed by PFAS and develop a 'Regulatory Management Options Analysis' (RMOA), to assess uses, exposure routes, and risk management actions specific to Great Britain in an evidence-based and proportionate way.

This RMOA was published in April 2023 and recommended work under UK REACH to reduce PFAS emissions by developing UK REACH restrictions. Following this, we have started work on a UK REACH dossier investigating whether to restrict the use of PFAS in firefighting foams, and we are exploring further measures relating to PFAS. The UK REACH restriction dossier on PFAS in fire-fighting foams is due to be published for consultation soon. As part of this, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) as the Agency for UK REACH conducted a detailed analysis of PFAS alternatives.
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Terry Jermy:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will take steps to introduce new measures to help reduce the level of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in (a) agriculture, (b) waterways and (c) the environment. \p Emma Hardy: The Government is taking steps to assess and reduce levels of PFAS occurring in the environment.

Wastewater treatment practices have changed in recent years and new risks may be emerging from the spread of treated sewage sludge to agricultural land. To mitigate these risks, the Government has been working with water companies on the Chemical Investigations Programme1 to improve the evidence base on the presence of certain chemicals, including some PFAS, that are not captured and eliminated by the current sewage treatment process.

The Chemical Investigations Programme phase 4 will include an investigation on the impact of spreading sludge to soil, surface and groundwater. The results of this investigation will help to inform future policy.

The Government has also been working with the Environment Agency to assess the regulatory framework for spreading sludge. We recognise that effective and proportionate regulations are an essential tool to improve the water environment

The Environmental Permitting Regulations limit PFAS being discharged to the water environment. Controlling PFAS at source is our preferred measure to reduce the chemicals ever entering the water system, rather than end-of-pipe solutions.

Firefighting foams have been identified as a major source of PFAS to the environment. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) are due to publish their dossier investigating whether to restrict the use, manufacture and sale of PFAS in firefighting foams soon, for a 6-month consultation. This dossier has included extensive analysis of risks and hazards of PFAS that are relevant to other uses and sets a firm foundation for further investigation of PFAS risks in Great Britain.

The Government has also completed a rapid review of the Environment Improvement Plan (EIP) 2023 and will introduce a revised EIP in 2025. The revised EIP will include the Governments approach to managing chemicals, including the risks posed by PFAS.
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Terry Jermy:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the condition of the river Wye in Norfolk. \p Emma Hardy: The Environment Agency (EA) has no record of a River Wye in Norfolk. The Environment Agency works closely with partners to improve the rivers and lakes of Norfolk. The data and evidence from EA monitoring regimes play a vital role in informing these actions, focussing on the most important issues in those areas with most need.
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Graeme Downie:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will conduct an audit of environmental infrastructure classified as critically important to national interests to identify whether they contain Chinese-made components. \p Emma Hardy: The UK will not compromise on economic security and will continue to prioritise national security and resilience.

We will continue to cooperate with China on trade and investment, recognising there will also be areas where we need to challenge non-market policies and protect sensitive sectors of the economy.

We will continue to support UK business to engage with the second largest economy in the world, while being clear-eyed to any risks and ensuring security and resilience.

The National Technical Authorities (National Cyber Security Centre and National Protective Security Authority) provide advice to critical national infrastructure (CNI) industry on best practice for CNI security and resilience.

Defra does not comment publicly on specific matters related to its CNI.
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Lisa Smart:To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when his Department plans to respond to the correspondence from Jilly Julian of Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council of 4 February 2025 on the administration of the Flood Recovery Framework. \p Emma Hardy: The department has no record of having received this correspondence.
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Apsana Begum:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the two child limit on survivors of domestic abuse. \p Sir Stephen Timms: No such assessment has been made.

DWP is fully committed to the prevention of abuse and ensuring that victims/survivors get the support they need when they need it. Supporting victims and survivors of domestic abuse can help bring down barriers to help citizens towards work.

DWP Jobcentres are a safe space with domestic abuse trained Work Coaches who provide support to victims/survivors of domestic abuse, for example assisting with new Universal Credit claims, work-related easements, special provisions for temporary accommodation, same day advances, and signposting to expert third-party services.
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Susan Murray:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to help (a) increase awareness of and (b) mitigate the health risks faced by night workers. \p Sir Stephen Timms: Reducing ill health at work is an important area of focus for the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) as outlined in their strategic objectives. One of the ways this is achieved is supporting employers to protect their workers’ health and keep them in the workforce. Having considered the impact of shift work on health and safety, HSE has published free guidance for employers to support them in managing the risk (Managing shift work [HSG 256]).

Under the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 all employers have a duty, so far as it is reasonably practicable, to protect the health, safety, and welfare at work of all their employees. Specifically, the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 require employers to assess health and safety risks to employees and to put in place arrangements to control those risks. Therefore, if an employer assesses night work as a risk they should introduce control measures including those outlined in the guidance.
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Apsana Begum:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment her Department has made of the potential implications for her policies of the report by Amnesty International entitled Social Insecurity Report, published on 25 April 2025. \p Alison McGovern: The UK Government takes its international obligations seriously and values the insights provided by Amnesty International and notes their recommendations.

The UK Government is committed to tackling poverty across the UK. Good work can significantly reduce the chances of people falling into poverty so this will be the foundation of our approach. The proposals in our plan for Making Work Pay and our Get Britain Working White Paper and our urgent work to bring forward our Child Poverty Strategy reflect our commitment to delivering lasting change.

Alongside this as announced in our Pathways to Work Green Paper we will establish a new guarantee of support for all disabled people and people with health conditions claiming out of work benefits who want help to get into or return to work.
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Damien Egan:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what her Department's planned timeline is for the (a) launch and (b) operational availability of non-government pensions dashboards. \p Torsten Bell: Private sector (non-government) dashboards will be launched when the Secretary of State is satisfied that the dashboards ecosystem is ready to support widespread use by the general public, following consultation with the Money and Pensions Service, The Pensions Regulator and the Financial Conduct Authority. Insights gained from the launch and operation of the MoneyHelper will help inform this.

The Secretary of State will announce the date for the public availability of private sector dashboards at least six months in advance, in line with the Pensions Dashboards Regulations 2022.
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Apsana Begum:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether people who receive notifications of their Personal Independence Payment award being reviewed before the implementation of the proposed changes to the eligibility criteria will be assessed in relation to the existing criteria if that review is not completed until after their implementation. \p Sir Stephen Timms: We have committed to introduce a new requirement that, in addition to the existing eligibility criteria, claimants must score a minimum of four points in at least one daily living activity to be eligible for the daily living component of Personal Independence Payment. There will be no immediate changes. Our intention is that the changes will apply to new claims and award reviews that are undertaken from November 2026, subject to parliamentary approval.

For those who are affected by the new eligibility changes, we are consulting on how best to support this group, including how to make sure health and eligible care needs are met.
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Claire Hanna:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether her Department plans to apply for permission to appeal to the Court of Appeal from the Upper Tribunal judgement Secretary of State for Work and Pensions v MJ [2025] UKUT 035 (AAC). \p Sir Stephen Timms: In relation to the recent judgment in Secretary of State for Work and Pensions v MJ [2025] UKUT 035 (AAC), the Secretary of State will not be seeking permission to appeal the outcome.
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Steve Darling:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will make an estimate of the number of disabled people in specialist education colleges who could be affected by the proposal to change the eligibility criteria for the (a) Limited Capability for Work and (b) Work-Related Activity group to people aged 22 and over. \p Sir Stephen Timms: The Department has not yet made such an assessment and does not hold the requested information. We will consider the impacts of our changes for groups which may be affected as part of our wider consideration of responses to the consultation as we develop detailed proposals for change. Following the consultation, we will bring forward a White Paper in autumn 2025 to set out our full proposals.

We are clear in the Green Paper that the social security system will always be there for those who cannot work. As part of making changes to the payment rates in Universal Credit, we will aim to guarantee that those with the most severe, lifelong conditions who will never be able to work have their incomes protected.
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Stuart Anderson:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of restricting eligibility for Winter Fuel Payments on levels of pensioner poverty in rural areas. \p Torsten Bell: The last Labour Government lifted over one million pensioners out of poverty, and this Government – despite having to make the tough decisions to deal with our dire inheritance remains absolutely committed to supporting pensioners and giving them the dignity and security they deserve in retirement.

Winter Fuel Payments will continue to be paid to pensioner households with someone receiving Pension Credit or other qualifying means-tested benefits or tax credits. They will continue to be worth £200 for eligible households, or £300 for eligible households with someone aged 80 or over.

The latest Pension Credit applications and awards statistics were published on 27 February and are available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/pension-credit-applications-and-awards-february-2025/pension-credit-applications-and-awards-february-2025

The statistics show that the Department received 235,000 Pension Credit applications in the 30 weeks since the Winter Fuel Payment announcement – an 81% increase on the comparable period in 2023/24 and made 117,800 new Pension Credit awards – a 64% increase or 45,800 extra awards on the comparable period in 2023/24.

We are honouring our commitment to the Triple Lock. In April, the basic and new State Pensions increased by 4.1% and some 12 million pensioners will see an increase of up to £470 over this financial year. Our commitment to the Triple Lock also means that spending on State Pensions is forecast to rise by around £31 billion over this Parliament.

And while the State Pension is the foundation of state support for older people, other help is also available for low-income pensioners. This includes Cold Weather Payments in England & Wales; help with energy bills via the Warm Home Discount scheme as well as the Household Support Fund in England which we extended for a further year with funding of £742 million, with corresponding funding for the Devolved Governments through the Barnett formula.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-07)

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Sarah Gibson:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether her Department has made an assessment of the the potential merits of writing off historical Carer’s Allowance overpayments in cases involving small or inadvertent breaches of the earnings limit. \p Andrew Western: The Government inherited a system where busy carers, already struggling under a huge weight of responsibility, have been left having to repay large sums of overpaid Carer’s Allowance (CA) – sometimes worth thousands of pounds.

We needed to understand exactly what had gone wrong so we could set out our plan to put things right. That is why we launched an Independent Review of earnings-related overpayments of CA. The review is investigating how overpayments of CA have occurred; what can best be done to support those who have accrued them; and how to reduce the risk of these problems occurring in future. It is anticipated that the Independent Review will arrive at its conclusions this summer. We will, of course, carefully consider the findings of the review and its recommendations. Both the report from the Independent Review and the Government’s response will be published.

We have been clear (including in the Terms of Reference) that the review is not a substitute for legal proceedings (Mandatory Reconsiderations/Appeals) and the existence of the review does not prejudice any business-as-usual activity by DWP. It would not be appropriate to speculate on the findings of the review or any potential outcomes.

Where overpayments do occur, the Department has a duty to the taxpayer to protect public funds and to ask for money to be paid back. We remain committed to working with anyone who is struggling with their repayment terms and will always look to negotiate sustainable and affordable repayment plans.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-07)

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Mr Peter Bedford:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the forthcoming Pensions Schemes Bill on the ability of Pension Scheme Administrators to support the the transfer of defined benefit pension schemes to insurance providers. \p Torsten Bell: An Impact Assessment will be published alongside the Pension Schemes Bill.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-07)

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Mr Peter Bedford:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether her Department is taking steps to amend regulations on mechanisms for transferring pensions between scheme providers. \p Torsten Bell: Following commitments made in response to the review, DWP has conducted extensive work with the FCA, HMT, The Pensions Regulator and the pensions industry to consider if the practical application of the transfer regulations could be improved, whilst retaining appropriate levels of protection for pension scheme members.

DWP Officials continue to develop this work and we will look to formally share the outcome as soon as is practical.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-07)

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Wendy Morton:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 7 April 2025 to Question 43065 on Pension Credit, if she will make an assessment of the accuracy of her Department’s impact assessment on the decision to remove the winter fuel payment. \p Torsten Bell: In line with the requirements of the Public Sector Equality Duty, an Equality Analysis was produced and considered as part of the ministerial decision-making process. This was published on 13 September and is available online: Equality Impact Assessments produced for targeting Winter Fuel Payment - GOV.UK . The Department will continue to monitor outcomes for pensioners.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-07)

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Mr Peter Bedford:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of mechanisms for transferring pensions. \p Torsten Bell: The Occupational and Personal Pension Schemes (Conditions for Transfers) Regulations 2021 were introduced to protect pension savers against the threat of scams by enabling trustees to pause or halt a transfer in certain circumstances.

DWP conducted a year long review of the regulations in 2022, as agreed with the Work and Pensions Select Committee.

The review concluded that the measures had been largely successful in delivering the policy intent, approximately 2000 potentially fraudulent transfers were blocked during the period considered and industry participants confirmed that there remained an ongoing need for the enhanced protection the regulations provide.

However, whilst feedback concerning the protections was positive, findings of the review also suggested that the practical application of some parts of the regulations may have caused administrative issues in certain areas.

DWP officials are conducting work with other government departments and industry representatives to consider if changes could be made to improve the transfer process whilst ensuring that appropriate protections remain in place.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-07)

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Neil Duncan-Jordan:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to help long-term unemployed back into work. \p Alison McGovern: The Get Britain Working White Paper set out the biggest reforms to employment support for a generation to support our ambition to achieve an 80% employment rate.

The Department for Work and Pensions will shift from being a department for employment support and welfare to being a department for work. This means a new, locally led system of work and health support being available for those who are unemployed, bringing together existing locally delivered employment support as a single coherent offer that is part of areas’ local growth plans.

In the Autumn 2024 Budget, £240 million funding for the White Paper measures was announced. This funding is helping us deliver and build on labour market reforms to Get Britain Working. The funding included:

These measures complement contracted employment support for the long-term unemployed.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-07)

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Sir John Hayes:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people living in Switzerland received Personal Independence Payments in each year since 2020. \p Sir Stephen Timms: The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost. This is because we only centrally record if a PIP claimant is abroad, not the individual country.

For eligibility to PIP, you can be abroad for up to 13 weeks without your PIP claim being affected. This is 26 weeks if you are going abroad for medically necessary treatment. We have no current plans to change the eligibility rules.

The total number of PIP claimants living abroad can be found on Stat Xplore. The requested data can be found in the ‘PIP Cases with Entitlement from 2019’ dataset. You can use the ‘Geography’ and ‘Month’ filters to restrict to claimants living abroad from 2020. You will need to expand ‘National – Regional – LA – OAs’, ‘DWP policy ownership’ and then select ‘Abroad’.

You can log in or access Stat-Xplore as a guest user. Guidance on how to use Stat-Xplore is also available here: Personal Independence Payment data on Stat-Xplore: user guide - GOV.UK.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-07)

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Sir John Hayes:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people resident in Switzerland claimed New Style Jobseeker's Allowance in the last three years. \p Sir Stephen Timms: The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-07)

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Wendy Chamberlain:To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working Green Paper, published on 18 March 2025, how Scottish claimants would access the health element of Universal Credit, in the context of the planned use of the single Personal Independence Payment assessment for this purpose. \p Sir Stephen Timms: The Pathways to Work Green Paper, published in March 2025, sets out our plans to reform health and disability benefits and employment support and opened a consultation on certain reforms. The consultation extends to Scotland, but the proposals will only apply to UK Government’s areas of responsibility. DWP Ministers are engaging with Scottish Government throughout the consultation period and beyond.

The interactions of the reformed system, in particular the abolition of the Work Capability Assessment and the introduction of a PIP passporting model and the implications for Devolved Governments, will need to be fully considered before being implemented. This will be particularly important in Scotland as PIP is devolved and has been replaced by Adult Disability Payment, so we will carefully consider how entitlement to the UC health element will be determined for people in Scotland.

DWP currently treats Scottish Government’s disability benefits in the same way as the equivalent DWP benefits for the purposes of reserved premia and additions. Whilst this will be kept under review, it will in any event be necessary for the UK Government to ensure that people in Scotland are not disadvantaged in the reserved benefit system compared with people in England and Wales.
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Source: hansard.parliament.uk (2025-05-07)

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Cat Smith:To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what steps she is taking to ban conversion practices. \p Dame Nia Griffith: Conversion practices are abuse, and I can assure my honourable friend that this Government is absolutely committed to introducing a fully trans inclusive ban on conversion practices.

This is a complex issue, and it is imperative that we get this right. We are working hard to draft legislation which offers protection from these harmful practices, while also preserving the freedom for individuals to explore their identity, and respecting the important roles of those supporting them.

The previous administration failed repeatedly to deliver on this issue. We will not. We will publish our draft Bill later this session, as set out in the King’s Speech.