Written questions by Jogee.

With reference to the Gingerbread report entitled Fix the CMS, published on 25 November 2024, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of enabling Child Maintenance Service users to correspond with caseworkers via the digital platform.

The Child Maintenance Service (CMS) is committed to delivering the best possible digital service for our customers. The CMS Service Modernisation Programme has delivered improvements to the customer experience, enabling parents to access their case on-line through My Child Maintenance Case and ensuring parents can report changes of circumstances and access their digital communications at any time of the day. CMS are currently discussing with stakeholders how we can further improve our digital messaging function for customers as well as updates to our current SMS and email notifications. The aim of further digital Improvements is to further increase flexibility for customers to correspond, gather customer information at an accelerated rate, and reduce inbound and outbound telephony demand allowing caseworkers more time to support vulnerable customers and those who cannot use digital channels. We will continue to engage with stakeholders as we consider CMS reforms and recommendations from the Gingerbread report ‘Fix the CMS’.

What steps she plans to take to support parents who live in (a) Newcastle-under-Lyme constituency and (b) Staffordshire into work.

Our recently published Get Britain Working White Paper sets out our aspirations to overhaul the Jobcentre system and establish a new Job and Career Service, which will focus on people’s skills and careers instead of just monitoring and managing benefit claims. This will be kickstarted by £55million of investment, to help people – including parents - get into work, stay in work, build skills and progress in their career. 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 Plan’. Initially focussing on economic inactivity, 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. 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. At present Work Coaches provide individual, tailored support to all customers across the country, this includes advice to parents on childcare support or help to address their skills gaps to aid career progression. Both areas also have access to The UK Shared Prosperity Fund, which was extended for a further year until March 2026. Areas are free to select from three investment priorities, with People and Skills interventions are designed to help reduce the barriers some people – including parents - face to employment, support them closer towards employment and education, reduce economic inactivity and to fund skills support.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of job centres on economic growth in (a) Newcastle-under-Lyme constituency and (b) Staffordshire.

Jobcentre colleagues understand the labour market needs of their local areas. Across Newcastle-under-Lyme and Staffordshire, our Jobcentre teams engage with employers and providers to host job fairs, Sector-Based Work Academy Programmes, recruitment events and group information sessions to support customers to improve their ability to enter and retain employment. Higher participation in the labour market, and more people in work are key to supporting the Government’s mission to kickstart economic growth. As announced in the recent Get Britain Working White Paper, we are reforming Jobcentre Plus and creating a new service that will enable everyone to access support to find good, meaningful work, and support to help them progress in work, including through an enhanced focus on skills and careers advice. This new service will transform our ability to support people into work, help those on low pay to increase their earnings, and create a more flexible workforce for a fast changing, higher skilled jobs market. This transformation is expected to contribute to economic growth by addressing local skills gaps and providing tailored support to meet the needs of local labour markets. Since September 2024 we have delivered 42 Sector Work Academy Programmes (SWAPs) in Staffordshire with the majority of them supporting the Construction, Education & Teaching, Transport and Adult Social Care. Thes SWAPs have supported several employers with their recruitment activity.

What recent steps she has taken to support pensioners with the lowest incomes in Newcastle-under-Lyme constituency.

The last Labour Government lifted more than 1 million pensioners out of poverty, and this Government remain absolutely committed to supporting pensioners and giving them the dignity and security they deserve in retirement. We are honouring our commitment ...

What estimate she has had made of the number of people in Newcastle-under-Lyme constituency eligible for but not in receipt of pension credit.

Information relating to Pension Credit eligibility is only available via take-up statistics. The latest available Pension Credit take-up statistics for Great Britain cover the financial year 2021 to 2022 and are available at: Income-related benefits: estimates of take-up: financial year ending 2022 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). However, these statistics are only available at Great Britain level and cannot be broken down to smaller geographical areas.

What estimate she has made of the number of claimants known to her Department who applied for personal independence payments but died with six months of making their application.

Table 1 shows the number of claimants who died within 6 months of their PIP application per year up to 2023, the last year for which complete data is available. Table 1 Year of PIP ApplicationNumber of Claimants who died within 6 months of PIP application201411,800201512,000201612,300201712,400201812,200201912,500202012,100202113,000202212,600202311,300 Notes:This is unpublished data. It should be used with caution and it may be subject to future revision;Figures are for England and Wales only; These figures include claims made under normal rules and special rules for end of life;Volumes are rounded to the nearest 100.

Pursuant to the Answer of 7 February 2023 to Question 138258 on Labelling: Packaging, what the UK's policy has been on matters relating to the meetings of the potential hazards issues working group established by the UN Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals; and whether the UK (a) supported, (b) opposed or (c) did not taken a position in response to EU proposals to introduce new hazard classes on endocrine disruptors and other hazards.

The UK is an active participant of the potential hazard issues informal working group at the United Nations Globally Harmonized System of classification and labelling of chemicals (UN GHS) and supported a mandate issued to the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) to conduct a state of the science review for endocrine disruptors, persistence and mobility. The mandate includes a review of the existing GHS hazard classes to inform technical discussions on the extent to which the potential hazard issues raised by the European Union (EU) delegation are addressed by existing GHS hazard classes. There are no plans to consider the suitability of establishing new hazard classes in the Great Britain Classification, Labelling and Packaging (GB CLP) Regulation without consensus at UN GHS. The UK is committed to following the established process at UN GHS and will consider the reviews from the OECD, in addition to input from a range of policy and technical experts, both within HSE and other UK government departments and agencies, to assist in the development of the UK policy position when a proposal is agreed at working group level.

If she will make an assessment of the potential merits of appointing a commissioner for older people.

The Department has no current plans to assess the potential merits of appointing a commissioner for older people in England. DWP offers employment support for eligible older people through the network of Jobcentres across the UK and through contracted employment programmes. A dedicated offer for older people provides more tailored support.The government has ambitious plans to improve employment support for people of all ages and will set out more details in a forthcoming White Paper.

If she will make an assessment of the adequacy of the (a) accessibility and (b) other aspects of the application process for Pension Credit.

The Department is in the process of modernising the Pension Credit delivery and consideration of accessibility, having previously undertaken an assessment of the application process and introduced online claims, in addition to telephone and paper claims. DWP Agents and third-party organisations being available to support customers with the application process, and ease of the application process, form core elements of our transformational design activities.

What discussions she has had with (a) Staffordshire County Council and (b) Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council on their potential role in increasing the number of people claiming pension credit in Newcastle-under-Lyme constituency.

The Deputy Prime Minister and the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions wrote to all local authorities on 20 August. The letter acknowledged the vital role local authorities play in supporting their communities. The Government recognises that many local authorities already do a huge amount of work to promote benefit take-up. We are asking that local authorities support our national Pension Credit campaign and help us reach those eligible pensioners who have not claimed Pension Credit, so they continue to receive an annual Winter Fuel Payment.Building on last year’s ‘Invitation to Claim’ trial, the Department will be directly contacting approximately 120,000 pensioner households who are in receipt of Housing Benefit and who may also be eligible for, but not currently claiming, Pension Credit.We will be inviting these households to apply for Pension Credit before the 21 December backdating deadline, in order to ensure that if they are eligible they will also qualify for a Winter Fuel Payment. As part of last week’s Pension Credit Week of Action, we joined forces with national charities, broadcasters and local authorities to encourage pensioners to check their eligibility and make a claim. From 16 September, we will be running a national paid marketing campaign on a range of channels (including print advertising in the Stoke Sentinel and regional radio advertising - including on Greatest Hits Radio - Staffordshire and Cheshire). The campaign will target potential pension-age customers, as well as the influencers who can encourage and support them to apply, such as friends and family. Our future campaign messaging will also focus on encouraging pensioners to apply for Pension Credit before the 21st December 2024, which is the last date for making a successful backdated claim for Pension Credit in order to receive a Winter Fuel Payment.

What recent steps she has taken to help increase take-up of Pension Credit in Newcastle-under-Lyme constituency.

The Deputy Prime Minister and the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions wrote to all local authorities on 20 August. The letter acknowledged the vital role local authorities play in supporting their communities. The Government recognises that many local authorities already do a huge amount of work to promote benefit take-up. We are asking that local authorities support our national Pension Credit campaign and help us reach those eligible pensioners who have not claimed Pension Credit, so they continue to receive an annual Winter Fuel Payment.Building on last year’s ‘Invitation to Claim’ trial, the Department will be directly contacting approximately 120,000 pensioner households who are in receipt of Housing Benefit and who may also be eligible for, but not currently claiming, Pension Credit.We will be inviting these households to apply for Pension Credit before the 21 December backdating deadline, in order to ensure that if they are eligible they will also qualify for a Winter Fuel Payment. As part of last week’s Pension Credit Week of Action, we joined forces with national charities, broadcasters and local authorities to encourage pensioners to check their eligibility and make a claim. From 16 September, we will be running a national paid marketing campaign on a range of channels (including print advertising in the Stoke Sentinel and regional radio advertising - including on Greatest Hits Radio - Staffordshire and Cheshire). The campaign will target potential pension-age customers, as well as the influencers who can encourage and support them to apply, such as friends and family. Our future campaign messaging will also focus on encouraging pensioners to apply for Pension Credit before the 21st December 2024, which is the last date for making a successful backdated claim for Pension Credit in order to receive a Winter Fuel Payment.

How many people are claiming Pension Credit in Newcastle-under-Lyme constituency.

Caseload statistics are routinely published and made publicly available via DWP Stat-xplore. At February 2024, there were 1,878 people claiming Pension Credit in Newcastle-under-Lyme constituency.

How many people are in work and claiming Universal Credit in Newcastle-under-Lyme constituency.

Official statistics for the number of people on Universal Credit are published each month on Stat-Xplore, with breakdowns available by Westminster Parliamentary Constituency. The latest statistics are to June 2024, with a breakdown by employment indicator available to May 2024. Users can log in or access Stat-Xplore as a guest and, if needed, can access guidance on how to extract the information required.

If she will make an assessment of the potential implications for her policies of the number of people that are in work and claiming Universal Credit in Newcastle-under-Lyme constituency.

Under my political leadership the DWP will shift from being a department for welfare to being a department for work. We will create a new jobs and careers service, bringing together Jobcentre Plus and the National Careers Service.The service will be focused on helping people get into work and get on at work, not only on monitoring and managing benefit claims. For our employment support system, the outcomes that will matter are higher engagement, higher employment, and higher earnings.

What steps she plans to take to help support women affected by the rise in the State Pension age in (a) Newcastle-under-Lyme constituency and (b) Staffordshire.

DWP offers employment support for eligible customers of all ages, including those below State Pension age, through the network of Jobcentres across the UK, and through contracted employment programmes.A dedicated offer for older workers seeks to provide tailored support for those affected by low confidence, menopause, health and disability or caring pressures, and out of date skills or qualifications. This includes an online midlife review tool that supports people to assess their health, wealth and skills.The government has set out ambitious plans to improve employment support by bringing together jobcentres and the national careers service.

What assessment she has made of the impact of the decision by the previous Conservative government to remove the £20 uplift to Universal Credit on poverty in Newcastle-under-Lyme constituency.

The £20 uplift in Universal Credit was removed in October 2021. Statistics on the number of Children living in absolute and relative poverty per constituency before housing costs are published annually in the “Children in low income families: local area statistics” publication. They can be found in tabs “6_Absolute_ParlC” and “5_Relative_ParlC” at Children in low income families: local area statistics 2014 to 2023 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk). The latest statistics published on 21 March 2024 cover the years 2014/15 to 2022/23. These statistics show the impact of all policies, economic, societal and behavioural changes on child poverty levels in constituencies.

What steps she plans to take to help tackle child poverty in Newcastle-under-Lyme constituency.

Tackling child poverty is a priority for the Government and a central part of delivering the Government’s Mission to create and spread opportunity for every child and young person in our country. We promised concrete actions in our manifesto to support children and families. Our initial steps to tackle poverty include free breakfast clubs in every primary school setting every child up at the start of the day ready to learn, expanding childcare to deliver work choices for parents and life chances for children, stronger protection for families who rent privately, and action to tackle high energy bills and slash fuel poverty. We are also developing an ambitious, new child poverty strategy and have set up a Ministerial Taskforce, jointly led by the Work & Pensions Secretary and the Education Secretary, to drive cross-government action on this work.