Written questions by Ballinger.

What steps his Department is taking to provide support for people who are disabled and on benefits when their condition deteriorates; and what assessment he has made of the potential merits of introducing an assessment mechanism to allow people to change from Limited Capability for Work to Limited Capability for Work-Related Activity.

Individuals claiming Employment and Support Allowance or the health element of Universal Credit are encouraged to report any changes to their health condition to DWP immediately, whether an improvement or deterioration. If an individual with Limited Capability for Work reports a deterioration or new condition, the mechanism for determining if they have Limited Capability for Work-Related Activity is a Work Capability Assessment (WCA) reassessment. If, at reassessment, they are found to have Limited Capability for Work and Work-related activity and they are entitled to a higher rate of benefit, that rate will be backdated to the date they notified DWP of the change to their condition.

What steps he is taking to ensure support is available for vulnerable people in poverty to have improved access to food banks.

Foodbanks are independent organisations and remain in control of who they provide support to and how people can access that support. However, our Work Coaches are adept at providing holistic support to customers, and use their knowledge of local provision to signpost vulnerable customers to the support they need, including Food Banks where appropriate. From 1 April 2026, we are introducing a new Crisis and Resilience Fund. This is the first ever multi-year settlement for locally delivered crisis support. This longer-term funding approach aims to enable local authorities to provide preventative support to communities – working with the voluntary and community sector – as well as assisting people when faced with a financial crisis, to support our ambition to end mass dependence on emergency food parcels.

What steps he is taking to support SMEs in the West Midlands to access the Growth and Skills Levy.

To support SMEs to access apprenticeships, the government will fully fund apprenticeship training for non-levy paying employers (essentially SMEs) for all eligible people aged under 25 from the next academic year. This change will make it easier for those employers to engage with apprenticeships across the country, including in the West Midlands, by cutting costs and reducing bureaucracy for both them and their training providers. At the moment, this only happens for apprentices aged 16 to 21 and apprentices aged 22-24 who have an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) or have been, or are, in local authority care. We also provide £1,000 to both employers and training providers when they take on apprentices aged under 19, or 19-to-24-year-old apprentices who have an EHCP or have been, or are, in care. The government also facilitates and funds the Apprenticeship Ambassador Network (AAN) which comprises 2,500 employers and apprentices who volunteer to promote the benefits of apprenticeships. It operates across all parts of England, including the West Midlands, through nine regional networks. These networks provide buddying and mentoring support to small businesses to help them recruit and retain apprentices.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of Carer’s Allowance overpayments on individuals in receipt of the benefit; and what steps her Department is taking to support carers in receipt of overpayments.

This Government recognises and values the vital contribution made by unpaid carers every day in providing significant care and continuity of support to family and friends with disabilities. When we came into government, it became clear that there were far too many cases where hard-working carers had been left with large overpayments to be repaid, sometimes worth thousands of pounds. As a result, we commissioned an independent review of earnings-related overpayments of Carer’s Allowance to understand exactly what has gone wrong and make the necessary improvements needed. We expect to receive the report from the Independent Review shortly. We will then publish the report, and our initial response, as soon as is practicable thereafter. The review is not a substitute for legal proceedings, and the existence of the review does not prejudice any business-as-usual activity by DWP. The government has not been treading water while waiting for the review. We have already taken steps to address the problem carers have been experiencing. For example, we have introduced the largest increase in the earnings limit since Carer’s Allowance was introduced in 1976. The earnings limit is now 16 hours work at National Living Wage levels and over 60,000 additional people will be able to receive Carer’s Allowance between 2025/26 and 2029/30.We carefully balance our duty to the taxpayer to recover overpayments with safeguards in place to manage repayments fairly. Carers have a responsibility to ensure they are entitled to benefits and to inform the DWP of any changes in their circumstances that could impact their award. Support remains in place with DWP’s Debt Management Service who are available to speak to anyone who has had an overpayment about the terms of their repayment. To help prevent overpayments building up in the first place, we want to make it as easy as possible for carers to tell us when something has changed in their life which could affect their Carer's Allowance. That is why we will continue to review and improve communications, including some trials during 2025, so customers are more aware of what changes they need to report and are regularly reminded to do so and in a way that suits them.

Whether she has considered the introduction of an official ID scheme for (a) disabled people and (b) their carers.

While some disabled people may welcome a card that acts as a proof of disability, we are aware that some disabled people would not wish to carry a card which confirms their impairment. Other people who may meet the criteria for the Equality Act 2010 definition of disability do not identify as disabled, although they may require reasonable adjustments.The Equality Act 2010 places a duty on businesses and service providers to make reasonable adjustments to improve disabled people’s access to goods and services, so they are not placed at a substantial disadvantage compared to non-disabled people. This reasonable adjustment duty is an anticipatory duty, meaning that those who provide goods, facilities and services to members of the public are expected to anticipate the reasonable adjustments that disabled customers may require.There are a number of optional schemes and cards in the UK that have been created to meet particular needs and which people may use if they wish. These include the Hidden Disability Sunflower Scheme which discreetly identifies where additional support may be needed and is gaining widespread recognition, and Nimbus Disability’s Access Card which can help when communicating with a business about the types of support or reasonable adjustments that might be needed to access their services.Introducing an ID scheme for carers could prove restrictive. A disabled person may have more than one carer or may be accompanied by different people on different occasions.There are therefore no plans to introduce an ID scheme for disabled people or their carers at this time.

What steps her Department is taking to help improve the (a) affordability and (b) accessibility of parental leave.

Government keeps the rates of benefits, state pension and statutory pay under review.Parental pay is reviewed annually at the discretion of the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions. From April 2025, the rate will increase by September 2024's CPI figure of 1.7%, subject to parliamentary approval, from £184.03 to £187.18 per week.Parental pay is only one element of the support available for parents. Depending on individual circumstances, additional financial support, for example, Universal Credit, Child Benefit and the Sure Start Maternity Grant (a lump sum payment of £500) may also be available.The Government has committed to conduct a review of the whole parental leave system. This review will focus on ensuring that parental leave offers the best possible support to working families. Work is already underway on planning for its delivery.