Written questions by Snowden.

What recent discussions he has had with employers on barriers to apprenticeship recruitment.

Awaiting answer.

For what reason the benefits system continues to recognise polygamy in social security regulations.

Awaiting answer.

What estimate he has made of the number of benefits payments to spouses in polygamous marriages (i) made in the past 12 months and (ii) expected to be made in the forthcoming 12 months.

The most recent published data (August 2025) from the Housing Benefit Single Housing Extract (SHBE) indicates that there are fewer than ten households where claimants are recorded as being in a polygamous marriage formed in another country. In these exceptional cases, there is no financial benefit as more would be paid in benefits if the additional person claimed as a single person. Polygamous marriages are illegal in the UK. Immigration rules have generally prevented the formation of polygamous households in this country since 1988. Benefit support is only available where the marriage took place in a country where the practice is legal.

What assessment he has made of the potential merits of exemptions and higher mileage allowances for Motability Scheme users with significant healthcare travel needs, including applying the previous average annual allowance of 12,000 miles per annum.

Responsibility for the terms and administration of the Scheme sits with Motability Foundation and its Board of Governors. The changes to the leasing package were announced on 26 March and include reducing the mileage allowance from 20,000 per year to 10,000 per year. Changes only apply to new leases and there are no changes to the mileage allowance of existing leases. Motability Foundation have advised that approximately 75% of customers on the Scheme already use less miles than the proposed new mileage allowance. They have acknowledged that there will be an impact on some customers and are considering if the impact can be mitigated in some limited circumstances.

Whether her Department cross-checks identity information with (a) HM Revenue and Customs and (b) other government databases before initiating debt recovery action relating to Universal Credit.

This department is committed to fairness in debt recovery and will always work with people to ensure that any recovery activity does not cause hardship or is unfairly detrimental. Identity checks are undertaken by DWP at the point a customer makes a benefit claim, and we work closely with other government departments during the claimant journey where necessary.

Whether his Department has undertaken an impact assessment of the effect of calculating Child Maintenance Service payments on gross income on the financial wellbeing of paying parents in the last five years.

The child maintenance liability is usually calculated as a percentage of a Paying Parent’s gross weekly income, unless they are on low income or benefits where they pay a flat rate of £7. Income information is taken directly from HM Revenue and Customs for the latest tax year available and applies to parents who are employed or self employed. This allows calculations to be made quickly and accurately. On previous Child Maintenance schemes net income was used. When this was changed to gross income on the 2012 scheme, percentages were adjusted to reflect the change and keep liabilities broadly the same for a given level of income as they had been under previous schemes. The Government has announced a review of the child maintenance calculation to ensure the formula encourages compliance and sustainable arrangements. Any changes made to the child maintenance calculation will be subject to public consultation, and if made, will require amendments to legislation so would be subject to Parliamentary scrutiny.

What estimate his Department has made of the value of graduated pension contributions paid by individuals prior to 1975 relative to the level of the new State Pension.

The Graduated Retirement Benefit (GRB) scheme was the precursor to the additional State Pension and ran from 1961 to 1975. One unit of GRB was earned, by a man, for every £7.50 of graduated contributions paid, and in the case of a woman born before 6 April 1950, for every £9.00 paid. The maximum number of units available was 86 for a man and 72 for a woman. These rules were equalised for women born on or after 6 April 1950, with the result that GRB contributions paid by women who have reached State Pension age since April 2010 will be “converted” into GRB units on the same basis as for men. A unit is currently worth 17.83p per week (2025/26).For people who reached State Pension age before 6 April 2016, GRB is normally paid with other State Pension components, but it is paid on its own if there is no other State Pension entitlement. GRB is not payable as a separate amount for people who reach State Pension age on or after 6 April 2016, who will claim the new State Pension. Instead, people who had made contributions under the old State Pension system, including graduated contributions, will have their new State Pension calculated under transitional rules. Under the transitional arrangements, we look at an individual's National Insurance record as it stands on 6 April 2016 and compare what this would give them under the new State Pension rules with what they would have built up under the old system. The higher of these two values will be used as their Starting Amount for the new State Pension going forward. Therefore, any previous Graduated Retirement Benefit will be consolidated, along with other elements, into an individual’s entitlement to the new State Pension.

What assessment he has made of the adequacy of the Bereavement Support Payment for non-married widows and widowers.

Bereavement Support Payment is currently available to those who are married, in a cohabiting relationship with dependent children, or in a civil partnership. A marriage or civil partnership is a legal contract associated with certain rights, including entitlement to benefits derived from another person's National Insurance contributions such as Bereavement Support Payment. The Government keeps the eligibility of all benefits including Bereavement Support Payments, under review.

What steps are being taken to ensure that carers affected by overpayments are proactively informed of their right to reassessment, debt reduction or refund.

I refer the hon. Member to my Written Statement of 25 November 2025 HCWS1092 where I set out that the department will be reassessing historical and existing Carer’s Allowance cases with an earnings-related overpayment in England and Wales. This will cover the period between 2015 and summer 2025 where the treatment of fluctuating earnings may have given rise to an incorrect overpayment. We will make sure further information is available on GOV.UK. Constituents do not need to do anything now. In most cases the department will get in touch with people whose overpayments of Carer’s Allowance may be affected.

What assessment his Department has made of the risk that unpaid carers may have acquired criminal convictions as a result of DWP system failures rather than deliberate fraud.

The Government inherited a system where some busy carers, already struggling under a huge weight of caring responsibilities, have found themselves with unexpected debts due to earnings-related overpayments of Carer’s Allowance which they were asked to pay back. This only affected some of the relatively small number of Carer’s Allowance claimants who also do paid work, but the impact on some of these unpaid carers has been significant.Liz Sayce OBE led an Independent Review into the matter. The Review’s report, which we published on 25 November 2025, alongside the Government’s response, has been invaluable in assessing how these overpayments have arisen; what can be done to support unpaid carers who have incurred debts in the past; and how further overpayments can be minimised in future.The Review has shown that some mistakes were made, and we are determined to put them right. The Government has welcomed the report and is accepting or partially accepting 38 out of the 40 recommendations. In some cases, the changes the report is asking for have already been made. Others will take more time to put in place.The department agrees the guidance on averaging earnings between 2015 and summer 2025 did not accurately reflect the statutory position with respect to those with fluctuating earnings. That is why we are putting steps in place to run a reassessment exercise. This exercise will begin later this year, and we will communicate details on how this will work in due course.The department does not routinely publish data at a benefit level linked to benefit fraud prosecutions. However, data on the volume of prosecutions since 2015, where published, can be found in their respective Annual Report available here: DWP annual reports and accounts - GOV.UK. For example, for the 2024/25 figures see page 114 in the Annual Report and Accounts.

How many unpaid carers have been referred to the Crown Prosecution Service in relation to carer’s allowance overpayments in each year since 2015.

The Government inherited a system where some busy carers, already struggling under a huge weight of caring responsibilities, have found themselves with unexpected debts due to earnings-related overpayments of Carer’s Allowance which they were asked to pay back. This only affected some of the relatively small number of Carer’s Allowance claimants who also do paid work, but the impact on some of these unpaid carers has been significant.Liz Sayce OBE led an Independent Review into the matter. The Review’s report, which we published on 25 November 2025, alongside the Government’s response, has been invaluable in assessing how these overpayments have arisen; what can be done to support unpaid carers who have incurred debts in the past; and how further overpayments can be minimised in future.The Review has shown that some mistakes were made, and we are determined to put them right. The Government has welcomed the report and is accepting or partially accepting 38 out of the 40 recommendations. In some cases, the changes the report is asking for have already been made. Others will take more time to put in place.The department agrees the guidance on averaging earnings between 2015 and summer 2025 did not accurately reflect the statutory position with respect to those with fluctuating earnings. That is why we are putting steps in place to run a reassessment exercise. This exercise will begin later this year, and we will communicate details on how this will work in due course.The department does not routinely publish data at a benefit level linked to benefit fraud prosecutions. However, data on the volume of prosecutions since 2015, where published, can be found in their respective Annual Report available here: DWP annual reports and accounts - GOV.UK. For example, for the 2024/25 figures see page 114 in the Annual Report and Accounts.

What criteria were used to select the 38 additional local authorities included in the expansion of the Rent Repayment Order data-sharing scheme.

The Department for Work and Pensions has worked closely with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) to develop and implement the Rent Repayment Order pilot. The opportunity to participate was offered to all local authorities through Operation Jigsaw, an organisation currently funded by MHCLG, which brings together 309 local housing authorities in England to support the sharing of expertise, best practices, and vital intelligence both regionally and nationally to raise housing standards in the private rented sector.

Whether there will be further expansion of the Rent Repayment Order scheme.

The Department is currently running a Rent Repayment Order pilot with 41 local authorities. The purpose of the pilot is to assess the effectiveness of the scheme and its impact on enforcement activity. We will evaluate the pilot and subject to positive findings, we plan to implement nationally.

How many families (i) in Fylde and (ii) across Lancashire are expected to receive the additional £736.06 per child in childcare support as a result of changes to universal credit rules.

The requested information is not readily available and to provide it would be at disproportionate cost. The monthly statistics for the number of Children in households on Universal Credit in Great Britain by Parliamentary Constituency and Local Authority are published quarterly on Stat-Xplore(opens in a new tab). Universal Credit statistics are available from August 2015 to August 2025 in the Households on Universal Credit(opens in a new tab) dataset. Users can log in or access Stat-Xplore as a guest and, if needed, can access guidance(opens in a new tab) on how to extract the information required. There is also a Universal Credit Official Statistics: Stat-Xplore user guide(opens in a new tab)

How many staff in his Department are permitted to undertake diversity-related network time during core working hours; and what proportion of overall working time are they permitted to spend on such network activity.

DWP is transitioning its EDI Networks in line with the new Cabinet Office Guidance. Currently in DWP we have 8 Departmental EDI Networks. Each Network has 2 co-chairs who receive 25% time allowance and up to 10 committee members who receive 10%. When all roles are occupied (which is not the case currently) this equates to 12FTE. As of November 2025 DWP has an FTE of 84,699, so this equates to around 0.01% of working time. From April 2026, DWP will still have 8 Departmental EDI Networks. Each Network will have 2 co-chairs who receive 10% time allowance and up to 5 committee members who also receive 10%. EDI Community Network Chairs (of which we have 14) will also receive a 10% time allowance. If all roles are filled this will equate to 7FTE, a reduction of 5FTE.

With reference to the Child Poverty Strategy, published on 5 December 2025, what interim milestones will be used to track progress toward lifting 550,000 children out of poverty by the end of the Parliament.

The Monitoring and Evaluation Framework, published alongside the Strategy, sets out how we will track progress and evaluate success as part of our ongoing commitment to transparency, accountability and continued learning.We will use two complementary headline metrics, relative low income (after housing costs) and deep material poverty, as well as a comprehensive programme of analysis focusing on the drivers of child poverty and the impact of specific interventions.The Monitoring and Evaluation framework set out that a baseline report will be published in Summer 2026, reflecting the further development of plans and updated findings from the latest poverty statistics publications, with annual reporting on progress thereafter.

How many benefit claims in the last five years have involved individuals presenting as part of a polygamous household; and what the outcomes of those claims were.

Polygamous households are not recognised in Universal Credit. In claims where the claimant identifies as polygamous, the first spousal couple (the two partners who have been married longest) in the relationship could form a claim as a couple. However, all extant members of the relationship living in the household would need to make separate claims. Benefits such as Income Support, Jobseeker's Allowance, Employment and Support Allowance and Housing Benefit do recognise a small number of polygamous marriages which took place in a jurisdiction where polygamy is permitted. This number is very small and declining. Since the Immigration Act 1988, it has not been possible for people polygamously married overseas to bring second wives to the UK through the spouse visa route. As such, statistics are not held regarding numbers of claimants presenting as part of a polygamous household and would be disproportionate in cost to produce.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of trends in the number of young people not in employment, education, or training on economic growth in (a) Lancashire and (b) England.

When this Government came to office there were almost 1 million young people not in education, employment or training (NEET) and this Government is determined to address this. The Government understands the negative effects of unemployment can be particularly pronounced for young people and can have longstanding implications on their future earnings potential and life chances. This is why the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has a particular focus on ensuring young people are supported into employment, whilst also recognising their needs will vary depending on where they live and their own individual circumstances. In Lancashire, DWP currently operates seven Youth Hubs in partnership with local organisations. These hubs bring together employment support from a Jobcentre work coach and place-based support from local partnerships to help young people who are not in education, employment or training (NEET) into work. These are located in Pendle, Burnley, Hyndburn, Blackburn, Preston, Fleetwood, and Blackpool. Additionally, all Lancashire Jobcentres offer the Movement to Work programme, providing young people with valuable work experience placements designed to build confidence, develop skills, and improve job prospects. Building on existing support the government’s is also developing a new Youth Guarantee for all young people aged 18-21 to ensure that they can access quality training opportunities, an apprenticeship or help to find work. As a first step, we are working with eight Youth Guarantee Trailblazers across England which are testing innovative approaches to identify and deliver localised support to young people NEET or at risk of becoming NEET. This includes strengthening local coordination, through local leadership, and outreach to better connect young people with opportunities. We will use the learning from these Trailblazers to inform the future design and development of the Youth Guarantee as it rolls out across the rest of Great Britain. In addition, the Government is investing £25 million to expand Youth Hubs. This investment will almost double the number of Youth Hubs to over 200 across England, Scotland and Wales over the next three years, ensuring more young people can access personalised, wraparound support in their local communities. My right hon. Friend the Chancellor has also announced that every eligible young person who has been on Universal Credit for 18 months without earning or learning will be offered guaranteed paid work. Participants of the scheme will receive support to take advantage of available opportunities, with the aim of helping them transition into regular employment. The scheme forms part of the government’s aim to provide targeted support for young people at risk of long-term unemployment. Further details including eligibility criteria and the structure of placements, will be confirmed at the Budget.

If he will make an assessment of the potential merits of covering the insurance costs of employers taking on volunteer workers; and if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of doing so on the number of people not in employment, education or training.

DWP recognises that there are many benefits to volunteering for individuals, including for those not in employment, education or training. These include gaining new skills, knowledge and experience, improving physical and mental wellbeing, growing confidence and improving a person's CV. We have worked with the Royal Voluntary Service and with a group of charities who make up Shaping the Future with Volunteering to develop a ‘Volunteering Toolkit’ to support DWP operational staff, including work coaches, to connect customers to volunteering opportunities. We also ran a two-week internal communications campaign in Autumn 2024 to raise the profile of volunteering as a step towards work. The Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 (HSWA) protects employees and others who may be affected by work activities. This includes those volunteering for, or on behalf of an organisation. Employers must include volunteers, as well as employees, in risk assessments to identify significant risks and implement effective control measures. Any further insurance beyond statutory requirements is a commercial decision for an employer.

What recent estimate she has made of the proportion of people not in employment, education, or training who are claiming Universal Credit in the North West.

Statistics on young people claiming UC can be found on DWP Stat Xplore - Stat-Xplore - Log in Statistics on young people who are NEET are produced by DfE and the ONS –Statistics: NEET and participation - GOV.UK and Young people not in education, employment or training (NEET), UK - Office for National Statistics The Get Britain Working White Paper set plans to develop a Youth Guarantee which will ensure 18- to 21-year-olds are earning or learning. An independent investigation has been launched to tackle the persistently high numbers of young people out of work, education and training. Led by former Health Secretary Alan Milburn, the probe will examine why increasing numbers of young people are falling out of work or education before their careers have begun — with a particular focus on the impact of mental health conditions and disability. The Terms of Reference can be found here.