Written questions by Maguire.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of proposed changes to Motability mileage allowances on disabled people living in rural areas.

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.

What assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the consultation undertaken on proposed changes to Motability mileage allowances.

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.

If he will accept the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman’s compensation recommendations in full as part of his review on compensating women born in the 1950s affected by changes to the State Pension age.

As my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State set out on 11 November 2025, we are retaking the decision made in December 2024 as it relates to the communications on State Pension age. The process to retake the decision is underway. We will update the House on the decision as soon as a conclusion is reached.

How many cases of bailiff action have occurred as a result of outstanding child maintenance payments in each of the last five years.

The Child Maintenance Service may seek a Liability Order only when a Paying Parent has not met their obligations and other measures have been exhausted. In England and Wales, such orders may enable referral to enforcement agents, previously known as bailiffs, to recover arrears. In Scotland, enforcement proceeds through the Scottish civil court system.The Department regularly publishes Child Maintenance Service official statistics, with the latest statistics available to September 2025. Table 6.1 of the accompanying National tables provides the information about enforcement actions used by the CMS. The table shows quarterly statistics for liability order applications and enforcement agent referrals for England & Wales, between October 2015 and September 2025.

How many non-resident parents who have repeatedly failed to meet their child maintenance payment obligations have been sent to prison in each of the last five years.

The 2012 child maintenance reforms are designed to increase cooperation between separated parents and to ensure that children receive appropriate financial support. Where family-based arrangements are not suitable, the Child Maintenance Service (CMS) operates a statutory scheme and applies a Payment Compliance strategy to address nonpayment. The CMS uses firm enforcement measures - such as liability orders, deductions from earnings, account deductions, passport and driving licence removal, and, in the most serious cases, imprisonment - when parents who have the means to pay choose not to. These powers are applied proportionately and in the best interests of children, and their deterrent effect ensures that their use remains low. The Department regularly publishes Child Maintenance Service official statistics, with the latest statistics available to September 2025. Table 6.2 of the accompanying National tables provides the outcome information where the CMS applied to courts to sanction Paying Parents for non-compliance. The table shows quarterly statistics for both suspended and immediate prison sentences and driving disqualifications for England & Wales and for Scotland, between July 2019 and September 2025.

How many non-resident parents who have repeatedly failed to meet their child maintenance payment obligations have had their driving licenses disqualified as a consequence in each of the last five years.

The 2012 child maintenance reforms are designed to increase cooperation between separated parents and to ensure that children receive appropriate financial support. Where family-based arrangements are not suitable, the Child Maintenance Service (CMS) operates a statutory scheme and applies a Payment Compliance strategy to address nonpayment. The CMS uses firm enforcement measures - such as liability orders, deductions from earnings, account deductions, passport and driving licence removal, and, in the most serious cases, imprisonment - when parents who have the means to pay choose not to. These powers are applied proportionately and in the best interests of children, and their deterrent effect ensures that their use remains low. The Department regularly publishes Child Maintenance Service official statistics, with the latest statistics available to September 2025. Table 6.2 of the accompanying National tables provides the outcome information where the CMS applied to courts to sanction Paying Parents for non-compliance. The table shows quarterly statistics for both suspended and immediate prison sentences and driving disqualifications for England & Wales and for Scotland, between July 2019 and September 2025.

How many liability orders have the Child Maintenance Services applied for in respect of non-resident parents who have repeatedly failed meet their child maintenance payment obligations in each of the last five years.

The Child Maintenance Service may seek a Liability Order only when a Paying Parent has not met their obligations and other measures have been exhausted. In England and Wales, such orders may enable referral to enforcement agents, previously known as bailiffs, to recover arrears. In Scotland, enforcement proceeds through the Scottish civil court system.The Department regularly publishes Child Maintenance Service official statistics, with the latest statistics available to September 2025. Table 6.1 of the accompanying National tables provides the information about enforcement actions used by the CMS. The table shows quarterly statistics for liability order applications and enforcement agent referrals for England & Wales, between October 2015 and September 2025.

What steps his Department is taking to strengthen enforcement against non-resident parents who repeatedly fail to meet their child maintenance payment obligations.

The Child Maintenance Service (CMS) is estimated to keep around 120,000 children out of poverty each year. CMS acknowledges the significant impact that missed or partial child maintenance payments can have on both children and resident parents. Changes have been implemented to systems to identify at-risk cases allowing caseworkers to intervene at the earliest opportunity where a partial payment is made and before payments stop. The CMS has taken steps to strengthen enforcement against non-resident parents who repeatedly fail to meet their child maintenance obligations. These powers allow the CMS to instruct an employer to deduct maintenance directly from the paying parent's wages, take money directly from a paying parent’s bank or building society account. If the paying parent is on certain benefits, deductions can be made at source. CMS can also apply to the courts for a Liability Order which legally means the debt is legally recognised, allowing CMS to take further enforcement actions such as:Bailiff actionCharging orders on propertyDisqualification from holding a driving licence.Committal to prison in extreme cases.As part of a broader strategy, to ensure consistent financial support for children, the government is reforming the system to eliminate Direct Pay and expand the Collect and Pay service to improve compliance and reduce financial hardship for resident parents and children.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of (a) missed or (b) partial child maintenance payments on (i) children and (ii) resident parents.

The Child Maintenance Service (CMS) is estimated to keep around 120,000 children out of poverty each year. CMS acknowledges the significant impact that missed or partial child maintenance payments can have on both children and resident parents. Changes have been implemented to systems to identify at-risk cases allowing caseworkers to intervene at the earliest opportunity where a partial payment is made and before payments stop. The CMS has taken steps to strengthen enforcement against non-resident parents who repeatedly fail to meet their child maintenance obligations. These powers allow the CMS to instruct an employer to deduct maintenance directly from the paying parent's wages, take money directly from a paying parent’s bank or building society account. If the paying parent is on certain benefits, deductions can be made at source. CMS can also apply to the courts for a Liability Order which legally means the debt is legally recognised, allowing CMS to take further enforcement actions such as:Bailiff actionCharging orders on propertyDisqualification from holding a driving licence.Committal to prison in extreme cases.As part of a broader strategy, to ensure consistent financial support for children, the government is reforming the system to eliminate Direct Pay and expand the Collect and Pay service to improve compliance and reduce financial hardship for resident parents and children.

How many mixed-age couples are impacted by the rule which prevents them from claiming pension-age benefits until the youngest partner reaches State Pension age.

The requested information is not held The requirement that both members of a couple need to have reached State Pension age to be eligible for Pension Credit or pension-age Housing Benefit took effect from 15 May 2019. Income-related benefit support for couples where only one partner has reached State Pension age is provided through Universal Credit instead.

Whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of he rule which prevents mixed-age couples from claiming pension-age benefits until the youngest partner reaches State Pension age on the number of people in poverty.

The requirement that both members of a couple need to have reached State Pension age to be eligible for Pension Credit or pension-age Housing Benefit was introduced by the previous conservative government from 15 May 2019. Benefit support for couples where only one partner has reached State Pension age is provided through Universal Credit instead. This change was made to ensure that the working age partner gets the right support and incentives to remain in contact with the labour market – and where appropriate moves into work – subject to their individual circumstances. No work-related conditionality applies to the pensioner partner. This does not affect when the pension-age partner in a mixed-age couple can access their State Pension or eligibility for other benefits such as Attendance Allowance. This Government’s priority for pensioners has been to increase the State Pension, including by 4.1% last April. Pensioners on a low income may still qualify for help with their rent and Council Tax, and from this winter, pensioners whose annual taxable income is at or below £35,000 will receive the Winter Fuel Payment. They may also benefit from free prescriptions and eye tests and free off-peak local bus travel. Further information on the help available can be found on: GOV.UK

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of trends in mental health waiting lists on the number of people out of work.

The Department has not assessed the impact of trends in mental health waiting lists on the number of people out of work. The Office for National Statistics (ONS) plans to link NHS waiting times data to Census, DWP Benefits and HMRC PAYE records to analyse the relationship between waiting time duration (for various health conditions and procedures) and labour market outcomes (such as employment status, gross pay and benefit receipt) in England. This may shed light on the potential impact of trends in waiting lists for various healthcare services, including mental health waiting lists, on the number of people out of work.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of waiting times for mental health treatment on levels of health-related economic inactivity.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) plans to link NHS waiting times data to Census, DWP Benefits and HMRC PAYE records to analyse the relationship between waiting time duration (for various health conditions and procedures) and labour market outcomes (such as employment status, gross pay and benefit receipt) in England. This assessment has potential to shed light on the potential impact of waiting times for various health services, including mental health treatment, on levels of health-related economic inactivity.

If she will take steps to ensure that Local Housing Allowance rates reflect rents in (a) rural and (b) urban areas.

In April 2024, Local Housing Allowance (LHA) increased to the 30th percentile of local market rents for one year at a cost of £7bn over 5 years.LHA rates are set within Broad Rental Market Areas (BRMAs), which are determined by rent officers at the Valuation Office Agency for England, Rent Officers Wales and Rent Services Scotland. There are 192 BRMAs across Great Britain.A BRMA is an area within which a person could reasonably be expected to live with regard to facilities and services for the purposes of health, education, recreation, banking and shopping. The BRMA criteria takes account of travel to and from those services by both public and private transport in both rural and urban areas.Rent Officers gather a representative sample of private rental data across the BRMA of all property types and property sizes from a range of sources. They also survey across the full year to capture current market conditions. This includes collecting a representative sample from all the local authority areas within a BRMA, including larger urban centres and more sparsely populated rural areas where relevant.

If she will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a protected minimum floor for Universal Credit.

The Government recognises the importance of the social security safety net and the role Universal Credit has to play in tackling poverty and making work pay. That is why a Fair Repayment Rate will be introduced from April 2025, reducing the overall cap on Universal Credit (UC) deductions from 25% to 15%. This means approximately 1.2 million of the poorest families will benefit by an average of £420 a year. At this time, the Government have no plans to make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a protected minimum floor for Universal Credit at this time.

Whether her Department is taking steps to ensure that people entitled to (a) Pension Credit uplifts and (b) other pension uplifts receive them automatically; and what assessment she has made of the potential merits of implementing a system that allows those uplifts to be applied without requiring additional claims from eligible recipients.

A Pension Credit award can include additional amounts for:Severe disability;Caring for a disabled person;Children that the claimant is responsible for; andCertain housing costs. These additional amounts can increase or uplift the value of a Pension Credit award.When a new Pension Credit claim is made, any additional amounts are applied to the award, as a matter of course, based on the claimant’s circumstances. A separate claim for these additional amounts is not needed.If an existing claimant’s circumstances change, their Pension Credit award can be adjusted to reflect the change – for example including or removing additional amounts. A new claim is not required as the adjustment can be made either by the claimant reporting a change of circumstance or on the initiative of the Department. Following the Secretary of State’s statutory annual review of state pension and benefit rates in the Autumn, the rates for the basic and new State Pension and the Standard Minimum Guarantee in Pension Credit will increase by 4.1%. Other state pension and benefit rates covered by the statutory review will be increased by 1.7%. Subject to Parliamentary approval, the new rates will take effect from 7 April 2025 and will be applied automatically without the need for a claim.The full list of proposed benefit and pension rates can be found at Benefit and pension rates 2025 to 2026 - GOV.UK.

What steps is the Department is taking to support (a) pensioners who face significant reductions in their pensions when they reach state pension age and (b) other pensioners affected by the HSBC Clawback scheme.

Members of an integrated scheme are not having money they are entitled to taken away from them when they reach state pension age. A member’s benefit entitlement is adjusted and paid as higher payments before they receive their State Pension, then in lower payments after this date. The design of a pension offered as part of an employer’s reward package is a matter for that employer, provided that it meets the relevant legal requirements.

What estimate her Department has made of the cost to (a) calculate and (b) distribute funding to people on means-tested benefits in North Cornwall constituency.

The department administers a wide variety of means-tested benefits and asked for clarification on which benefits you were specifically interested in. As no response was received we have interpreted the question to refer to the costs of administering all means-tested benefits in North Cornwall constituency. As such, I can confirm that no estimate has been made of administrative costs for the Department at constituency level.