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 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 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 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.

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.

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 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.

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.

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 pote

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...

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 Clawbac

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...

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 m...

With reference to the report by the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman entitled Women’s State Pension age: our findings on injustice and associated issues, published on 21 March 2024, whether she has made an estimate of the cost of providing financial redress to impacted women in (a) North Cornwall constituency and (b) the UK.

We have not estimated the costs of providing redress in North Cornwall. The Ombudsman’s report (para 504) published on 21 March 2024 estimated that providing compensation to all 1950s women at the level 4 range would cost between around £3.5 and £10.5bn. As a newly formed Government we will need time to review and consider the Ombudsman’s report along with the evidence provided during the investigation. Now the election has concluded we need to consider the views that have been expressed on all sides. The issues outlined in the report are significant and complex, as such they require serious deliberation. Once this work has been undertaken, the Government will be in a position to outline its approach. I met with representatives of the WAPSI Campaign on the 5 of September.

Whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of changing eligibility requirements for the winter fuel payment on the affordability of energy for people with motor neurone disease.

This Government is committed to pensioners – everyone in our society, no matter their working history or savings deserves a comfortable and dignified retirement. Given the substantial pressures faced by the public finances this year and next, the government has had to make hard choices to bring the public finances back under control.Winter Fuel Payments will continue to be paid to pensioner households with someone receiving Pension Credit or certain other income-related benefits. They will continue to be worth £200 for eligible households, or £300 for eligible households with someone aged over 80. For those with long-term illnesses, the “extra costs” disability benefits, namely Personal Independence Payment (PIP), Disability Living Allowance (DLA) and Attendance Allowance (AA), provide a tax free, non-income-related contribution towards the extra costs people with a long-term health condition can face, such as additional heating costs. They are paid monthly throughout the year. AA can be worth up to £5,600 a year and recipients are free to use their benefit according to their own priorities. Receipt of AA can provide a passport to additional amounts in means-tested benefits (notably Pension Credit and Housing Benefit) for those on low incomes providing they meet the other eligibility criteria.