Every parliamentary written question tabled by Chris Bloore this session, with the full answer and department. See how every department answers, or back to the MP page.
Showing 1–20 of 21 · Department for Work and Pensions
What assessment he has made of the potential impact of the cost of living crisis on low-income households in Redditch.
The Government is working to address cost-of-living pressures facing families across the country through targeted measures including raising the minimum wage for workers aged 21 and over, which increased by 4.1 per cent to £12.71 an hour. The removal of t...
What assessment he has made of food insecurity levels among households in Redditch.
Data on the number of households experiencing food insecurity by constituency is not availa-ble due to sample sizes. Statistics on the number of individuals living in households that are food insecure by region in the UK are published annually in the “Fam...
What assessment he has made of levels of child poverty linked to the cost of living crisis in Redditch.
The Government is working to address cost-of-living pressures facing families across the country through targeted measures including raising the minimum wage for workers aged 21 and over, which increased by 4.1 per cent to £12.71 an hour. The removal of t...
How many households in Redditch are in receipt of cost of living support payments.
There have been no further Cost-of-Living payments since those issued in the financial year 2023/24. The Cost-of-Living Payments were intended to relieve the immediate financial pressures caused by the rapid rise in cost of living. There are no plans to r...
What steps his Department is taking through the Integrated Risk and Intelligence Service to identify AI-generated employment scams.
The Department takes the risk posed by increasingly sophisticated scams enabled by artificial intelligence very seriously. DWP works closely with partners such as Action Fraud to prevent fraudulent activity online and suspected fraud and scams can also be...
How many registered food banks were created between 2010 and 2024.
The Department does not hold official statistics on the number of registered food banks created between 2010 and 2024. Food banks are independent organisations, often run by charities, faith groups, or community organisations, and are not regulated or registered centrally by the Government. We are committed to tackling poverty and reducing mass dependence on emergency food parcels. To inform this work, DWP officials have engaged with a range of organisations to better understand the complex food support landscape. To further support struggling households, we are providing £742 million to extend the House-hold Support Fund (HSF) in England until 31 March 2026, enabling local authorities to continue to provide vulnerable households with immediate crisis support towards the cost of essentials, such as energy, water and food. Starting from 1 April 2026, we have announced a further £842 million a year (£1 billion including Barnett consequential) to reform crisis support with the new Crisis and Resilience Fund, supporting our wider mission to reduce child poverty by reducing dependence on food parcels, preventing homelessness and making sure people can access urgent support when they need it.
If she will make an assessment of the merits of placing job centre staff in supported housing sites.
Jobcentre staff provide outreach in a range of community and service settings. This is a valuable way of reaching people who experience difficulties accessing support and promotes partnership working to benefit our customers. Co-location planning between jobcentres and partners such as housing providers is place-based according to local needs and circumstances. This type of joint working will be strengthened by the localised approach of our plan to Get Britain Working.
What assessment she has made of the potential merits of reviewing how student loans for maintenance are taken into account when calculating Universal Credit entitlement.
No assessment has been made. The primary source of financial support for students must come from the system of student loans and grants designed for their needs. Where a student can acquire a maintenance loan (whether applied for or not) the amount will be considered as income in Universal Credit (UC) and will be taken into account when calculating the overall UC entitlement.
How many and what proportion of people claiming the health top-up on Universal Credit are aged between 18 and 21 years old.
Quarterly statistics for the number of People on Universal Credit with a health condition or disability restricting their ability to work in Great Britain are published on Stat-Xplore. The latest release provides figures up to December 2024 which can be broken down by ‘Age (in bands and single year)’ and ‘Stage of UC Health’ (selecting ‘Limited capability for work and work-related activity’). Users can log in or access Stat-Xplore as a guest and, if needed, can access guidance on how to extract the information required.
What proportion of people claiming universal credit under the age of 25 are living (a) in someone else's home and (b) independently.
The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.
How many people aged between 16 and 18 were in receipt of Universal Credit on 18 March 2025.
The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost. Monthly statistics for the number of People on Universal Credit in Great Britain are published regularly on Stat-Xplore. The latest release provides provisional figures for the ‘count date’ of 13 February 2025 which can be broken down by ‘Age (in bands and single year)’. The next release with provisional figures for the count date of 13 March 2025 is scheduled for release on 15 April 2025 at 09:30am. Users can log in or access Stat-Xplore as a guest and, if needed, can access guidance on how to extract the information required. There is also a Universal Credit Official Statistics: Stat-Xplore user guide.
How many and what proportion of people who are (a) in receipt of Universal Credit and (b) under the age of 25 are parents.
The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.Monthly statistics for the number of Households on Universal Credit in Great Britain are published quarterly on Stat-Xplore. The latest statistics in table ‘UC Households 1 – month by family type’ provide a monthly breakdown of households on UC by family type up to November 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. There is also a Universal Credit Official Statistics: Stat-Xplore user guide.
For what reason there is an age differential between the national living wage age band and the lower universal credit band.
Young people in work typically earn less than those over 25 and are also more likely to live in someone else’s household, with lower living costs. It is not inconsistent to maintain different rates of Universal Credit while moving to a single rate of the National Living Wage. Even with the rise of the minimum wage, younger workers will still, in general, earn less. The lower rate of Universal Credit maintains an incentive to work as we continue to support young people into employment and to improve their career opportunities.
How many people under the age of 25 are receiving Universal Credit.
Monthly statistics for the number of People on Universal Credit in Great Britain are published regularly on Stat-Xplore. The latest release provides provisional figures for the ‘count date’ of 13 February 2025 which can be broken down by ‘Age (in bands and single year)’. The next release with provisional figures for the count date of 13 March 2025 is scheduled for release on 15 April 2025 at 09:30am. Users can log in or access Stat-Xplore as a guest and, if needed, can access guidance on how to extract the information required. There is also a Universal Credit Official Statistics: Stat-Xplore user guide.
Whether she plans to review the age brackets for Universal Credit.
There are currently no plans to review the age brackets for Universal Credit. The lower rate of Universal Credit for those aged under 25 reflects the fact that the majority of young people live in someone else’s household and are therefore likely to have lower living costs. Younger workers also typically earn less as they are earlier in their careers, with the lower rate maintaining the incentive for younger people to find and progress in work.
How many single parent families are affected by the two-child limit for benefits by the gender of the parent.
In April 2024, the number of single parents on Universal Credit affected by the two-child policy, by gender, was as follows. Single parents household on Universal Credit affected by two-child policy (April 2024)Female201,000Male5,000Total206,000 Notes:The figures above are for Universal Credit only and do not include any households on Child Tax Credit affected by the policy.Figures are rounded to the nearest 1,000
Whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of the lower rate of Universal Credit for people under 25 years old on those people.
No assessment has been made. The lower rate of Universal Credit for those aged under 25 reflects the fact that the majority of young people live in someone else’s household and are therefore likely to have lower living costs. Younger workers also typically earn less as they are earlier in their careers, with the lower rate maintaining the incentive for younger people to find and progress in work.
Whether her Department offers (a) paid time off work and (b) other support to employees who become kinship carers.
We do not have a policy which explicitly covers (a) paid time off work and (b) other support to employees who become kinship carers. Employees are able to take time off work to deal with an emergency involving a dependant or are able to request other leave, paid and unpaid, as well as annual and flexi leave as required to support them when they become a kinship carer. Employees are also able to request a combination of flexible working patterns, special leave and adjusted duties depending on their specific needs.
If she will take steps to abolish all Child Maintenance Service for parents with care who are victim-survivors of domestic abuse.
The Department has recently concluded a public consultation on policy changes. This included proposals to remove the Direct Pay service (where parents pay each other directly) and managing all CMS cases in one service to allow the CMS to tackle non-compli...
How many applicants have received the Bereavement Support Payment since April 2017.
Statistics for Bereavement Support Payment, including claims allowed each month from April 2017 to March 2024, are published on Stat-Xplore in the Bereavement Support Payment (BSP) Claims Received dataset. Users can log in or access Stat-Xplore as a guest...