Written questions by Law.

How many children in Dundee Central constituency are in households in receipt of (a) Universal Credit and (b) Child Tax Credit with three or more children that are not receiving a child element for at least one child.

The Department publishes Universal Credit and Child Tax Credit claimants: statistics related to the policy to provide support for a maximum of 2 children, with the latest statistics available to April 2025. The accompanying tables provide breakdowns by country, region, local authority and parliamentary constituency. Child Tax Credit closed in April 2025

Whether it is her Department's policy that existing PIP claimants of pension age who are subject to a planned award review from November 2026 will be required to score at least four points in one daily living activity in order to maintain their award.

Our intention is for the new eligibility requirement for the daily living component of Personal Independence Payment (PIP)—requiring individuals to score at least four points in a single daily living activity—to apply to new claims and award reviews from November 2026, subject to parliamentary approval. In line with current policy, individuals over State Pension Age are not routinely subject to full award reviews and are therefore not expected to be affected by the proposed changes.

Whether it is her Department's policy that existing PIP claimants of pension age who request a change of circumstances review from November 2026 are required to score at least four points in one daily living activity in order to (a) maintain and (b) increase their award.

In keeping with existing policy, people on state pension age are not routinely fully reviewed and will not be affected by these changes. We are considering further how the 4-point minimum requirement will affect claimants over state pension age who report a change of circumstances, and we will provide further information in due course.

Pursuant to the Answer of 17 March 2025 to Question 37202 on Seasonal workers: Agriculture, how many Health and Safety Executive inspection officials are based in (a) Scotland, (b) England and (c) Wales.

As the table below shows, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) currently employs 897 full time equivalent (FTE) inspector staff in all grades and roles including trainees, managers and specialists with warrants. There are currently 663 FTE Band 3 and 4 inspectors who undertake the delivery of the operational division workplans. This includes inspections and investigations into reported incidents and concerns and where non-compliance with health and safety legislations is identified, the inspectors take regulatory action in accordance with HSE’s published Enforcement Policy Statement. Although HSE staff work across England, Scotland and Wales, these figures are based on the office location where the staff are employed. Job BandEnglandScotlandWalesTotalSCS91-10Band 1284335Band 21522611189Band 33779442513Band 41172112150Total68314668897

Pursuant to the Answer of 19 March 2025 to Question 37203 on Seasonal workers: Agriculture, how many Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations reports were received by the Health and Safety Executive for (a) agricultural and (b) seasonal agricultural workers in each of the last five years.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) does not require dutyholders submitting reports under the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013 (RIDDOR) to specify that the report relates to “seasonal agricultural workers”. Therefore, HSE does not hold specific data on the number of RIDDOR reports submitted for “seasonal agricultural workers” in each of the last five years. HSE does collect RIDDOR reports on injuries and diseases to agricultural workers. The two tables below show the total number of RIDDOR reports received for “agricultural workers” from 1 April to 31 March over the last 5 years. Table 1 - Reports of injuries*YearNon-reportableReportableAll reports2020/21408298692021/22227868082022/23267788042023/24277657922024/2533786819*Table 1 - Injury outcomes include fatal, specified injuries, and over-7-day injuries. Table 2 - Reports of occupational diseases, exposures to biological agents, and occupational cancers*YearNon-reportableReportableAll reports2020/21358612021/22120212022/23016162023/24010102024/253811*Table 2 - Reports of specific occupational diseases, includes those caused by an occupational exposure to a biological agent; and cases of occupational cancer. Notes on the two tables:These figures for ‘Agricultural workers’ are defined using Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) 01 – ‘Crop and animal production, hunting and related service activities’, this information is selected by the notifier during the reporting process.Reports marked ‘non-reportable’ in the database, are those determined by HSE operational teams as either not meeting the reporting scope of RIDDOR, or reported as a duplicate. These figures are as-reported, no adjustments are made for under-reporting.Data in Tables 1 and 2 is based on RIDDOR reports as notified to HSE. HSE also publish as official statistics numbers of RIDDOR reported injuries. These official statistics have undergone further data quality checks and differ in scope and coverage to numbers in Tables 1 and 2. For more details of official statistics on RIDDOR reported injuries, see www.hse.gov.uk/statistics

How many Health and Safety Executive Inspections of farms employing workers on the Seasonal Worker visa were conducted in each of the last five years in (a) Scotland, (b) England and (c) Wales.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is Britain’s national regulator for workplace health and safety, this includes workplace health and safety risks created in agriculture. The table below shows the total number of farm inspections carried out by HSE over the last 5 years in Scotland, England and Wales. HSE’s farm inspection programme over those years focused on health and safety standards on site for all workers. No farm inspection programmes over the last 5 years were focused exclusively on one group of farm workers such as seasonal workers. If during a farm site visit, matters directly affecting a specific group or number of workers on a particular site were identified by the inspector, they would be dealt with accordingly. Please see the figures for farm inspections conducted in each of the last five years in (a) Scotland, (b) England and (c) Wales:: Number of Farm Inspections*YEAR**ScotlandEngland WalesTotal2019/20143534186952020/213417442122021/2270263593922022/23105627517832023/2422424344802024/25762776 *defined by the Nature of business: Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) codes** years commencing 1st April

With reference to the Worker Support Centre's Annual Report 2024, published on 14 February 2025, whether the Health and Safety Executive has plans to commission a review into (a) the use of personal protective equipment and (b) repeated injuries on farms employing seasonal workers.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is Britain’s national regulator for workplace health and safety, this includes workplace health and safety risks created in agriculture. HSE can confirm that the Personal Protective Equipment Regulations 1992 were amended in 2022 to bring all workers into scope. The above regulations will be subject to a post implementation review (PIR) in 2027. These regulations already require that suitable personal protective equipment is provided, at no cost, to the worker and that workers are trained in its use. Therefore, HSE is of the view that the regulations are currently fit for purpose and have no plans to review them before the planned PIR. Farms have a legal duty to ensure that they provide appropriate PPE to all workers, including seasonal workers, and that those workers also use the PPE provided. Under the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013, dutyholders such as farmers have a legal duty to report certain work-related injuries to HSE. Where required, HSE can and does investigate individual reports of work-related incidents across all industries, including farming. In addition, HSE also monitors the accident data that it receives under the above regulations, and tailors its subsequent engagement with the industry in the best, most efficient way to drive improvement in onsite health and safety standards. HSE has no plans to commission a specific review of injuries on farms employing seasonal workers.

What steps the Health and Safety Executive have taken to prevent health and safety hazards on farms employing workers on the Seasonal Worker visa in each of the last five years in (a) Scotland, (b) England and (c) Wales.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is Britain’s national regulator for workplace health and safety, this includes workplace health and safety risks created in agriculture. Over the last 5 years, HSE has taken the following steps to address on-farm health and safety hazards and improve the health and safety performance of the industry for the benefit of all farm workers in Scotland, England and Wales, including seasonal workers, by: Working closely with the industry through Britain’s Farm Safety Partnerships (FSPs). Together, HSE and the FSPs use a range of interventions to encourage the industry to take a greater ownership of the health and safety risks that it creates, and work to create sustained improvement from within the industry.Between 2018 and 2024, in partnership with the industry, HSE ran a campaign to offer farmers free health and safety training which was then followed up by an inspection to a selection of the farms invited to take the training.Although HSE has no pre-planned inspections in agriculture in 2024/25, HSE continues to inspect where they receive intelligence to suggest risk is not being managed and investigate incidents in line with its selection criteria.Over the last 5 years HSE has also engaged with the industry through a variety of other methods including industry talks, webinars, presentations, campaigns, media engagement, and producing industry notifications which include safety messaging.HSE’s recent agricultural media campaign “Your Farm Your Future” was a successful example of using HSE and industry voices to reinforce safety messages and reach a wide range of farmers and farm workers. Campaign materials can be found at: https://workright.campaign.gov.uk/campaigns/agriculture/.In addition, HSE also publishes guidance for farmers on how to prevent workplace ill health and injury to their workforce, including seasonal workers. The guidance is freely available on the HSE website at https://www.hse.gov.uk/agriculture/index.htm. HSE remains committed to working with the farming industry to help improve health and safety performance for the benefit of all its workers.

If she will make an estimate of the number of people with multiple sclerosis who were placed into the Employment and Support Allowance Support Group due to meeting the descriptor mobilising unaided Activity 1.

The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

If she will make an estimate of the number of people with multiple sclerosis who were placed into the Universal Credit Limited Capability for Work-Related Activity group due to meeting the descriptor mobilising unaided Activity 1.

The specific information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

If she will make an estimate of the number of people with Multiple Sclerosis who are in the Universal Credit Limited Capacity for Work-Related Activity group due to scoring 15 points on the LCWRA Mobilising activity.

The group of Universal Credit and Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) customers affected by the most severe health conditions or disabilities are considered to have limited capability for work-related activity (LCWRA). The Work Capability Assessment (WCA) criteria for assessing whether someone has LCWRA is not determined by a point score. To be found to have LCWRA, someone must be assessed as meeting one or more of the LCWRA criteria, which are set out in legislation. Scoring 15 points against the WCA Limited Capability for Work (LCW) criteria, be that any single WCA activity or in total across the activities, would result in somebody being found to have LCW/being placed in the ESA Work-Related Activity Group.

If she will make an estimate of the number of people with Multiple Sclerosis who are in the Universal Credit (a) Limited Capacity for Work-Related Activity group and (b) Limited Capability for Work group.

The specific information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

If she will make an estimate of the number of people with Multiple Sclerosis who are in the Employment and Support Allowance Support Group due to scoring 15 points on the Support Group Mobilising activity.

The group of Universal Credit and Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) customers affected by the most severe health conditions or disabilities are considered to have limited capability for work-related activity (LCWRA). The Work Capability Assessment (WCA) criteria for assessing whether someone has LCWRA is not determined by a point score. To be found to have LCWRA, someone must be assessed as meeting one or more of the LCWRA criteria, which are set out in legislation. Scoring 15 points against the WCA Limited Capability for Work (LCW) criteria, be that any single WCA activity or in total across the activities, would result in somebody being found to have LCW/being placed in the ESA Work-Related Activity Group.

If she will make an estimate of the number of people with Multiple Sclerosis who are in the Employment and Support Allowance (a) Support Group and (b) Work-Related Activity Group.

In May 2024 there were around 19,500 people on ESA whose main condition was multiple sclerosis. Of these, around 300 were in the Work-Related Activity Group and around 18,000 were in the Support Group, with the remainder being in the Assessment Phase or receiving National Insurance credits only, and not assigned to a particular group.

How many applications for Pension Credit were received between (a) 29 July 2024 and 30 November 2024, (b) 29 July 2023 and 30 November 2023 and (c) 29 July 2022 and 30 November 2022.

On 28 November we published Pension Credit applications and award statistics. This publication provides application volumes up to 17 November 2024. Pension Credit applications and awards: November 2024 - GOV.UK, which is the nearest available data to the 30 November. This information is updated quarterly and the next update, which will include end of November data is due around the end of February 2025. This release will cover data up to week commencing 10 February 2024. These statistics show that 150,000 Pension Credit claims were received between 29 July 2024 up to 17 November 2024.In the previous year we received around 67,000 applications for the closest comparable period, which was 31 July 2023 to 19 November 2023.The closest comparable period in 2022 shows we received around 87,500 applications between 1 August 2022 and 20 November 2022. Please note, the figures presented are from DWP’s Pension Credit system which has previously been collected for internal departmental operations use only and has not been quality assured to Official Statistics publication standards.