Written questions by Morello.

Whether his Department plans to exempt veterans who are amputees from repeat Personal Independence Payment assessments.

Awaiting answer.

Whether his Department plans to review the policy on frozen pensions affecting pensioners from West Dorset living abroad.

UK State Pensions are payable worldwide, without regard to nationality, and are only uprated abroad where there is a legal requirement to do so, for example in countries with which we have a reciprocal agreement that provides for uprating. This approach has been supported by successive governments over many years with priority given to those living in the UK when drawing up expenditure plans for additional pensioner benefits. People move abroad for many reasons, and it is for individuals to weigh up the factors involved. Information regarding the effect of living abroad on State Pension entitlement is available on GOV.UK.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of frozen state pensions on pensioners from West Dorset residing in countries without uprating agreements.

UK State Pensions are payable worldwide, without regard to nationality, and are only uprated abroad where there is a legal requirement to do so, for example in countries with which we have a reciprocal agreement that provides for uprating. This approach has been supported by successive governments over many years with priority given to those living in the UK when drawing up expenditure plans for additional pensioner benefits. People move abroad for many reasons, and it is for individuals to weigh up the factors involved. Information regarding the effect of living abroad on State Pension entitlement is available on GOV.UK.

Whether his Department is taking steps his Department to uprate frozen UK state pensions for pensioners from West Dorset living overseas.

UK State Pensions are payable worldwide, without regard to nationality, and are only uprated abroad where there is a legal requirement to do so, for example in countries with which we have a reciprocal agreement that provides for uprating. This approach has been supported by successive governments over many years with priority given to those living in the UK when drawing up expenditure plans for additional pensioner benefits. People move abroad for many reasons, and it is for individuals to weigh up the factors involved. Information regarding the effect of living abroad on State Pension entitlement is available on GOV.UK.

What support is available for apprentices whose employment is terminated unexpectedly.

An apprenticeship is a job with training, apprentices therefore must be employed and have a contract of employment that lasts until they finish the apprenticeship, including the assessment. If an apprentice loses their job, their apprenticeship funding will stop, and the apprentice will need to find a new employer who will support their apprenticeship. Training providers can provide support and guidance to apprentices whilst they look for a new employer. When they find a new employer, the employer should then identify a training provider who can deliver the rest of their apprenticeship training and support assessment. If an apprentice is made redundant and their training provider can continue to deliver their government funded apprenticeship training, we will continue to fund the apprenticeship training for at least 12 weeks following redundancy. This is to give the individual time to find alternative employment in order to continue with the apprenticeship. If the apprentice is unable to secure a new employer, they may still be able to finish their apprenticeship training and assessment if they have less than 6 months of training left to complete or have finished 75% or more of their training. We provide a range of advice for apprentices facing redundancy on the gov.uk website: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/redundancy-support-for-apprentices and https://customerhelp.education.gov.uk/hc/en-gb/articles/18228373250322-Employment-and-redundancy-in-apprenticeships Apprentices can also contact the Apprenticeship Service helpline if they need further support and use the ‘Find an Apprenticeship’ service on gov.uk to locate apprenticeship vacancies in their area.

What assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of support for apprentices who lose their employment during a course.

An apprenticeship is a job with training, apprentices therefore must be employed and have a contract of employment that lasts until they finish the apprenticeship, including the assessment. If an apprentice loses their job, their apprenticeship funding will stop, and the apprentice will need to find a new employer who will support their apprenticeship. Training providers can provide support and guidance to apprentices whilst they look for a new employer. When they find a new employer, the employer should then identify a training provider who can deliver the rest of their apprenticeship training and support assessment. If an apprentice is made redundant and their training provider can continue to deliver their government funded apprenticeship training, we will continue to fund the apprenticeship training for at least 12 weeks following redundancy. This is to give the individual time to find alternative employment in order to continue with the apprenticeship. If the apprentice is unable to secure a new employer, they may still be able to finish their apprenticeship training and assessment if they have less than 6 months of training left to complete or have finished 75% or more of their training. We provide a range of advice for apprentices facing redundancy on the gov.uk website: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/redundancy-support-for-apprentices and https://customerhelp.education.gov.uk/hc/en-gb/articles/18228373250322-Employment-and-redundancy-in-apprenticeships Apprentices can also contact the Apprenticeship Service helpline if they need further support and use the ‘Find an Apprenticeship’ service on gov.uk to locate apprenticeship vacancies in their area.

What steps his Department is taking to ensure apprentices are not removed from courses if they are unable to find a new employer within a short timeframe.

An apprenticeship is a job with training, apprentices therefore must be employed and have a contract of employment that lasts until they finish the apprenticeship, including the assessment. If an apprentice loses their job, their apprenticeship funding will stop, and the apprentice will need to find a new employer who will support their apprenticeship. Training providers can provide support and guidance to apprentices whilst they look for a new employer. When they find a new employer, the employer should then identify a training provider who can deliver the rest of their apprenticeship training and support assessment. If an apprentice is made redundant and their training provider can continue to deliver their government funded apprenticeship training, we will continue to fund the apprenticeship training for at least 12 weeks following redundancy. This is to give the individual time to find alternative employment in order to continue with the apprenticeship. If the apprentice is unable to secure a new employer, they may still be able to finish their apprenticeship training and assessment if they have less than 6 months of training left to complete or have finished 75% or more of their training. We provide a range of advice for apprentices facing redundancy on the gov.uk website: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/redundancy-support-for-apprentices and https://customerhelp.education.gov.uk/hc/en-gb/articles/18228373250322-Employment-and-redundancy-in-apprenticeships Apprentices can also contact the Apprenticeship Service helpline if they need further support and use the ‘Find an Apprenticeship’ service on gov.uk to locate apprenticeship vacancies in their area.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential risks associated with apprenticeship systems that rely on individual employers for course continuation.

An apprenticeship is a job with training, apprentices therefore must be employed and have a contract of employment that lasts until they finish the apprenticeship, including the assessment. If an apprentice loses their job, their apprenticeship funding will stop, and the apprentice will need to find a new employer who will support their apprenticeship. Training providers can provide support and guidance to apprentices whilst they look for a new employer. When they find a new employer, the employer should then identify a training provider who can deliver the rest of their apprenticeship training and support assessment. If an apprentice is made redundant and their training provider can continue to deliver their government funded apprenticeship training, we will continue to fund the apprenticeship training for at least 12 weeks following redundancy. This is to give the individual time to find alternative employment in order to continue with the apprenticeship. If the apprentice is unable to secure a new employer, they may still be able to finish their apprenticeship training and assessment if they have less than 6 months of training left to complete or have finished 75% or more of their training. We provide a range of advice for apprentices facing redundancy on the gov.uk website: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/redundancy-support-for-apprentices and https://customerhelp.education.gov.uk/hc/en-gb/articles/18228373250322-Employment-and-redundancy-in-apprenticeships Apprentices can also contact the Apprenticeship Service helpline if they need further support and use the ‘Find an Apprenticeship’ service on gov.uk to locate apprenticeship vacancies in their area.

What consideration his Department has given to reducing administration for parents of children with SEND when applying for Disability Living Allowance.

We regularly consider the impact of our processes for Disability Living Allowance on our customers, including parents of children with Special Education Needs and Disability (SEND). We have not identified a disproportionate impact of requiring applications to be submitted by post on families of children with SEND. We offer Parent/Guardians a 6 week window to complete the form and return it, to maintain the date of claim, as well as extending the window in relevant extenuating circumstances. We continue to explore opportunities to modernise the service.

Whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of requiring Disability Living Allowance applications for children to be submitted by post on families of children with SEND.

We regularly consider the impact of our processes for Disability Living Allowance on our customers, including parents of children with Special Education Needs and Disability (SEND). We have not identified a disproportionate impact of requiring applications to be submitted by post on families of children with SEND. We offer Parent/Guardians a 6 week window to complete the form and return it, to maintain the date of claim, as well as extending the window in relevant extenuating circumstances. We continue to explore opportunities to modernise the service.

What steps his Department is taking to introduce a digital application process for Disability Living Allowance for children.

We keep all our services under review including Disability Living Allowance (Child). As part of this approach to continuous improvement, we regularly consider opportunities to improve customer service.

What assessment his Department has made of the impact of the August 2025 apprenticeship funding changes on employer participation in engineering and other high-cost apprenticeship standards.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer of 9 February 2026 to Question UIN 109925.

What consideration his Department has given to the potential merits of increasing incentive grants to offset higher employer contributions under the revised apprenticeship funding rules.

As we introduce new products, such as apprenticeship units and foundation apprenticeships, we are also simplifying the Growth and Skills Levy, improving its transparency and making it more efficient. From August, we are changing the employer’s co-investment rate from 5% to 25% for levy-paying employers once they have exhausted all their levy funds. Levy-paying employers will still be able to benefit from a very generous 75% government contribution once their funds are exhausted, but it is right that employers who utilise all their levy funds contribute more to apprenticeship training and assessment. This will support greater employer investment in skills overall and ensure funding is available to roll out further flexibility for business and increase opportunities for young people. We have undertaken extensive engagement with businesses and other key stakeholders in the design of these reforms and will continue to work closely with key partners as we develop the detail of any planned changes To support employers of all sizes to take on apprentices the government pays £1,000 to both employers and providers for apprentices aged 16-18, and for apprentices aged 19-24 who have an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) or have been, or are, in local authority care. On top of this, employers will receive additional payments of up to £2,000 for eligible foundation apprenticeships. Additionally, employers are not required to pay anything towards employees’ National Insurance for all apprentices aged up to age 25 (when the employee’s wage is below £50,270 a year). The government is also supporting non-levy paying employers (essentially SMEs) meet the additional costs of taking on young people by introducing a new £2,000 incentive payment when they hire apprentices under the aged of 25 as new employees. We will carefully monitor the impact of these changes once they take effect.

What steps his Department is taking to prevent a reduction in apprenticeship starts among employers who pay into the levy but whose levy funds do not cover full training costs.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer of 9 February 2026 to Question UIN 109925.

Whether his Department has consulted levy-paying employers on the potential impact of the revised co-investment rates on future apprenticeship recruitment decisions.

As we introduce new products, such as apprenticeship units and foundation apprenticeships, we are also simplifying the Growth and Skills Levy, improving its transparency and making it more efficient. From August, we are changing the employer’s co-investment rate from 5% to 25% for levy-paying employers once they have exhausted all their levy funds. Levy-paying employers will still be able to benefit from a very generous 75% government contribution once their funds are exhausted, but it is right that employers who utilise all their levy funds contribute more to apprenticeship training and assessment. This will support greater employer investment in skills overall and ensure funding is available to roll out further flexibility for business and increase opportunities for young people. We have undertaken extensive engagement with businesses and other key stakeholders in the design of these reforms and will continue to work closely with key partners as we develop the detail of any planned changes To support employers of all sizes to take on apprentices the government pays £1,000 to both employers and providers for apprentices aged 16-18, and for apprentices aged 19-24 who have an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) or have been, or are, in local authority care. On top of this, employers will receive additional payments of up to £2,000 for eligible foundation apprenticeships. Additionally, employers are not required to pay anything towards employees’ National Insurance for all apprentices aged up to age 25 (when the employee’s wage is below £50,270 a year). The government is also supporting non-levy paying employers (essentially SMEs) meet the additional costs of taking on young people by introducing a new £2,000 incentive payment when they hire apprentices under the aged of 25 as new employees. We will carefully monitor the impact of these changes once they take effect.

What estimate his Department has made of the additional per-apprentice cost to employers delivering (a) apprenticeship in engineering and (b) other high-cost apprenticeships following the changes to apprenticeship funding in August 2025.

As we introduce new products, such as apprenticeship units and foundation apprenticeships, we are also simplifying the Growth and Skills Levy, improving its transparency and making it more efficient. Currently, levy-paying employer accounts can show large unspent balances (currently totalling around £6.5 billion) which far exceed our annual apprenticeship budget. This has led to an incorrect understanding that there are significant unspent funds available to spend. However, over the last four years, on average, 98% of the English apprenticeships budget has been spent.The 10% government top-up is one cause of this problem and removing it, alongside reducing the expiry period to 12 months, means we can simplify the system and ensure levy balances are more closely aligned to the annual levy paid by employers. Existing funding will remain within accounts, with the changes applying only to new funds entering accounts.We are also changing the government’s co-investment rate from 95% to 75% for levy-paying employers once they have exhausted all their funds. Levy-paying employers will still be able to benefit from a very generous government contribution once their funds are exhausted, but it is right that employers who utilise all their levy funds contribute more to apprenticeship training and assessment. This will support greater employer investment in skills overall and ensure funding is available to roll out further flexibility for business and increase opportunities for young people. We will carefully monitor the impact of these changes once they take effect.

What assessment his Department has made with Cabinet colleagues of the potential impact of removing the 10 per cent levy top-up on the affordability of apprenticeship training for small and medium-sized levy-paying employers.

As we introduce new products, such as apprenticeship units and foundation apprenticeships, we are also simplifying the Growth and Skills Levy, improving its transparency and making it more efficient. Currently, levy-paying employer accounts can show large unspent balances (currently totalling around £6.5 billion) which far exceed our annual apprenticeship budget. This has led to an incorrect understanding that there are significant unspent funds available to spend. However, over the last four years, on average, 98% of the English apprenticeships budget has been spent.The 10% government top-up is one cause of this problem and removing it, alongside reducing the expiry period to 12 months, means we can simplify the system and ensure levy balances are more closely aligned to the annual levy paid by employers. Existing funding will remain within accounts, with the changes applying only to new funds entering accounts.We are also changing the government’s co-investment rate from 95% to 75% for levy-paying employers once they have exhausted all their funds. Levy-paying employers will still be able to benefit from a very generous government contribution once their funds are exhausted, but it is right that employers who utilise all their levy funds contribute more to apprenticeship training and assessment. This will support greater employer investment in skills overall and ensure funding is available to roll out further flexibility for business and increase opportunities for young people. We will carefully monitor the impact of these changes once they take effect.

Whether he has made an assessment on the potential impact of increasing employer co-investment to 25 per cent on the number of apprentices taken on by levy-paying employers.

As we introduce new products, such as apprenticeship units and foundation apprenticeships, we are also simplifying the Growth and Skills Levy, improving its transparency and making it more efficient. Currently, levy-paying employer accounts can show large unspent balances (currently totalling around £6.5 billion) which far exceed our annual apprenticeship budget. This has led to an incorrect understanding that there are significant unspent funds available to spend. However, over the last four years, on average, 98% of the English apprenticeships budget has been spent.The 10% government top-up is one cause of this problem and removing it, alongside reducing the expiry period to 12 months, means we can simplify the system and ensure levy balances are more closely aligned to the annual levy paid by employers. Existing funding will remain within accounts, with the changes applying only to new funds entering accounts.We are also changing the government’s co-investment rate from 95% to 75% for levy-paying employers once they have exhausted all their funds. Levy-paying employers will still be able to benefit from a very generous government contribution once their funds are exhausted, but it is right that employers who utilise all their levy funds contribute more to apprenticeship training and assessment. This will support greater employer investment in skills overall and ensure funding is available to roll out further flexibility for business and increase opportunities for young people. We will carefully monitor the impact of these changes once they take effect.

What assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Child Maintenance Service in ensuring timely case handling and communication with parents.

The Child Maintenance Service (CMS) is committed to providing a modern, efficient, and accessible service for all customers. Through the Service Modernisation Programme, CMS is expanding digital channels and self-service options, including online tools like Get Help Arranging Child Maintenance and My Child Maintenance Case (MCMC), available 24/7. It has improved communications via SMS, email, and clearer letters, and introduced online messaging for certain processes, with plans to extend this further. By promoting self-service, CMS frees resources for customers who prefer phone support. Recent call routing improvements ensure faster access to case-owning teams. All changes undergo equality assessments to guarantee fair access to the service for all customers regardless of location. The Government is reviewing the child maintenance calculation to ensure it reflects current and future trends. Any proposed reforms will undergo public consultation and parliamentary scrutiny. CMS remains committed to delivering a reliable, fair, and responsive service for every parent.

What steps he is taking to reduce delays and improve contact accessibility for Child Maintenance Service users in West Dorset constituency.

The Child Maintenance Service (CMS) is committed to providing a modern, efficient, and accessible service for all customers. Through the Service Modernisation Programme, CMS is expanding digital channels and self-service options, including online tools like Get Help Arranging Child Maintenance and My Child Maintenance Case (MCMC), available 24/7. It has improved communications via SMS, email, and clearer letters, and introduced online messaging for certain processes, with plans to extend this further. By promoting self-service, CMS frees resources for customers who prefer phone support. Recent call routing improvements ensure faster access to case-owning teams. All changes undergo equality assessments to guarantee fair access to the service for all customers regardless of location. The Government is reviewing the child maintenance calculation to ensure it reflects current and future trends. Any proposed reforms will undergo public consultation and parliamentary scrutiny. CMS remains committed to delivering a reliable, fair, and responsive service for every parent.