Every parliamentary written question tabled by Gregory Campbell this session, with the full answer and department. See how every department answers, or back to the MP page.
Showing 21–40 of 49 · Department for Work and Pensions
How many employees of the National Employment Savings Trust will be paid more than £160,000 in the current financial year.
Nest is a Public Corporation which operates independently of Government. However, they have provided the following narrative: At the start of the 2025/26 financial year, there were 25 employees on roll with a full-time equivalent salary above £160,000 per annum at the National Employment Savings Trust Corporation.
What estimate his Department has made of the cost of Universal Credit payments in June 2029.
The Department does not publish a specific forecast of expenditure in June 2029, but expenditure for the 2029/30 financial year on Universal Credit is forecast to be £88,919 million. Benefits’ expenditure and caseloads, in outturn and forecast, are published here: Benefit expenditure and caseload tables 2025 - GOV.UK
What the cost of Universal Credit payments were in each year between 2022 and 2024.
Expenditure on Universal Credit was:£40.6billion in the 21/22 financial year£41.9billion in the 22/23 financial year£52.1billion in the 23/24 financial year Figures are taken from DWP's Spring Statement 2025 Benefit Expenditure and Caseload publication table 1a
With reference to the Answer of 1 July 2025 to Question 62940 on Occupational Money Purchase Schemes, what steps she is taking to encourage awareness of collective defined contribution schemes by (a) employers and (b) employees.
My officials and I have been engaging extensively with a range of stakeholders to produce the legislative framework needed to accommodate whole-life CDC schemes with multiple unconnected employers, including with numerous employers. Regulations to implement this will be brought forward in the autumn. We have ensured that the Money and Pensions Service’s MoneyHelper guidance, which is available to any member of the public, provides information on CDC schemes. The Government has also published ‘Workplace pensions: a roadmap’ which sets out plans to support the growth of CDC provision.
Pursuant to the Answer of 26 June 2025 to Question 62538 on State Retirement Pensions: Northern Ireland, what the total cost to the public purse was of all payments of the State Pension in Northern Ireland in 2024.
The Department for Work and Pensions does not hold complete information on State Pension payments in Northern Ireland, as some of these are administered by the Department for Communities in Northern Ireland. The annual cost of State Pension payments administered by DWP to people resident in Northern Ireland is estimated to be around £4.34 million in 2024. This is based on latest figures for the quarter ending November 2024. Source: DWP Stat-Xplore. This figure reflects State Pension payments made by DWP to people living in Northern Ireland and does not include any State Pension payments administered under the devolution settlement by the Department for Communities in Northern Ireland.
What estimate her Department has made of the number of collective defined contribution schemes in operation as of 31 December 2024.
As of the 31 December there was one collective defined contribution scheme in operation in the UK, the Royal Mail Collective Pension Plan.
If she will make an estimate of the annual cost of State Pension payments to people resident in Northern Ireland in 2024.
The annual cost of State Pension payments administered by DWP to people resident in Northern Ireland is estimated to be around £4.34 million in 2024. This is based on latest figures for the quarter ending November 2024. Source: DWP Stat-Xplore. This figure reflects State Pension payments made by DWP to people living in Northern Ireland and does not include any State Pension payments administered under the devolution settlement by the Department for Communities in Northern Ireland.
What assessment she has made of the effectiveness in reducing levels of (a) fraud and (b) error in benefit awards.
The Department’s Annual Report and Accounts (ARA) sets out DWP’s approach to reducing fraud and error in the benefit system. The 2023/24 ARA can be found here:ANNUAL REPORT & ACCOUNTS 2023-24 (publishing.service.gov.uk) and states that in 2023/24 DWP has estimated to have saved around £18 billion through preventative activity through frontline controls and detection by counter fraud teams. The 2024/25 ARA will be published shortly providing an up-to-date assessment including our progress in reducing the overall overpayment rate from 3.6% in 2023/24 to 3.3% in 2024/25, with the Universal Credit overpayment rate falling by 21% from 12.4% to 9.7% over the same period. The Department has committed to significant fraud, error and debt measures at Autumn Budget 2024 and Spring Statement 2025, which OBR has estimated will deliver an additional £9.6bn savings over the next five years.
Whether the Pension Schemes Bill will be introduced before the summer recess 2025.
The Pension Schemes Bill was introduced on Thursday 5 June 2025.
What discussions she has had with employers organisations on the viability of multi-employer Collective Defined Contribution pension schemes.
The Department worked closely with a wide range of organisations, including those representing the interests of employers, in developing the policy and legislation to accommodate unconnected multiple employer collective defined contribution schemes.
What the total amount paid per week is to people who have started claiming Pension Credit since the changes to the eligibility criteria for the Winter Fuel Payment were announced.
The latest available data shows that, for all Pension Credit recipients, at August 2024, the average weekly amount of Pension Credit paid was £83.01. (Source: Stat-Xplore). The next iteration of the DWP Benefit Statistics publication has a provisional release date of 13 May 2025 which will include data up to November 2024 and will be published on Stat-Xplore. DWP benefits statistics: May 2025 - Accredited official statistics announcement - GOV.UK.
Pursuant to the Answer of 23 January 2025 to Question 23268 on State Retirement Pensions, what information her Department holds on the number of people who are (a) eligible for the Category D pension payment and (b) live in the UK who have not yet applied for the pension.
DWP is responsible for the State Pension administered in Great Britain while the Department for Communities is responsible for the State Pension administered in Northern Ireland. As of the quarter ending August 2024, there were a total of 89,360 people in receipt of the Category D pension payment. This represents 87,938 people in Great Britain and 1,418 overseas. Source: DWP Stat-Xplore Please note that numbers do not sum due to rounding. No estimate is available for those living in the UK who have not yet applied for the Category D pension. Those who are ordinarily resident in Great Britain on their 80th birthday and who meet the required residency conditions will receive the increase automatically without having to make a claim if their basic State Pension is less than £101.55 a week (£105.70 from April 2025). Those who are getting no State Pension at age 80 or who get Graduated Retirement Benefit only, will need to make a claim.
Pursuant to the Answer of 13 January 2025 to Question 22254 on Pension Credit, how many new applications for Pension Credit were (a) made and (b) approved between 10 September 2024 and 10 February 2025.
On 27th February we published Pension Credit applications and award statistics. This publication provides application volumes up to 23 February 2025. This information can be found at Pension Credit Applications - February 2025
What assessment he has made of the impact of occupational and state pension payments on eligibility for Carer's Allowance.
I refer the honourable member to the answer I gave on 14 October 2024 to question UIN 6904, this outlines the interaction between Carer’s Allowance and State Pension. Personal pensions paid to the carer are not treated as earnings and therefore do not affect their Carer’s Allowance award. Some contributions to personal pensions can be deducted from earnings so as to calculate the net earnings figure for Carer’s Allowance purposes. Social security is a transferred matter in Northern Ireland.
What recent discussions her Department has had with representatives of people affected by proposed changes to (a) Personal Independence Payments, (b) Work Capability Assessments and (b) the Disability Living Allowance.
We believe there is a strong case to change the system of health and disability benefits across Great Britain so that it better enables people to enter and remain in work, to respond to the complex and fluctuating nature of the health conditions many people live with today. This government is committed to putting the views and voices of disabled people at the heart of all that we do, and with any reform, including the Health and Disability Green Paper we intend to publish in the Spring, we will consult with disabled people and representative organisations. Ahead of the formal consultation for the Green Paper, we have already started to explore ways of engaging with disabled people and their representatives, including through stakeholder roundtables and public visits, and look forward to progressing these initiatives over the coming months. About the PIP service specifically: the Health Transformation Programme is modernising health and disability benefit services, to improve people’s experience of applying for PIP. The Programme will transform the entire PIP service, from finding out about benefits through to decisions, eligibility, and paymentsThe Programme communicates and engages frequently with disabled people and external stakeholders – including national charities and other organisations that support people with disabilities – about proposed changes. Their opinions and suggestions are taken on board as we test new iterations of the transformed service.
Pursuant to the Answer of 17 January 2025 to Question 23268 on State Retirement Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to advise people that they may be eligible for the additional pension payments.
Those who are ordinarily resident in Great Britain on their 80th birthday and who meet the required residency conditions will receive the increase automatically without having to make a claim if their basic State Pension is less than £101.55 a week (£105.70 from April 2025). Those who are getting no State Pension at age 80 or who get Graduated Retirement Benefit only, will need to make a claim. The Category D over 80 pension is not part of the new State Pension, but it continues to be available for people who reached State Pension age before 6 April 2016. Information about the over 80 pension is available on Gov.uk.
How many people aged 80 and over are eligible for the additional £260 per year pension.
At the quarter ending May 2024, there were 87,299 people in total claiming a Category D pension, those in the UK and overseas. This is a non-contributory State Pension that is paid to those aged over 80 who have no State Pension or who receive an amount that is less than the Category D rate of £101.55 a week (£105.70 after April 2025). There are also residency conditions that must be met in order to be eligible. Source: DWP Stat-Xplore.
How many people (a) made applications for Pension Credit and (b) were successful between 29 July 2024 and 21 December 2024.
Statistics on Pension Credit application volumes were published on 28 November 2024. This includes numbers of applications that were received, awarded and not awarded, from 1 April 2024 up to 17 November 2024. Pension Credit applications and awards: November 2024 - GOV.UK. Please note, the next publication of Pension Credit application statistics is due around the end of February 2025 and will cover the data up to week commencing 10 February 2025.
How many new applications for Pension Credit were (a) made and (b) approved between 10 September 2024 and 21 December 2024.
Statistics on Pension Credit application volumes were published on 28 November 2024. This includes numbers of applications that were received, awarded and not awarded, up to 17 November 2024. Pension Credit applications and awards: November 2024 - GOV.UK. Please note, the next publication of Pension Credit application statistics is due around the end of February 2025 and will cover the data up to week commencing 10 February 2025.
Pursuant to the Answer of 5 December 2024 to Question 17079 on Pension Credit: Social Security Benefits, what the average weekly cash total equivalent is of the additional qualifying benefits to which P
No estimate has been made as the department is unable to quantify the value of all passported benefits.