Written questions by Maguire.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of expanding the eligibility for the Youth Guarantee to include all 16–24-year-olds.

As set out in the Get Britain Working White Paper, we are developing a Youth Guarantee to ensure young people can access high-quality training, apprenticeships, or personalised support to find work. As a first step, we are working with eight Youth Guarantee Trailblazers across England which are testing innovative, locally led approaches to improve support for young people not in education, employment or training (NEET) or at risk of becoming NEET. This includes strengthening local coordination, through local leadership, and outreach to better connect young people with opportunities. The Youth Guarantee Trailblazers have been extended for a further year, to continue supporting young people in 2026/27. The insights gained from the Trailblazers will inform the future design and delivery of the Youth Guarantee. The government is committed to supporting young people to earn and learn. That is why we have announced that we will offer a guaranteed job to young people on Universal Credit, who are unemployed for over 18 months. In parallel, we continue to deliver targeted support through the Youth Offer, which provides tailored assistance to young people aged 16-24 who are claiming Universal Credit. This includes a range of interventions designed to help young people move closer to employment, such as dedicated support from Youth Employability Coaches, access to Youth Hubs, and intensive guidance from Jobcentre Work Coaches during the first 13 weeks of a Universal Credit claim. For those with more complex needs, specialist Youth Employability Coaches provide intensive, tailored support. These coaches work closely with Disability Employment Advisors, to ensure that interventions meet the specific needs of each young person.

Whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of a right to request workplace modifications for employees not covered under the duty to make reasonable adjustments established in the Equality Act 2010.

This Department has made no such assessment. Reasonable adjustments are changes an employer makes to remove or reduce a disadvantage related to someone's disability. All employers have a duty under the Equality Act 2010 to make ‘reasonable adjustments’ in the workplace where a disabled employee, would otherwise be put at a substantial disadvantage compared with their colleagues. The Equality and Human Rights Commission is responsible for enforcing the Equality Act and providing guidance on reasonable adjustments. Employers have a key role to play in supporting workers with long term health conditions or disabilities in the workplace. DWP's current offer to employers includes a digital information service, www.support-with-employee-health-and-disability.dwp.gov.uk/ which provides tailored guidance to businesses to support employees to remain in work. This includes guidance on health disclosures and having conversations about health, plus guidance on legal obligations, including statutory sick pay and making reasonable adjustments.

What steps his Department is taking to improve support for people with epilepsy from Jobcentre Plus Disability Employment Advisers.

The department recognises that epilepsy is a serious neurological condition, which can greatly affect an individual’s ability to work and live well. Disability Employment Advisers are trained work coaches , followed by additional role specific learning designed to support their role. This learning enables Disability Employment Advisers to treat each claimant as an individual, understand the impact of different disabilities and health conditions, and provide tailored support to help overcome barriers to employment. Disabled people and people with health conditions are a diverse group so access to the right work and support, in the right place, at the right time, is key. We therefore have a range of specialist support to help individuals to stay in work and get back into work, including those that join up employment and health systems. Disability Employment Advisers work with the local community to advocate for customers, collaborate with local partners such as employers, voluntary organisations, the NHS and local government services to facilitate support that meets local needs and promote other programmes such as Disability Confident and Work Well. For those with health conditions and disabled people that would benefit from more intensive support, Jobcentre staff can signpost people to Connect to Work, our local-area led support in England and Wales. This started to go live in April 2025 and we expect it to be live in all areas of England and Wales by early 2026. In Connect to Work, participants are given a dedicated specialist employment support adviser who works alongside them to understand their career goals and help them to address any specific barriers to employment. Participants are supported to have conversations with prospective employers, helping to remove the need to go through complex application processes. The employment adviser works with both the employer and the participant to ensure that the transition into work is smooth and that the workplace is inclusive. We are building towards a guaranteed offer of personalised work, health and skills support for all disabled people and those with health conditions on out of work benefits. We are already making progress, and there are now over 1000 Pathways to Work Advisors in Jobcentres across England, Scotland and Wales who are helping disabled people and people with health conditions towards and into work. And through the new Jobs and Careers Service, the department will enhance support so that customers can access the help they need at the right time.

What assessment he has made of the potential merits of doubling the funding for Bereavement Support Payments.

Bereavement Support Payment helps ease the immediate financial pressures following a bereavement by way of an initial lump sum and up to 18 monthly instalments. Longer-term support is available through income replacement benefits such as Universal Credit. The Government keeps all benefits under regular review.

Whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of proposed reforms to PIP on demand for (a) local authority services, (b) food banks, and (c) mental health support.

Any changes to PIP eligibility will come after a comprehensive review of the benefit, led by myself and co-produced with disabled people, the organisations that represent them, clinicians, experts, MPs and other stakeholders, so a wide range of views and voices are heard. This review aims to ensure that the PIP assessment is fair and fit for the future.

What assessment her Department has made of the value for money of video call health assessments provided by Ingeus.

The department is committed to delivering health assessments that are accessible, efficient, and represent value for money. Video assessments, including those delivered by Ingeus, form part of a modernised service designed to improve flexibility and claimant experience. The department continues to monitor supplier performance and assess delivery models to ensure they meet contractual standards, providing a quality service to claimants and the best value for money for the taxpayer. To safeguard claimants, robust procedures are in place to mitigate the impact of any technical problems during video assessments. These may include prompt rescheduling of appointments or the consideration of an alternative assessment method if appropriate, ensuring that no claimant is disadvantaged due to circumstances beyond their control. The department remains focused on ensuring timely access to benefits for all eligible individuals. From the commencement of the Ingeus contract on 9 September 2024 to 21 July 2025, a total of 1,839 Work Capability Assessments for Employment and Support Allowance were completed via video. During the same period, 11 video assessment appointments were cancelled/rescheduled due to technical problems. These issues could include problems with broadband connectivity, DWP system issues such as the Medical Services Referral System (MSRS) or the Document Repository System (DRS) etc. Information on delays specifically caused by technical problems is not held.

How many Work Capability Assessments for Employment and Support Allowance conducted via video call by Ingeus have been (a) delayed and (b) rescheduled due to technical issues in the last 12 months.

The department is committed to delivering health assessments that are accessible, efficient, and represent value for money. Video assessments, including those delivered by Ingeus, form part of a modernised service designed to improve flexibility and claimant experience. The department continues to monitor supplier performance and assess delivery models to ensure they meet contractual standards, providing a quality service to claimants and the best value for money for the taxpayer. To safeguard claimants, robust procedures are in place to mitigate the impact of any technical problems during video assessments. These may include prompt rescheduling of appointments or the consideration of an alternative assessment method if appropriate, ensuring that no claimant is disadvantaged due to circumstances beyond their control. The department remains focused on ensuring timely access to benefits for all eligible individuals. From the commencement of the Ingeus contract on 9 September 2024 to 21 July 2025, a total of 1,839 Work Capability Assessments for Employment and Support Allowance were completed via video. During the same period, 11 video assessment appointments were cancelled/rescheduled due to technical problems. These issues could include problems with broadband connectivity, DWP system issues such as the Medical Services Referral System (MSRS) or the Document Repository System (DRS) etc. Information on delays specifically caused by technical problems is not held.

What steps her Department is taking to ensure that Employment and Support Allowance claimants do not (a) lose entitlement or (b) face delays in the processing of their claim due to technical failures during outsourced Work Capability Assessments made by video call.

The department is committed to delivering health assessments that are accessible, efficient, and represent value for money. Video assessments, including those delivered by Ingeus, form part of a modernised service designed to improve flexibility and claimant experience. The department continues to monitor supplier performance and assess delivery models to ensure they meet contractual standards, providing a quality service to claimants and the best value for money for the taxpayer. To safeguard claimants, robust procedures are in place to mitigate the impact of any technical problems during video assessments. These may include prompt rescheduling of appointments or the consideration of an alternative assessment method if appropriate, ensuring that no claimant is disadvantaged due to circumstances beyond their control. The department remains focused on ensuring timely access to benefits for all eligible individuals. From the commencement of the Ingeus contract on 9 September 2024 to 21 July 2025, a total of 1,839 Work Capability Assessments for Employment and Support Allowance were completed via video. During the same period, 11 video assessment appointments were cancelled/rescheduled due to technical problems. These issues could include problems with broadband connectivity, DWP system issues such as the Medical Services Referral System (MSRS) or the Document Repository System (DRS) etc. Information on delays specifically caused by technical problems is not held.

What estimate her Department has made of the annual cost of uprating State Pensions for armed forces veterans living overseas by inflation in each of the next three financial years; how many armed forces veterans who receive the State Pension live overseas; what the average weekly amount received is; what the average weekly amount received would have been if it had been uprated by inflation in each of the last five years; and if he will make an estimate of what the cost to the public purse would have been of uprating these pensions by inflation in the 2024-25 financial year.

As of the quarter ending November 2024, latest available data show there were around 1.1 million recipients of the GB State Pension living overseas. Source: DWP Stat-Xplore The Department does not hold data identifying armed forces veterans in receipt of the State Pension, whether in GB or overseas.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the Universal Credit Bill on claimants with (a) fluctuating conditions and (b) mental health conditions.

No such assessment has been carried out. The Bill will not alter the existing Work Capability Assessment.

Whether she plans to extend the full disregard of military compensation payments applied in Universal Credit to the assessment of Pension Credit.

The receipt of War Pensions and Armed Forces Compensation Scheme (AFCS) awards is already fully ignored when calculating eligibility for Universal Credit (UC). The first £10 per week of a War Pension or AFCS award is disregarded in: income-related Employment and Support allowance; income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance; and Income Support – which are being replaced by UC – as well as in Pension Credit. Armed Forces Independence Payments are also fully disregarded in these benefits and can allow the recipient to qualify for an additional disability amount. By default, the first £10 of a War Pension or AFCS award is also disregarded in Housing Benefit. Furthermore, a discretionary scheme allows local authorities to fully disregard them if they so wish. Additionally, War Pensions and AFCS awards are a qualifying income for the Savings Credit element of Pension Credit, which is available to those who reached State Pension age before April 2016. The treatment of military compensation payments contrasts with other schemes with a disablement element. For example, the Firefighters Compensation Scheme and the Police Pension Scheme have no income disregards applied at all, as any disablement elements form part of their occupational pension and so these are taken fully into account. The treatment of military compensation payments also contrasts with Industrial Injuries Disablement benefit where there is no weekly disregard. The £10 weekly disregard for War Pension or AFCS awards in legacy income-related benefits was introduced in recognition of the sacrifices made by service personnel in active service for the country. There are no plans to change the ways in which War Pensions and Armed Forces Compensation Scheme (AFCS) awards interact with means tested benefits.

For what reason the disregard of (a) War Pensions and (b) Armed Forces Compensation Scheme payments is limited to £10 per week when calculating Pension Credit awards.

The receipt of War Pensions and Armed Forces Compensation Scheme (AFCS) awards is already fully ignored when calculating eligibility for Universal Credit (UC). The first £10 per week of a War Pension or AFCS award is disregarded in: income-related Employment and Support allowance; income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance; and Income Support – which are being replaced by UC – as well as in Pension Credit. Armed Forces Independence Payments are also fully disregarded in these benefits and can allow the recipient to qualify for an additional disability amount. By default, the first £10 of a War Pension or AFCS award is also disregarded in Housing Benefit. Furthermore, a discretionary scheme allows local authorities to fully disregard them if they so wish. Additionally, War Pensions and AFCS awards are a qualifying income for the Savings Credit element of Pension Credit, which is available to those who reached State Pension age before April 2016. The treatment of military compensation payments contrasts with other schemes with a disablement element. For example, the Firefighters Compensation Scheme and the Police Pension Scheme have no income disregards applied at all, as any disablement elements form part of their occupational pension and so these are taken fully into account. The treatment of military compensation payments also contrasts with Industrial Injuries Disablement benefit where there is no weekly disregard. The £10 weekly disregard for War Pension or AFCS awards in legacy income-related benefits was introduced in recognition of the sacrifices made by service personnel in active service for the country. There are no plans to change the ways in which War Pensions and Armed Forces Compensation Scheme (AFCS) awards interact with means tested benefits.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of different approaches to the treatment of military compensation payments across welfare benefits means tests on claimants.

The receipt of War Pensions and Armed Forces Compensation Scheme (AFCS) awards is already fully ignored when calculating eligibility for Universal Credit (UC). The first £10 per week of a War Pension or AFCS award is disregarded in: income-related Employment and Support allowance; income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance; and Income Support – which are being replaced by UC – as well as in Pension Credit. Armed Forces Independence Payments are also fully disregarded in these benefits and can allow the recipient to qualify for an additional disability amount. By default, the first £10 of a War Pension or AFCS award is also disregarded in Housing Benefit. Furthermore, a discretionary scheme allows local authorities to fully disregard them if they so wish. Additionally, War Pensions and AFCS awards are a qualifying income for the Savings Credit element of Pension Credit, which is available to those who reached State Pension age before April 2016. The treatment of military compensation payments contrasts with other schemes with a disablement element. For example, the Firefighters Compensation Scheme and the Police Pension Scheme have no income disregards applied at all, as any disablement elements form part of their occupational pension and so these are taken fully into account. The treatment of military compensation payments also contrasts with Industrial Injuries Disablement benefit where there is no weekly disregard. The £10 weekly disregard for War Pension or AFCS awards in legacy income-related benefits was introduced in recognition of the sacrifices made by service personnel in active service for the country. There are no plans to change the ways in which War Pensions and Armed Forces Compensation Scheme (AFCS) awards interact with means tested benefits.

Whether she has made an assessment of trends in levels of foodbank usage in Surrey since 2020.

The Department does not hold information on levels of foodbank usage in Surrey. The latest statistics on food bank usage including data at a national and regional level can be accessed here Children in low income families: local area statistics - GOV.UK and are available on Stat-Xplore Stat-Xplore - Home. 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. We also continue to provide substantial funding to Local Authorities to support those most in need and extended the Household Support Fund by a further year until March 2026, providing funding of £742 million in England. Through the Spending Review, we have announced £842m per annum to reform crisis support. This includes the first ever multi-year settlement to transform the Household Support Fund into a new Crisis and Resilience Fund, incorporating Discretionary Housing Payments and funding to ensure the poorest children do not go hungry outside of term time.

Whether her Department plans to expand discretionary housing payments to (a) Surrey and (b) other areas with high rental inflation.

The Government announced through the Spending Review that Discretionary Housing Payments will be included in the new Crisis and Resilience Fund from April 2026. This will provide £842 million per year (£1 billion including Barnett consequential) to reform how crisis support is delivered locally. By combining Discretionary Housing Payments to create a single, streamlined fund, the Crisis and Resilience Fund will make it easier for local authorities to deliver joined-up support, whilst helping people to access the help they need when they need it. We will work closely with Local Authorities on the detailed design of the fund and will issue further information on our planned approach.

What assessment she has made of the adequacy of Local Housing Allowance rates in meeting private rental costs in Epsom and Ewell constituency.

Local Housing Allowance (LHA) rates are reviewed annually, usually at an Autumn fiscal event. Rates are set based on the area of the country a person lives and their bedroom entitlement. The decision to maintain LHA rates at current levels for 2025/26 was taken after a range of factors were considered, including rental data, the impacts of LHA rates, rate increases in April 2024 and the wider fiscal context. The April 2024 one-year LHA increase cost an additional £1.2bn in 2024/25, and approximately £7bn over 5 years. Any future decisions on LHA policy will be taken in the context of the Government’s missions, goals on housing and the challenging fiscal context. Discretionary Housing Payments (DHPs) are available from local authorities to those who face a shortfall in meeting their housing costs.

What recent assessment she has made of the potential impact of the Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working Green Paper, published on 18 March 2025, on (a) benefits advisory services and (b) charities.

Information on the impacts of the Pathways to Work Green Paper has been published here Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working Green Paper. A further programme of analysis to support development of the proposals in the Green Paper will be developed and undertaken in the coming months. There will be no immediate changes. Changes to Personal Independence Payment (PIP) eligibility and the rebalancing of Universal Credit (UC) are not coming into effect immediately. Our intention is these changes will start to come into effect from April 2026 for UC and November 2026 for PIP, subject to parliamentary approval. We are consulting on how best to support those who are affected by the new eligibility changes, including how to make sure health and eligible care needs are met. We have also announced a wider review of the PIP assessment which I will lead, and we will bring together a range of experts, stakeholders and people with lived experience to consider how best to do this and to start the process as part of preparing for a review. We will provide further details as plans progress.

What assessment she has made of the potential merits of increasing flexibility within Universal Credit to enable greater labour market engagement.

This Government committed in its manifesto to review Universal Credit, to reduce poverty and make work pay. We believe that work continues to be the best way out of poverty, and growing the economy and driving up living standards across the country is this Government’s number one mission in our Plan for Change. This requires as many people as possible to realise the benefits of good work, and Universal Credit has a critical role to play in achieving this goal. The review will consider changes to Universal Credit which could increase labour market engagement. We have already taken positive steps through the Get Britain Working White Paper which set out the biggest reforms to employment support for a generation and we are giving people on health benefits the opportunity to try work by legislating to guarantee that work in and of itself will never lead to a reassessment.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of proposed welfare reforms on the capacity of the Household Support Fund.

Information on the impacts of the Pathways to Work Green Paper has been published here Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working Green Paper. A further programme of analysis to support development of the proposals in the Green Paper will be developed and undertaken in the coming months. The Government has extended the Household Support Fund by a further year, from 1 April 2025 until 31 March 2026. This will ensure vulnerable households in the most need can continue to access support towards the cost of essentials, such as energy, water and food. No decision has been made at this stage on funding beyond the end of March 2026. As with all other government programmes, any such funding will be considered in the round at Phase 2 of the Spending Review.

What steps she is taking to (a) improve work coach support and (b) provide tailored employment support for jobseekers.

As set out in the Get Britain Working White Paper, we are reforming Jobcentre Plus and creating a new service across Great Britain that will enable everyone to access support to find good, meaningful work, and support to help them to progress in work. In England, these reforms will include bringing together Jobcentre Plus with the National Careers Service to create a greater awareness and focus on skills and careers as well as better join-up between employability and careers provision.Our new service will move away from the current one size fits all approach, recognising people are individuals with different support needs and will provide better tailored support. Providing high-quality personalised support that helps people get into work, support training, and get on at work is a central tenet to the new service.We will provide an update on our plans to Get Britain Working and the steps we are taking in due course.