Written questions by McMurdock.

If she will make an assessment of the potential implications for her policies of the proportion of families who received state support in the 2022-23 financial year.

DWP publish information on households in receipt of Universal Credit and other benefits. Ministers consider all the relevant statistics when making policy decisions. The latest available data can be found on Stat-Xplore (https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/). Figures on both the 2022 and 2023 financial year are available here. Guidance on how to use Stat-Xplore can be found here: Getting Started (dwp.gov.uk). An account is not required to use Stat- Xplore, the ‘Guest Login’ feature gives instant access to the main functions.

What assessment she has made of the reasons behind the increase in food bank usage, as reported in the Family Resources Survey 2022-23.

This Government is committed to addressing poverty and reducing mass dependence on emergency food parcels, which is why we published official estimates of foodbank use. We know that good work can significantly reduce the chances of people falling into poverty, so this will be the foundation of our approach. Backed by £240 million investment, the Get Britain Working White Paper launched on 26 November, will target and tackle economic inactivity and unemployment and join up employment, health and skills support to meet the needs of local communities.

What steps she is taking to support pensioners with (a) the cost of household bills and (b) food insecurity.

The State Pension is the foundation of income in retirement and will remain so, protecting 12 million pensioners through the triple lock, with a 4.1% increase to the basic State Pension and the new State Pension from April 2025. We are also increasing the standard minimum guarantee in Pension Credit by 4.1%. We know there are low-income pensioners who aren’t claiming Pension Credit, which provides extra money to help with living costs for people over State Pension age and on a low income. We want to ensure as many people as possible have access to this support and urge pensioners to check their eligibility. Pension Credit will passport them to receive other benefits – including Winter Fuel Payments, help with rent, council tax, fuel bills and a free TV licence for those over 75. That’s why Government is taking significant steps to raise awareness and maximise take-up. Low-income pensioners and others struggling with the cost of living should contact their local council to see what further support may be available to them. They may be able to receive support from energy support programmes or through the Household Support Fund, a scheme providing discretionary support to those most in need towards the cost of essentials, such as food, energy and water. The Government has extended the Household Support Fund in England by a further year, (until 31 March 2026) – with funding of £742 million provided to enable this extension in England, plus additional funding for the devolved Governments to be spent at their discretion, as usual.

What steps she is taking to help ensure that workers contribute sufficiently into their pensions to achieve an adequate standard of living in retirement.

Ensuring current and future pensioners have an adequate retirement income is a key priority for this Government and a focus of our landmark pensions review.Automatic enrolment has already succeeded in transforming retirement saving with over 11 million employees having been automatically enrolled into a workplace pension since 2012. Over 22m employees in Great Britain are benefiting from participating in a workplace pension, with over £131bn saved for eligible individuals in 2023.The first phase of our pensions review – focused on investment and growth – published its interim report in November 2024. Two consultations on unlocking the UK pensions market for growth and reforming the Local Government Pension Scheme closed in January and we expect to provide our response in Spring 2025.The second phase of our review will follow in due course – focussing on pension outcomes and retirement adequacy.Alongside this, the Pension Schemes Bill, announced in the King’s Speech includes measures which could boost pension pots by over £11, 000 for average earners saving over their lifetime in a defined contribution scheme.

What assessment she has made of the effectiveness of PenSim3 for supporting public (a) awareness and (b) understanding of pensions.

Pensim3 is a computerised long-term model designed to look around 80 years ahead to compare pensioner outcomes under various possible policy scenarios for a modelled British population. It is used for policy development/evaluation, aiding long-term expenditure forecasting and in analysis of future pensioner incomes. It does not simulate the actions of specific individuals, so its output is not suitable for a person planning their own pension provision. Pensim3 is the main government source for estimating future pensioner incomes (latest publication is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/analysis-of-future-pension-incomes/analysis-of-future-pension-incomes). These statistics estimate the number and proportion of working age individuals, aged 22 to State Pension age, who are under saving for their retirement.

What plans she has to help raise awareness of the risks of under-saving in pensions for retirement.

Ensuring current and future pensioners have an adequate retirement income is a key priority for this Government and a focus of our landmark pensions review.Automatic enrolment has already succeeded in transforming retirement saving with over 11 million employees having been automatically enrolled into a workplace pension since 2012. Over 22m employees in Great Britain are benefiting from participating in a workplace pension, with over £131bn saved for eligible individuals in 2023.The first phase of our pensions review – focused on investment and growth – published its interim report in November 2024. Two consultations on unlocking the UK pensions market for growth and reforming the Local Government Pension Scheme closed in January and we expect to provide our response in Spring 2025.The second phase of our review will follow in due course – focussing on pension outcomes and retirement adequacy.Alongside this, the Pension Schemes Bill, announced in the King’s Speech includes measures which could boost pension pots by over £11, 000 for average earners saving over their lifetime in a defined contribution scheme.

What steps she is taking to help reduce the long-term use of food banks.

We are committed to tackling poverty and reducing mass dependence on emergency food parcels. We know that good work can significantly reduce the chances of people falling into poverty so this will be the foundation of our approach. The Get Britain Working White Paper has set out how the Government will seek to grow the economy through using work as a route out of poverty and to improve living standards in turn. Our joint ministerial taskforce, jointly chaired by Work and Pensions and Education Secretaries, has begun work on an ambitious Child Poverty Strategy, to reduce child poverty, tackle the root causes, and give every child the best start in life.The vital work of the Taskforce comes alongside our commitments to roll out free breakfast clubs at all primary schools, create 3,000 additional nurseries, as well as deliver our plan to make work pay to turn the minimum wage into a real living wage. Alongside this, we are committed to reviewing Universal Credit to make sure it is doing the job we want it to do. To further support struggling families, £1 billion, including Barnett impact, will be invested to extend the Household Support Fund in England by a full year until 31 March 2026, on top of the six months already announced, and to maintain Discretionary Housing Payments in England and Wales.

How many and what proportion of repeat food bank users receive disability benefits.

The Family Resources Survey that measures whether a household has used a food bank in the past 30 days or 12 months can be accessed here Family Resources Survey - GOV.UK Individual level statistics on food banks can be found in the annual Households Below Average Income statistics publication: Households below average income (HBAI) statistics – GOV.UK

What steps she is taking to support people with disabilities at risk of food insecurity.

People with a health condition or disability may be eligible for a range of support such as Employment and Support Allowance, Universal Credit, premiums and additional amounts paid within the income-related benefits. In addition, the extra costs disability benefits are a contribution to meeting the extra costs that arise from a disability or long-term health condition and can be paid regardless of any income or savings. They are also tax-free and worth up to £184.30 a week, or over £9,580 a year.

If she will make an assessment of the potential impact of food bank dependency on people who (a) are disabled and (b) live in social housing.

The Family Resources Survey that measures whether a household has used a food bank in the past 30 days or 12 months can be accessed here Family Resources Survey - GOV.UK Individual level statistics on food banks can be found in the annual Households Below Average Income statistics publication: Households below average income (HBAI) statistics – GOV.UK

What steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to tackle the root causes of dependency on food banks.

We are committed to tackling poverty and reducing mass dependence on emergency food parcels. We know that good work can significantly reduce the chances of people falling into poverty so this will be the foundation of our approach. The Get Britain Working White Paper has set out how the Government will seek to grow the economy through using work as a route out of poverty and to improve living standards in turn. Our joint ministerial taskforce, jointly chaired by Work and Pensions and Education Secretaries, has begun work on an ambitious Child Poverty Strategy, to reduce child poverty, tackle the root causes, and give every child the best start in life.The vital work of the Taskforce comes alongside our commitments to roll out free breakfast clubs at all primary schools, create 3,000 additional nurseries, as well as deliver our plan to make work pay to turn the minimum wage into a real living wage. Alongside this, we are committed to reviewing Universal Credit to make sure it is doing the job we want it to do. To further support struggling families, £1 billion, including Barnett impact, will be invested to extend the Household Support Fund in England by a full year until 31 March 2026, on top of the six months already announced, and to maintain Discretionary Housing Payments in England and Wales.

What assessment she has made of the level of the frequent use of food banks.

The Family Resources Survey that measures whether a household has used a food bank in the past 30 days or 12 months can be accessed here Family Resources Survey - GOV.UK Individual level statistics on food banks can be found in the annual Households Below Average Income statistics publication: Households below average income (HBAI) statistics – GOV.UK

What assessment she has made of trends in the level of people receiving an adequate pension since 2019.

There are many ways of measuring of adequacy, such as Target Replacement Rates (TRR) or using minimum income standards such as the PLSA Retirement Living Standards. DWP's latest estimates of undersaving for retirement showed around 4-in-10 working-age individuals were undersaving for retirement according to TRR levels and 1-in-10 working-age individuals were undersaving for retirement as measured by PLSA Minimum Retirement Living Standards. This is published here: Analysis of future pension incomes - GOV.UK. Current pensioners have seen gross incomes increase over the last 10 years in real terms (a 4% increase from 2012/13 to 2022/23). This is available in Pensioners' Incomes: financial years ending 1995 to 2023 - GOV.UK. These statistics are published annually.

What assessment she has made of the adequacy of her Department's steps to enforce pension provision by private companies.

Enabling people to achieve security in retirement is a key priority for this Government.Automatic Enrolment has seen 88% of eligible employees saving into a workplace pension, with participation remaining high throughout the Cost of Living challenges of recent years.The Pensions Regulator is responsible for maximising compliance with the Automatic Enrolment duties, with over 2.5 million employers doing so to date.

What support her Department is providing for victims of pension fraud schemes.

Where fraud does occur, the Fraud Compensation Fund (FCF) compensates occupational pension schemes where there has been a loss in the value of the scheme assets due to fraud or dishonesty. Following payment of compensation to schemes, independently appointed trustees can then provide compensation to individual victims. In addition, the Pensions Regulator (TPR) has robust powers to target mishandling of pension schemes and protect pension savers from losing out to fraud. MoneyHelper has guidance on its website to help identify, avoid, and report pension scams.

If she will take steps to increase the level of financial support for low-income families with more than two children.

Tackling child poverty is at the heart of this Government’s mission to break down barriers to opportunity, and the Child Poverty Taskforce has started urgent work to publish the Child Poverty Strategy in Spring 2025. We published our framework ‘Tackling Child Poverty: Developing Our Strategy’ on 23 October and will explore all available levers to drive forward short and long-term actions across government to reduce child poverty.The vital work of the Taskforce comes alongside our commitments to triple investment to over £30 million to roll out free breakfast clubs at all primary schools, reducing the cap on UC deductions to 15%, further extending the Household Support Fund until 31 March 2026, and increasing the National Living Wage by 6.7% to £12.21 an hour boosting the pay of over 3m workers. Alongside this, we are committed to reviewing Universal Credit to make sure it is doing the job we want it to do.We know that good work can significantly reduce the chances of people falling into poverty. Backed by £240m investment, the Get Britain Working White Paper launched on 26 November will target and tackle economic inactivity and unemployment and join up employment, health and skills support to meet the needs of local communities.

What steps she is taking to help tackle child poverty.

Tackling child poverty is at the heart of this Government’s mission to break down barriers to opportunity, and the Child Poverty Taskforce has started urgent work to publish the Child Poverty Strategy in Spring 2025. We published our framework ‘Tackling Child Poverty: Developing Our Strategy’ on 23 October and will explore all available levers to drive forward short and long-term actions across government to reduce child poverty.The vital work of the Taskforce comes alongside our commitments to triple investment to over £30 million to roll out free breakfast clubs at all primary schools, reducing the cap on UC deductions to 15%, further extending the Household Support Fund until 31 March 2026, and increasing the National Living Wage by 6.7% to £12.21 an hour boosting the pay of over 3m workers. Alongside this, we are committed to reviewing Universal Credit to make sure it is doing the job we want it to do.We know that good work can significantly reduce the chances of people falling into poverty. Backed by £240m investment, the Get Britain Working White Paper launched on 26 November will target and tackle economic inactivity and unemployment and join up employment, health and skills support to meet the needs of local communities.

What steps her Department plans to take to ensure the safe storage of data collected from benefit claimants’ bank accounts.

The Eligibility Verification Measure (EVM) in the proposed Fraud, Error and Debt Bill will require banks and financial institutions to look within their own data to highlight where someone may not be eligible for the benefits they are receiving. Banks will share minimal information which will be used by DWP to support further inquiry into potential incorrect payments if there is a possible conflict with the benefit eligibility rules, such as the £16,000 capital limit in Universal Credit or individuals living abroad without notifying the Department. EVM will not give DWP access to any bank accounts, nor any information on how claimants spend their money. The State Pension will be excluded from the scope of this measure given its near universality and minimal eligibility requirements. DWP will ensure that any data is processed and held in compliance with UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018. Compliance with data protection legislation is also overseen by the Information Commissioner’s Office. The Department routinely handles large volumes of data and has robust security processes in place to manage this. DWP will draw on that experience in designing the processes needed for the EVM and delivery will be built in collaboration with the banking industry to ensure it is as secure as possible. The Department will conduct a Data Protection Impact Assessment at the appropriate time. Further details will be set out when the Bill is introduced to Parliament.

What types of data would be collected from benefit claimants’ bank accounts under the proposed policy.

The Eligibility Verification Measure (EVM) in the proposed Fraud, Error and Debt Bill will require banks and financial institutions to look within their own data to highlight where someone may not be eligible for the benefits they are receiving. Banks will share minimal information which will be used by DWP to support further inquiry into potential incorrect payments if there is a possible conflict with the benefit eligibility rules, such as the £16,000 capital limit in Universal Credit or individuals living abroad without notifying the Department. EVM will not give DWP access to any bank accounts, nor any information on how claimants spend their money. The State Pension will be excluded from the scope of this measure given its near universality and minimal eligibility requirements. DWP will ensure that any data is processed and held in compliance with UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018. Compliance with data protection legislation is also overseen by the Information Commissioner’s Office. The Department routinely handles large volumes of data and has robust security processes in place to manage this. DWP will draw on that experience in designing the processes needed for the EVM and delivery will be built in collaboration with the banking industry to ensure it is as secure as possible. The Department will conduct a Data Protection Impact Assessment at the appropriate time. Further details will be set out when the Bill is introduced to Parliament.

Whether her Department plans to conduct a public consultation on the proposed powers for her Department's investigators to scrutinise benefit claimants’ bank accounts.

Fraud and error in the social security system currently costs the taxpayer almost £10 billion a year and, since the pandemic, a total of £35 billion of taxpayers’ money has been incorrectly paid to those not entitled to the money. This Government will reduce these levels to stop those looking to defraud the system and reduce the risk of individuals building up large overpayments. The Eligibility Verification Measure, which will allow banks and financial institutions to share limited information with the DWP to help verify benefit eligibility, has been proposed after extensive consideration and policy development as the most effective way to prevent incorrect payments and crucially, help prevent debts accruing for claimants. As the National Audit Office pointed out, access to data is key to prevention and detection of incorrect payments. The Eligibility Verification Measure will not give DWP powers to access anyone’s bank accounts, nor any information on how claimants spend their money. Claimants fulfilling their responsibilities by promptly and accurately reporting any changes in their circumstances will not be impacted by these changes. We will ensure that these powers are proportionate by setting out key safeguards, reporting mechanisms and independent oversight, to give greater confidence to claimants that the powers are being used fairly and effectively. We will rely on Codes of Practice where they already exist and, where they do not, we will consult on and produce new Codes of Practice to provide further reassurance on the safe use of the powers. Further details will be set out when the Bill is introduced to Parliament.