Written questions by Kirkham.

Whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of allowing the Child Maintenance Service to issue a deduction from earnings order rather than a deduction of earnings request to HM Paymaster General when the paying parent is a member of the armed forces.

Deduction from Earnings Orders (DEO) are applied as a method of payment where the Child Maintenance Service deducts maintenance directly from the Paying Parent’s wages. The DEO is primarily used to enforce payments but can be set up voluntarily. Deduction from Earnings Requests are similar to a Deduction from Earnings Order but used for Paying Parents who are serving members of the Armed Forces. The Child Maintenance Service can only request a deduction to the Ministry of Defence (MOD) and, unlike with civilian employers, they cannot order or enforce payments. MOD policy aims to comply with requests; however, if the Paying Parent is committed to operational duties MOD may suspend the collection of debt. The Child Maintenance Service takes action to ensure the correct method of payment is applied by identifying whether a Paying Parent is in the Armed Forces through its use of Real Team Information (RTI) Data taken from HMRC. This provides up to date information about Pay As You Earn income as the information submitted by employers online is displayed in RTI immediately. To ensure that the correct method of payment is used for a Paying Parent who is serving in the Armed Forces, caseworkers are provided with step-by-step procedural instructions and training.

How many households who are no longer subject to the two-child benefit cap will still be subject to the overall benefit cap.

The requested information is published as part of the Universal Credit (removal of the two child limit) Bill. It is available in Table 7 of the Regulatory impact assessment template (2023 reforms) Universal Credit (Removal of Two Child Limit) Bill publications - Parliamentary Bills - UK Parliament

For what reason Access to Work decisions are not subject to appeal.

Although discretionary grant payments do not come with a right of appeal, Access to Work customers who disagree with their award can have their award decision reconsidered by a different case manager to ensure fairness and consistency within the scheme.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of reducing public funding for Level 7 apprenticeships for learners over the age of 21 on access to advanced training in marine engineering, naval architecture and marine surveying.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer of 13 June 2025 to Question 57098.

What the sum of money was resulting from a) deductions and b) sanctions applied to Universal Credit claims in Truro and Falmouth constituency in the most recent 12 months for which data is available.

a) The Deductions policy in Universal Credit (UC) is to support customers by providing a repayment method for arrears of essential services, such as, housing, electricity, and gas and enable customers with a child maintenance liability meet their obligation to make child maintenance payments. The deductions policy also enables obligations, such as, paying Court Fines and Council Tax arrears to be enforced when other repayment methods have failed, or are not cost effective, and ensures that benefit debt is recovered in a cost-effective manner.From April 2025 the Government introduced the Fair Repayment Rate which reduced the level of deduction taken from Universal Credit from 25% to 15%, and meant that 1.2m households retained on average £420 per year enabling these UC households to have more of their award to meet their day-to-day needs.Universal Credit deductions statistics are published quarterly with the latest figures available in table 6, row 491 in Universal Credit deductions statistics, September 2024 to August 2025, supplementary data tables, at Universal Credit statistics, 29 April 2013 to 9 October 2025 - GOV.UKb) The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

What recent assessment he has made of the potential merits of introducing a yellow card warning system in place of immediate benefit sanctions for certain groups of claimants.

There are no such plans. Details on the Department’s assessment and position on a number of benefit sanctions related matters, including the potential use of warnings, can be found in our recent response to the Work and Pensions Select Committee on Recommendation 4 of its report Get Britain Working: Reforming Jobcentres (HC 653) (https://committees.parliament.uk/publications/50172/documents/270724/default/). As indicated, we have set out our plans to reform Jobcentre Plus in the Get Britain Working White Paper and this new service will shift the focus of the customer-work coach relationship to constructive, personalised, and career-focused discussions. In our Pathfinder in Wakefield, we have already begun to explore alternative approaches to how claimants demonstrate they're meeting their conditionality requirements with the aim of giving them more choice and empowerment on their journey into work.

What support her Department provides to deaf people who cannot read or write English and only use British Sign Language when moving from legacy benefits to Universal Credit.

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is committed to ensuring that all customers are able to access the support they need. It is DWP policy to provide interpretation services when required. This includes the provision of British Sign Language (BSL) interpreters for customers who are deaf or hard of hearing. Support is available at every stage of the Universal Credit journey. This includes assistance prior to making a claim, to help customers understand the requirement to move to Universal Credit, as well as throughout the claim process itself. Where appropriate, this support can include home visits, with a BSL interpreter present if required, to ensure that no customer is disadvantaged in accessing the benefits to which they are entitled.

Whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of registering eligible households for (a) free school meal and (b) NHS Healthy Start entitlements through the Universal Credit system.

No such assessment has been made. The Universal Credit system permits Department for Education to check eligibility for Free School Meals and Department of Health and Social Care to check a citizen’s entitlement to Healthy Start vouchers.

Whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of using the Child Maintenance Service on the (a) mental health and wellbeing of its users and (b) relationships between separated parents when inaccurate awards are made and not amended.

The Child Maintenance Service (CMS) is committed to ensuring it delivers a safe service which is sensitive to the needs of all customers that use it. We recognise that some customers may face difficult circumstances particularly at a time of separation and the need to handle customer cases sensitively and accurately, particularly around calculations. We introduced a Customer Experience Strategy and an Implementation Plan which aims to fully equip caseworkers with the tools, skills and support required to deliver service excellence. We are well prepared to respond quickly and effectively if we become aware that the mental health and wellbeing of any customer is at risk. Caseworkers have received extensive training and follow a well-managed process with clear steps, support tools and procedures to support vulnerable parents experiencing financial or emotional crisis. This includes the National District Provision Toolkit and Affordability Hub which provides invaluable information to allow caseworkers to signpost to national and local support organisations for debt help and mental health assistance across the UK. To ensure calculations are accurate the department continues to build on its already proportionate and cost-effective controls, such as:use of verified income from HMRC and benefit systems as outlined in legislation and a principal part of service design.use of child benefit systems to verify qualifying child(ren).procedures and policy to request additional verification.a dedicated Financial Investigation Unit which addresses allegations of misrepresentation and fraud.a robust mandatory reconsideration and appeals process. Where a single accidental error relating to the maintenance calculation is made, a challenge can be raised by a parent or their representative within time, and corrections can be applied by a caseworker without the need for a mandatory reconsideration (MR). We have introduced a robust 3 Tier Quality Framework to rigorously monitor accuracy as part of our service ambition to further reduce error and increase our accuracy levels. The National Audit Office set a target of monetary value errors under 1%. CMS accuracy consistently meets this, remaining above 99% accuracy. The government has also committed to reviewing the calculation to make sure it is fit for purpose and reflects today’s trends. Any changes will be subject to extensive consultation and legislation brought forward where necessary for approval.

What the average waiting time is for Child Maintenance Service Mandatory Reconsideration decisions.

The Child Maintenance Service (CMS) aim to complete each Mandatory Reconsideration within 28 days (20 working days). The average clearance time for a Mandatory Reconsiderations is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost. Table 9: Mandatory Reconsiderations, Great Britain, April 2015 to September 2024 is available in the latest CMS published statistics, and it shows that between July and September 2024, 79% of CMS Mandatory Reconsiderations were cleared within 28 days of receipt.

Whether the HSE plans to expedite its assessment of the European Chemicals Agency Risk Assessment Committee proposal to reclassify lithium salts as Category A reproductive toxicants.

The three lithium substances (lithium carbonate, lithium hydroxide and lithium chloride) referred to above, do not currently have mandatory classification and labelling in Great Britain (GB). HSE specialists are considering the need to fully evaluate the available data using the Article 37A process under the GB Classification, Labelling and Packaging Regulation (GB CLP) following publication of the Agency Opinion by HSE in August 2023 to determine whether mandatory classification and labelling is warranted.

Whether her Department has plans to increase the fees available for people working as First-tier Tribunal members while claiming the Employment and Support Allowance.

Customers working as a member of the First-tier Tribunal can receive ESA if they work no more than one full day, or two half days, in a working week. They have a weekly £20 disregard applied to their earnings and the remaining amount is deducted penny for penny from the customer’s ESA entitlement. There are no current plans to increase the earnings disregard amount beyond £20.

What support her Department provides for people who have had their PIP suspended and are awaiting an appeal hearing.

There are nine possible award outcomes on a claim to Personal Independence Payment (PIP), ranging from a nil award through to an award of the enhanced rate of both the daily living and mobility component. The decision on a claim to, or an existing award of, PIP persists in law until such time as a new decision is made. As such, a claimant appealing against their decision will continue to receive the level of award, if any, that the decision entitles them to until such time as a new decision is made by the tribunal. Payment of that existing award will only be suspended in cases where there is evidence to suggest the award in place is incorrect, such as in cases of suspected fraud. Claimants to PIP, whether they are appealing against a decision or not, can be entitled to a range of additional support depending on their circumstances, including benefits such as Employment and Support Allowance or Universal Credit.

What steps she is taking to ensure (a) the accuracy of Child Maintenance Service calculations and (b) that the process of correcting mistakes in those calculations is (i) faster and (ii) easier.

In the year to June 2024 there were 138,000 new applications to the CMS, an increase of 10% from the year to June 2023. To ensure calculations are accurate the department continues to build on its already proportionate and cost-effective controls, such as: use of verified income from HMRC and benefit systems as outlined in legislation and a principal part of service design.use of child benefit systems to verify qualifying child(ren).procedures and policy to request additional verification.a dedicated Financial Investigation Unit who addresses allegations of misrepresentation and fraud.a robust mandatory reconsideration (MR) and appeals process.a robust 3 Tier Quality Framework. CMS are wholly committed to delivering the best possible service to all customers within our growing caseload. Where a single accidental error relating to the maintenance calculation is made, a challenge can be raised by a parent or their representative within time, and corrections can be applied without the need for a review of the decision (MR). The Department for Work and Pensions and CMS rigorously monitors accuracy as part of our service ambition to further reduce error and increase our accuracy levels. The National Audit Office set a target of monetary value errors under 1%. This standard is consistently met.

What steps she is taking to ensure that staff administering Disability Living Allowance claims provide claimants with a complete understanding of the benefits they are entitled to receive.

All Disability Living Allowance (DLA) staff receive extensive training in the DLA customer journey and have an awareness of other benefits. When claiming Disability Living Allowance, a detailed notification and an additional leaflet are also issued to the customer which explain wider benefit entitlement options and we also encourage customers to visit the Gov.uk website which provides details of additional benefits they may be entitled to.

What steps she is taking to ensure the accuracy of PIP assessment decisions.

PIP assessment accuracy and quality is a priority for both suppliers and the department. The department works extensively with suppliers to make improvements to guidance, training, and audit procedures to ensure a quality service. A high standard is always maintained through an independent audit function that continually monitors performance and provides feedback to its suppliers. DWP have a comprehensive and on-going quality assurance process in the decision-making journey and work closely with colleagues in Dispute Resolution Service (DRS), who are responsible for reconsiderations and appeals, to understand and learn from decisions that are changed. This also helps to maintain standards and consistency. The Health Transformation Programme (HTP) is modernising Health and Disability benefit services to create a more efficient service and an improved claimant experience, building trust in our services and decisions. The HTP Evaluation Strategy, published here on GOV.UK, provides an overview of our plans to evaluate the Programme.