Written questions by Platt.

Whether his Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of making injury-related pension enhancement and compensation elements protected within divorce settlements.

People may be able to access a workplace or private pension earlier than the scheme’s normal minimum pension age due to ill health, subject to the rules of the individual scheme. These rules vary, and it is for schemes to determine the conditions under which benefits can be paid before the normal pension age and/or on enhanced terms. Where an ill health pension is paid from an arrangement that meets the legal definition of an occupational pension scheme, it is generally a shareable asset in the event of a divorce. This applies even where the pension has been brought into payment early for ill health reasons. There is a specific exception in legislation for benefits that arise solely due to disablement, or death resulting from an accident suffered by a person that occurs during their pensionable service. These rights are not shareable on divorce. The division of assets in divorce proceedings is a matter for family courts, which make decisions based on the law of the country in which the divorce takes place. In England and Wales, this falls under the Matrimonial Causes Act 1973, for which responsibility rests with the Ministry of Justice.

If his Department will consider recognising Long Covid as an occupational disease.

The Department is advised by the Industrial Injuries Advisory Council (IIAC), an independent scientific body, on the changes to the list of occupational diseases for which Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit can be paid.IIAC has published Command Papers on COVID-19 and its occupational impacts. The Department is considering the recommendations in these documents which can be accessed here: COVID-19 and Occupational Impacts - GOV.UK and Occupational Impact of COVID-19 in the Transport and Education Sectors - GOV.UK

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of the Child Maintenance Service’s approach to domestic abuse on the Government’s mission to halve violence against women and girls.

DWP is engaged in cross-government work to support the Home Office led Safer Streets Mission, which includes the ambition to halve Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) within the next decade. DWP has a key role to play in halving VAWG. We are committed to ensuring that victims and survivors of domestic abuse get the help and support they need to use the CMS safely and have outlined in the consultation work the department is undertaking to support victims and survivors of domestic abuse to use the service safely. The CMS have updated and refreshed DA learning, taking views and feedback from a roundtable held with external stakeholders in November 2023. All caseworkers have received upskilling to help identify abuse and can provide signposting to support. A Domestic Abuse Plan is in place to support caseworkers having these conversations. All colleagues (apart from those who joined and received Domestic Abuse Learning since April 2024) are undertaking refresher training. This is due to complete in summer 2025. It is acknowledged that the current system can create opportunities for maintenance payments to be used as a tool of coercive behaviour and domestic abuse. The changes to replace Direct Pay will represent a significant improvement to victims and survivors of domestic abuse using the CMS, by reducing contact with the other parent and reducing the paying parent’s ability to financially control the receiving parent by paying too little or too late, as is currently the case on Direct Pay.

With reference to the Government’s response to the consultation entitled Child Maintenance: Improving the Collection and Transfer of Payments, published on 23 June 2025, what steps she is taking to prevent non-compliant paying parents from exploiting exemptions to the 20% non-compliance fee.

By replacing Direct Pay, we will tackle non-compliance, reduce opportunities for domestic abuse and lift children out of poverty. As part of this, we will require all those parents who are non-compliant to pay a 20% collection fee. We do not envisage there being any exceptions to the fee for parents who refuse to pay what they owe.

With reference to the Government’s response to the consultation entitled Child Maintenance: Improving the Collection and Transfer of Payments, published on 23 June 2025, what steps she plans to take to ensure compliance from paying parents in receipt of benefits who are exempt from the 20 per cent non-compliance fee.

The CMS believes that all parents have an obligation to support their children regardless of their financial situation. The CMS is able to deduct £8.40 a week towards ongoing maintenance or arrears from certain prescribed benefits. When a paying parent is in receipt of benefits, CMS will send a request to set up a Deduction from Benefit (DfB) to collect ongoing maintenance. This means that where benefit levels allow, maintenance will be paid. The overall cap for Universal Credit (UC) deductions was reduced from the current 25% of the standard allowance to 15% from April 2025. Alongside this, child maintenance deductions moved higher up the priority order.

When she plans to introduce legislation to implement the Government’s response to the consultation entitled Child Maintenance: Improving the Collection and Transfer of Payments, published on 23 June 2025.

Primary legislation is required to make the change to remove Direct Pay and reform the collection fee structure, meaning these changes will be subject to detailed parliamentary scrutiny. Our intention is to implement these changes as soon as parliamentary time allows.

With reference to the Government’s response to the consultation entitled Child Maintenance: Improving the Collection and Transfer of Payments, published on 23 June 2025, what the eligibility criteria will be for the most complex domestic abuse cases under the specialist domestic abuse named caseworker service; and how she will assess the impact of those eligibility criteria on victim-survivors requiring access to that service.

The Government is committed to ensuring that victims and survivors of domestic abuse get the help and support they need to use the Child Maintenance Service (CMS) safely. The CMS has a Specialist Case team delivering targeted support to parents subject to the most challenging or complex domestic abuse. All caseworkers are trained to identify and refer appropriate cases within the Collect and Pay service to the team. Customers who are potential victims and survivors of domestic abuse can be identified, and referred to the Specialist Case team in the following ways: If a customer is already under the care of the Department for Work and Pensions Advanced Customer Support due to a domestic abuse issue, or if either the CMS or the customer has involved the police because of a domestic abuse concern, a referral should be made.If a caseworker has spoken with a customer who mentions or seeks assistance related to any actual or threatened physical violence, coercive control, or financial control, andIf the caseworker has concerns for the customer's safety that have not been resolved by the conversation or signposting, andIf the caseworker believes there is a significant threat or risk to the customer, then they should refer the case to the Specialist Case Team.All cases in enforcement, where the most intensive contact between the CMS and customers is needed, have a single person managing the enforcement action on their case, with other action on the case completed by the ‘named caseworker’. These steps ensure the safety and well-being of customers, addressing any indications of domestic abuse effectively. Eligibility criteria will be reviewed as intake increases and following awareness sessions due to take place over the next few months. Cases remain with the Specialist Case team until closure. In cases where the victim-survivor advises that there is no longer ongoing domestic abuse, the case can be referred for removal with the guiding principle is that if there is any doubt about a customer’s safety, the case must remain in the Specialist Case team.

With reference to the Government’s response to the consultation entitled Child Maintenance: Improving the Collection and Transfer of Payments, published on 23 June 2025, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of working with economic abuse organisations to (a) develop and (b) deliver specialist training for Child Maintenance Service staff responsible for (i) identifying and (ii) supporting parents experiencing economic abuse.

This government is committed to ensuring that victims and survivors of abuse get the help and support they need to use the Child Maintenance Service (CMS) safely. In our response to the consultation, we explained how the CMS has updated and refreshed domestic abuse training over the past 18 months to include economic abuse. We developed our training with customer representation groups, drawing on their expertise and experience, and will maintain an open dialogue as we plan our transition to the new service.Our response also outlined our plans to remove Direct Pay. This will benefit victims and survivors of domestic abuse in a number of ways, such as by preventing unwanted contact between parents and removing an opportunity for perpetrators of economic control and coercion to use those behaviours in the context of the service. It also removes the need for the receiving parent to report non-compliance as is currently the case on Direct Pay, which some parents may not feel comfortable doing because of the risk of provoking retaliation.The CMS has access to a list of resources which helps caseworkers provide signposting to supporting organisations, and a Domestic Abuse plan which includes clear steps to follow in order to support customers who are experiencing abuse. The list of resources and Domestic Abuse Plan is regularly reviewed.The CMS has a specialist team in place who deliver targeted support to parents subject to the most challenging and complex abuse.The CMS reviews its domestic abuse training regularly with input from external stakeholders to ensure caseworkers are equipped to support parents in vulnerable situations.

With reference to the Government’s response to the consultation entitled Child Maintenance: Improving the Collection and Transfer of Payments, published on 23 June 2025, what steps she is taking to improve enforcement of non-payment via Collect and Pay.

The Child Maintenance Service (CMS) is committed to ensuring separated parents support their children financially, taking robust enforcement action against those who do not. The CMS has a range of strong enforcement powers that can be used against those who consistently refuse to meet their obligations to provide financial support to their children including deducting directly from earnings, bank accounts and forcing the sale of a property. The Child Support (Enforcement) Act 2023 proposed regulations to support the introduction of administrative liability orders (ALOs), removing the requirement to obtain a court issued liability order. Introducing this process should enable the CMS to take faster action against those paying parents who actively avoid their responsibilities and get money to children more quickly. We are working with His Majesty’s Courts and Tribunals Service and the Scottish Government to establish a process for implementing ALOs and plan to introduce regulations to Parliament by the end of this year.

With reference to the Government’s response to the consultation entitled Child Maintenance: Improving the Collection and Transfer of Payments, published on 23 June 2025, what steps she plans to take to ensure that forms of income not disclosed by paying parents are captured outside the proposed HMRC data-sharing pathways for automatic child maintenance calculations.

Information about the paying parent's gross income is taken directly from HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) for the latest tax year available. This allows calculations to be made quickly and accurately. Any income subject to income tax including bonuses and overtime received by an employed paying parent, is included within their gross weekly income when calculating a child maintenance liability.The Government has been conducting a review of the child maintenance calculation to make sure it is fit for purpose and reflects today’s social trends. The review will also consider the treatment of unearned income and assets within the automatic calculation. A consultation on the calculation will be published before the end of this year. Unearned income and assets can still be captured through the current variation process up until changes are introduced. Cases involving complex income can be investigated by the Financial Investigation Unit. This is a specialist team which can request information from financial institutions (such as banks, investment companies and mortgage companies) to check the accuracy of information that the CMS is given. If any discrepancies are found, then they can implement a correct maintenance liability that is supported by CMS legislation.

What steps her Department is taking to ensure that veterans with severe, long-term PTSD qualify for automatic exemptions from repeat disability assessments.

Currently, Work Capability Assessment reassessment referrals are prioritised for customers on Employment and Support Allowance and the health element of Universal Credit who report a change in their health condition. The frequency of when reassessments occur is determined by available capacity in our system. Our wide-ranging package of reforms to health and disability benefits, set out in the Pathways to Work Green Paper, will improve experiences of the system for those who need it. This includes the resumption of reassessments initiated by the Department. These will initially prioritise people who are most likely to have had a change in their circumstances including those who have short-term prognoses, for which we can reasonably anticipate a change in health condition has occurred. Over time, we will then prioritise available reassessment capacity for other cohorts who are likely to change award. The functional impact and severity of a condition can significantly vary across individuals, which is why we will continue to ensure that those with the most severe, life-long health conditions, who will never be able to work, will not need to be reassessed. I have attended today an online event with veterans, as one of the series of consultation events on the proposals in the Pathways to Work Green Paper.

What steps she plans to take to ensure that the reintroduction of face-to-face benefit assessments does not negatively impact veterans with PTSD or mobility impairments.

We already undertake a number of face-to-face benefit assessments. However, as announced in Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working Green Paper, we intend to do more while preserving alternative health assessment channels to meet the specific needs of people who require a different channel, for example as a reasonable adjustment. In all cases, the Healthcare Professional (HCP) aims to complete the assessment using the customer’s health questionnaire and any supporting medical evidence provided. Should this not be possible the customer is invited to a consultation. Before sending an invitation to a consultation, the HCP considers whether a specific assessment channel is needed due to the customer’s health or circumstances. Otherwise, customers are offered the next available appointment, which can be changed if they inform us that a reasonable adjustment is appropriate in their circumstances.We are committed to ensuring equal access to our services, in line with the Equality Act 2010. Customers are encouraged to inform us of any reasonable adjustments at any stage. If notified, the assessment provider will consider an alternative assessment method.On 25 June, I attended an online event with veterans, as one of the series of consultation events on the proposals in the Pathways to Work Green Paper.

Whether the War Pension and Armed Forces Compensation Scheme will be categorised as income for means-tested benefits.

The receipt of War Pensions and Armed Forces Compensation Scheme (AFCS) awards is already fully ignored when calculating eligibility for Universal Credit.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. Armed Forces Independence Payments are fully disregarded in these benefits and can also allow the recipient to qualify for an additional disability amount.By default, the first £10 per week of a War Pension or Armed Forces Compensation Scheme is disregarded in Housing Benefit. Furthermore, a discretionary scheme allows local authorities to disregard them fully. Furthermore, these are legacy benefits, in the process of being replaced by Universal Credit, in which War Pensions and AFCS are ignored.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 veterans receiving Armed Forces Independence Payment will still qualify for the health element of Universal Credit under the new system.

The Green Paper, “Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working” announced that we would be scrapping the Work Capability Assessment and moving to a single assessment for financial support related to health and disability benefits. This single assessment will be the PIP assessment and those who are eligible for an award of Daily Living in PIP would also be able to access additional financial support in Universal Credit. We recognise that claiming certain other benefits can impact whether or not a claimant applies for or can get PIP, including Armed Forces Independence Payment. We are currently considering how the future system will operate and will provide further information in the upcoming White Paper

Whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing veteran aware training for jobcentre plus staff.

Armed Forces Champions (AFCs) are available within each Jobcentre district, providing specialist support to veterans. They will have completed the full work coach learning and had the opportunity to embed their learning prior to becoming an Armed Forces Champion, and they are provided with point of need learning which covers the knowledge and skills to provide tailored support for armed forces leavers, including signposting to specialist organisations and charities. As part of the Armed Forces Covenant the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has initiatives which help current and former Armed Forces personnel and their families. This includes the role of the Armed Forces Champion in every Jobcentre. Armed Forces Champions develop and maintain joint working relationships, provide specialist support to all Jobcentre staff and act as the first point of contact in communities for organisations and services. All Jobcentre Plus staff new to DWP receive mandatory learning to support customers which includes learning for armed forces leavers. The learning provides an overview of armed forces leavers and assists colleagues in understanding what help is available to them, their spouse/partner when resettling into civilian life. DWP Work Coaches receive comprehensive learning to support vulnerable customers. Their learning journey includes a module on armed forces leavers.

Whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of including directors’ dividends in the initial calculation of child maintenance payments.

Information about the paying parent's gross income is taken directly from HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) for the latest tax year available. This allows calculations to be made quickly and accurately. Any income subject to income tax, including bonuses and overtime received by an employed paying parent, is included within their gross weekly income when calculating a child maintenance liability. Where a paying parent is the Director of their limited liability company, they are legally an employee of that company and are treated the same as any other employee for child maintenance purposes. If the receiving parent believes that the paying parent has additional income from dividends, they can apply for a variation to take this into account. Variations can be requested on grounds of unearned income, where the paying parent receives extra unearned income of at least £2,500 a year. This includes rental income from property or land, dividends, and interest from savings and investments. Cases involving complex income can be investigated by the Financial Investigation Unit (FIU). This is a specialist team which can request information from financial institutions (such as banks, investment companies and mortgage companies) to check the accuracy of information the Child Maintenance Service (CMS) is given. The Child Maintenance Service has committed to reviewing the child maintenance calculation to make sure it fits current and future social trends. This review looks at fairness, family relations, sustainability, compliance, simplifying rates, work progression, including unearned income and assets, and how it interacts with other policies, such as Universal Credit.

What steps her Department is taking to provide specialist employment support for unpaid carers to get into work.

Our Get Britain Working plan aims to reduce economic inactivity levels and take the first steps to delivering our long-term ambition to achieve an 80% employment rate. We want to ensure that everyone has the opportunities they need to achieve and thrive, to succeed and flourish. This includes unpaid carers, whereby many of whom are excluded from the labour market due to their caring responsibilities. Customers providing care for fewer than 35 hours a week receive personalised support through their Work Coach, and their work expectation is tailored to fit caring responsibilities. Support includes identifying skills gaps and referral to skills training, careers advice, job search support, volunteering opportunities and access to the Flexible Support Fund to aid job entry. Unemployed customers who require more intensive employment support can also be referred to the Restart programme. The weekly Carer’s Allowance earnings limit is now pegged to 16 hours work at National Living Wage (NLW) levels and in future it will increase when the NLW increases. The earnings limit increased to be £196 a week (net earnings) on 7 April 2025, compared to £151 in 2024/25. This is the largest ever increase in the earnings limit since Carer’s Allowance was introduced in 1976 and the highest percentage increase since 2001. This means carers who are receiving the NLW (and have not done overtime or received a bonus) will be able to work for 16 hours a week and still receive Carer's Allowance. DWP also provides information to help carers and potential unpaid carers make informed decisions about combining work and care through their JobHelp Care Choices Site.

What steps she is taking to support employees who leave employment to provide unpaid care to return to work.

Our Get Britain Working plan aims to reduce economic inactivity levels and take the first steps to delivering our long-term ambition to achieve an 80% employment rate. We want to ensure that everyone has the opportunities they need to achieve and thrive, to succeed and flourish. This includes unpaid carers, whereby many of whom are excluded from the labour market due to their caring responsibilities. Customers providing care for fewer than 35 hours a week receive personalised support through their Work Coach, and their work expectation is tailored to fit caring responsibilities. Support includes identifying skills gaps and referral to skills training, careers advice, job search support, volunteering opportunities and access to the Flexible Support Fund to aid job entry. Unemployed customers who require more intensive employment support can also be referred to the Restart programme. The weekly Carer’s Allowance earnings limit is now pegged to 16 hours work at National Living Wage (NLW) levels and in future it will increase when the NLW increases. The earnings limit increased to be £196 a week (net earnings) on 7 April 2025, compared to £151 in 2024/25. This is the largest ever increase in the earnings limit since Carer’s Allowance was introduced in 1976 and the highest percentage increase since 2001. This means carers who are receiving the NLW (and have not done overtime or received a bonus) will be able to work for 16 hours a week and still receive Carer's Allowance. DWP also provides information to help carers and potential unpaid carers make informed decisions about combining work and care through their JobHelp Care Choices Site.

Pursuant to the Answer of 17 February 2025 to Question 30791 on Employment: Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Long Covid, whether the proposed reforms will (a) ensure appropriate assessment of the work capability of individuals with fluctuating conditions and (b) provide adequate support for people with ME who are unable to work due to their illness.

The Government believes 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 and to respond to the complex and fluctuating nature of the health conditions many people live with today. The system must also work to support disabled people and those with health to live independently. We are therefore working to develop proposals for health and disability reform and will set them out in a Green Paper ahead of the Spring Statement. This will launch a consultation on the proposals, with a conclusion to be set out in a white paper later this year. This Government is committed to putting the views and voices of disabled people at the heart of all that we do, so we will consult on these proposals, where appropriate, 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. We look forward to progressing these initiatives over the coming months.

What steps she is taking to support people with (a) Long Covid and (b) ME back into the workplace.

Backed by £240m investment, the Get Britain Working White Paper launched on 26 November will drive forward approaches to tackling economic inactivity and work toward the long-term ambition of an 80% employment rate. We are committed to reforming the system of health and disability benefits so that it promotes and enables employment among as many people as possible. The system must also support disabled people to live independently. It is also vital to ensure that the system is financially sustainable in the long term. We are working to develop proposals for reform in the months ahead and will set them out in a Green Paper ahead of the Spring Statement later this year. Appropriate work is generally good for health and wellbeing, so we want everyone to get work and get on in work, whoever they are and wherever they live.Disabled people and people with health conditions, including those with Long Covid and/or ME, are a diverse group so access to the right work and health support, in the right place, at the right time, is key. We therefore have a range of specialist initiatives to support individuals to stay in work and get back into work, including those that join up employment and health systems.Measures include support from Work Coaches and Disability Employment Advisers in Jobcentres and Access to Work grants, as well as joining up health and employment support around the individual through Employment Advisors in NHS Talking Therapies and Individual Placement and Support in Primary Care.Employers play a key role in increasing employment opportunities and supporting disabled people and people with health conditions, to thrive as part of the workforce. Our support to employers includes increasing access to Occupational Health, a digital information service for employers and the Disability Confident scheme.