Written questions by Hayes.

What proportion of the Crisis and Resilience Fund for off-gas grid households using heating oil will be allocated to Lincolnshire.

I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave on 8 April 2026 to Question UIN 122640.

What steps she is taking to tackle online content encouraging people to pursue fraudulent benefits claims.

The unscrupulous people who actively try to promote, encourage, or assist in fraud must not be tolerated and these people must face consequences. Offences under the Fraud Act 2006 can carry a maximum sentence of up to 10 years’ imprisonment. This includes offences such as making or supplying articles for use in fraud, including electronic materials where the person knows or intends that the information will be used to commit fraud – for example, the deliberate sale or distribution of fraud instruction manuals online. We already work with partners, including Action Fraud, the City of London Police and the National Cyber Security Centre to prevent fraudulent activity online and DWP monitor social media platforms regularly. Additionally, Ofcom’s first Online Safety Codes of Practice sets out an expectation that large services at medium or high risk of fraud provide DWP with access to a dedicated channel for reporting fraud. Under the Online Safety Act 2023, social media companies now have a legal duty to remove illegal content, including fraudulent material.

How much and what proportion of funding for low-income oil heating households through the Crisis and Resilience Fund will be allocated to (a) South Holland and the Deepings constituency and (b) Lincolnshire.

In England, £27 million of funding will be delivered via the Crisis and Resilience Fund to support low-income households reliant on oil for heating. This is in addition to £842 million a year that has already been committed through the Crisis and Resilience Fund at Spending Review 2025, which all unitary and upper tier authorities in England will receive to support vulnerable and low-income households facing financial shocks, including rising essential costs such as energy.Lincolnshire has been allocated £1,825,511 to distribute to households the local authority considers most in need. This represents 7% of the £27 million of funding available in England. Allocations have been published on gov.uk (Crisis and Resilience fund to support low-income heating oil households).Local authorities have flexibility to apply their own discretion when determining eligibility for their Crisis Payment schemes, including how to best target support towards households in most need of help to pay for heating oil. The amount of funding that will be spent in the South Holland and the Deepings constituency is therefore at the discretion of the local authority.

How many women in South Holland and the Deepings constituency are in receipt of Pension Credit.

The latest Pension Credit caseload statistics show that as of August 2025, there were 1,698 female recipients of Pension Credit in South Holland and the Deepings. This data is available via: DWP Stat-Xplore.

Whether any civil servants hired by his Department were recruited over another person on the basis of a protected characteristic in each of the last three years.

Civil Service recruitment must follow the rules set out in legislation within the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act (CRaGA) 2010, which outlines the requirements to ensure that civil servants are recruited on merit, via fair and open competition. Compliance with CRaGA is overseen by the independent Civil Service Commission, which publishes Recruitment Principles setting out the detailed rules departments must follow. For departments who use Civil Service Jobs to manage their recruitment, applicants are asked to provide diversity data on a voluntary basis only and no details are shared with hiring managers. The positive action measures in the Equality Act 2010 allows employers to take proportionate action that aims to reduce disadvantage, meet different needs and increase participation. More information on this can be found on gov.uk. Employers who choose to use positive action can help people who share a particular protected characteristic to overcome certain barriers under the measures. However, employers need to ensure they do this in a way which does not unfairly disadvantage other groups as this could amount to ‘positive discrimination’, which is unlawful.

How many and what proportion of staff in his Department are reliant on a visa for employment.

The information requested is not held centrally. Gathering this data would therefore incur disproportionate costs.

What steps he is taking to increase (a) skills and (b) employment support for people in South Holland and the Deepings constituency in receipt of sickness benefits.

The Get Britain Working White Paper, published in autumn 2024, and Pathways to Work Green Paper, published in spring 2025, set out the Government’s plan on skills and employment support, including for those in receipt of sickness benefits. Our Pathways to Work guaranteed offer of personalised employment, health and skills support for all disabled people and those with health conditions on out of work benefits is backed by £1 billion a year of new funding by the end of the decade. Once fully rolled out, we anticipate this will include a support conversation to identify next steps, one-to-one caseworker support, periodic engagement and an offer of specialist long-term work health and skills support. In addition, Connect to Work is being made available across all of England and Wales. This is a voluntary, locally commissioned, Supported Employment programme for individuals that are disabled, have a health condition or experiencing non-health related barriers to work to find and sustain employment. There is no benefit-related requirement for this programme. Lincolnshire County Council is the Lead Authority for the Lincolnshire Delivery Area and we expect them to open their service in spring 2026. WorkWell is a health and employment support service providing integrated holistic early help for health-related barriers to work. WorkWell is delivered in partnership with health systems and has so far supported approximately 25,000 disabled people and people with health conditions to stay in and re-enter work. Following the success of the pilot, it will continue to be delivered in existing sites and expand across all of England including the Lincolnshire ICB. The expansion is backed by up to £259 million investment over three years. Through the Adult Skills Fund in the 2025/26 academic year, we are spending £1.4 billion for eligible adults aged 19 and above from pre-entry to level 3, to support adults to gain the skills they need for work, an apprenticeship or further learning. In South Holland and the Deepings, the Adult Skills Fund fully funds learners who are unemployed or earn less than £25,750 (annual gross salary).

How many people were unemployed for over 12 months in South Holland and the Deepings constituency in the last 12 months, and what proportion of those people were unemployed for 18 months or more.

The information requested is not available, due to small sample sizes on the survey used to estimate unemployment in constituencies. National level estimates of unemployment of more than 12 months duration are available in ONS Table UNEM01. There is published information on the number of years duration of UC claims by conditionality regime by constituency on Stat-Xplore (Stat-Xplore - Table View), but this does not identify 18 months as a cut-off.

What steps he is taking to promote apprenticeships in the construction industry.

This Government is transforming the apprenticeships levy into a new growth and skills levy, backed by an additional £725 million investment, which will deliver greater flexibility to employers and more opportunities for young people. It will align with the industrial strategy, creating routes into good, skilled jobs in growing industries, such as construction. Construction is one of the key sectors that will benefit from new foundation apprenticeships with three standards, including onsite trades, launched in August 2025. These foundation apprenticeships will support more young people to begin their careers in the construction industry and allow them to then progress and specialise in advanced apprenticeships. Employers will be provided with up to £2,000 for every foundation apprentice they take on and retain in the construction industry. The industry will also benefit from around 5,000 more construction apprenticeship places being made available per financial year by 2027-28 thanks to a £140 million industry investment and the creation of 32 pioneering new homebuilding skills hubs. In addition, the government is investing £625 million in construction skills over this Parliament, with the aim of delivering up to 60,000 additional skilled workers and supporting employers to invest in training. This funding is designed to expand apprenticeship opportunities, improve access to training, and ensure the workforce is equipped to meet the demands of a modern, safe, and productive construction sector. The industry-led Construction Skills Mission Board is also working to create construction job opportunities to meet the government’s announced infrastructure and built environment commitments.

How many full-time equivalent staff in his Department have been employed for the purpose of making social media content in each of the last three years.

Due to the difficulty of disaggregating the number of staff who are employed to produce social media content from staff who are employed to work on broader digital communications, it is not possible to report exact figures in response to this question.

How many and what proportion of civil servants in his Department are (a) on temporary contract and (b) consultants.

Information on the number of civil servants employed on temporary contracts is published quarterly by the Office for National Statistics as part of the quarterly Public Sector Employment statistics. Information can be accessed for September 2025 at the following web address: https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/publicsectorpersonnel/bulletins/publicsectoremployment/september2025 Departmental expenditure on consultancy is published within the Annual Report and Accounts. The latest report for FY 2024/25 can be found at the following web address: DWP annual report and accounts 2024 to 2025 - GOV.UK

What steps his Department is taking to support older people experiencing financial hardship in (a) South Holland and the Deepings constituency and (b) Lincolnshire.

The State Pension remains the foundation of our support for pensioners, and our commitment to maintain the Triple Lock throughout this Parliament will ensure its value continues to rise over time. Subject to Parliamentary approval, the basic and new State Pensions will, increase by 4.8% in April 2026, benefitting over 12 million pensioners by up to £575. It also means The new State Pension is set to rise by over £2,000 over this Parliament.Pension Credit continues to provide vital financial support for pensioners who, for whatever reason, find themselves on a low income. It does this by guaranteeing a minimum level of income – called the Standard Minimum Guarantee – which will also, subject to Parliamentary approval, increase by 4.8%, protecting the most vulnerable pensioners.Crucially, receipt of Pension Credit also opens the door to other financial support, including Housing Benefit, Council Tax support and help with NHS costs as well as help with fuel bills and a free TV licence for those over 75. Maximising the take-up of Pension Credit remains a key priority. That is why we have been running the biggest ever Pension Credit take-up campaign, promoting Pension Credit to eligible pensioners and their family and friends. The latest campaign burst started in September and activity is planned until the end of the financial year.Our campaign features adverts on television and ‘video on demand’, radio (including Greatest Hits radio, Hits Radio Lincolnshire, Classic FM and Smooth), social media, digital screens in GP surgeries and Post Offices (13 locations in Lincolnshire), as well as press activity (including advertorials in the Lincolnshire Echo, Grantham Journal, Lincolnshire Free Press, Spalding Guardian and the Stamford Mercury). For households facing financial hardship, the Household Support Fund remains available, with funding extended to March 2026.

How many people use the Motability scheme in (a) South Holland and the Deepings constituency and (b) Lincolnshire.

At the end of July 2025 (latest available data), 1,240 Personal Independence Payment (PIP) claimants had active contracts with the Motability Scheme in South Holland and The Deepings constituency, and 9,510 PIP claimants had active contracts with the Motability Scheme in Lincolnshire. Data about Motability receipt based on other benefits such as Disability Living Allowance is not available centrally for analysis. Notes:- Values have been rounded to the nearest 10.- Figures provided include both Normal Rules and Special Rules for End of Life claimants.

How many (a) single sex and (b) gender neutral bathroom facilities his Department provides in its Whitehall premises.

The DWP’s main Whitehall building, Caxton House has 84 single sex cubicles, 34 urinals and 0 non-gendered universal toilets (individual self-contained lockable toilet rooms which contain a toilet, washbasin and hand-drying facilities). This is in addition to 26 wheelchair accessible toilets.Caxton House does not have any gender neutral toilets (i.e. toilets where users, of any gender, share a single space containing toilet cubicles, urinal facilities and shared hand washing facilities).

If he will list the titles of all the events organised by Civil Service networks in his Department since 2017.

The information requested is not collated centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

How much funding her Department has provided for the provision of English for Speakers of Other Language courses in each of the last five years.

The information is not readily available and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of reducing levels of funding for level 7 apprenticeships on the number of nurses in training.

I refer the hon. Member for South Holland and The Deepings to the answer to Question 83834.

How many full time equivalent employees in his Department are working on tackling (a) benefit fraud and (b) error.

As civil servants, it is our duty to ensure that public funds are spent appropriately and deliver public services that represent value for the taxpayer. Fraud against the welfare system negatively impacts public services and taxpayers as it draws funds away from those who need them most. Within DWP, tackling fraud and error is everybody’s business, from Work Coaches in our Jobcentres through to Service Centre colleagues and as such, separating out the resource and costs spent on preventing and detecting fraud amongst these varying job roles is not feasible.

What provisions his Department has in place to run critical services in the event of a major internet outage.

The DWP maintains measures to ensure access to essential services remains available during disruptions to internet connectivity. The Department has contingency plans designed to manage such situations. These plans provide for continuity of service and offer support through alternative methods if digital platforms are temporarily inaccessible. The DWP regularly reviews and updates its business continuity procedures to reduce disruption and maintain claimant and service user access, regardless of technical issues.

What recent steps his Department has taken to support jobseekers in South Holland and the Deepings constituency.

Spalding JCP have arrangements in place with Boston College to come into their site on a fortnightly basis to provide Information, Advice & Guidance & links for customers to their Adult Skills Courses. Lincolnshire Voluntary Services are also monthly visitors to Spalding JCP who come in to relay their current local volunteering offers to a wide range of customers, particularly those with health conditions, from which they can gain work experience & increase their confidence in progression towards the labour market. Spalding JCP have also commissioned delivery of digital support to their 50+ customers aimed at increasing their confidence in using digital platforms for work search & training & also obtaining best value products to assist with cost of living rises. The latest cohort ran from 26th Sept & ended 10th October, with a new cohort due to start in November. Finally, planning is already ongoing for an upcoming event run in partnership with Lincolnshire County Council Adult Skills Team called ‘Grow Your Skills’ whereby the skills providers funded by LCC in the local area are given an opportunity to showcase their offers to adults in the area. JCP connect their customers & their network of partners to those events to facilitate their connection to Skills, Opportunities, Jobs & Support.