Every parliamentary written question tabled by John Milne this session, with the full answer and department. Back to the MP page.
Showing 21–40 of 47 · Department for Work and Pensions
What estimate her Department has made of the annual saving to the public purse from not fully disregarding (a) War Pensions and (b) Armed Forces Compensation Scheme payments in the assessment of Pension Credit in the previous financial year.
No formal assessment has been made on the annual saving to the public purse on not fully disregarding these payments.
If she will maintain the careers guidance service for all unemployed people receiving support as part of the new national Jobs and Careers Service.
We are reforming Jobcentre Plus and creating a new Jobs and Careers Service across Great Britain that will transform our ability to support people into good, meaningful work, and to progress in work, including through an enhanced focus on skills and careers. This will be a universal service which all people – not just benefit recipients or those out of work – will be able to engage with. In England, these reforms will include bringing together Jobcentre Plus with the National Careers Service. The new service will have an increased focus on supporting progression and good work through aligning employment support more closely with skills and careers advice. In Scotland and Wales, we will work closely with the Devolved Governments to ensure the new service works effectively with the devolved careers and skills services. We are in the early stages of designing the new service, working closely with Department for Education and more details will be shared in due course.
What assessment she has made of the potential merits of (a) greater data sharing between (i) work coaches and (ii) careers advisors and (b) improvements to (A) engaging and (B) involving local employers in employability programmes in the context of jobcentre reforms.
DWP has strengthened its employer engagement strategy through a multi-faceted approach, involving early business input into the JCS design and a rolling programme of engagement events. Local employer engagement is driven by dedicated teams, sector-specific Recruitment Innovation Workshops, tailored recruitment support via account managers, increased use of digital tools and ongoing promotion of inclusive hiring practices for disabled people and those with health conditions. DWP’s reforms have deepened employer involvement in employability programmes by embedding them into both design and delivery. The Strategic Relationship Team coordinates employer portfolios and ensures feedback shapes services. Work programmes are co-designed with employers to meet recruitment needs through training, work experience, and guaranteed interviews. Integration with the National Careers Service enhances local labour market alignment, while the Get Britain Working White Paper promotes local co-design of employment support with employers and authorities.
If she will make an estimate of the potential impact of changes to (a) PIP entitlement rules, (b) the Universal Credit health element, (c) Universal Credit standard allowance and (d) all three measures on the number of (i) people and (ii) children who will be in relative poverty after housing costs in 2029-30, using baselines in which the Autumn Statement 2023 Work Capability Assessment descriptor reforms are assumed to have (A) been implemented and (B) not been implemented.
An assessment of the potential impact of the planned changes to health and disability benefits is available here: Spring Statement 2025 health and disability benefit reforms – Impacts. This includes breakdowns for each change separately on levels of poverty. It also includes estimated impacts regarding the changes to the Work Capability Assessment descriptors proposed at Autumn Statement 2023, but which were subsequently reversed.
If she will make an estimate she of the potential impact of changes to (a) PIP entitlement rules, (b) the Universal Credit health element and (c) the Universal Credit standard allowance and (d) all three measures on the number of (i) families, (ii) people and (iii) children who are (A) in and (B) not in relative poverty after housing costs pre-measures in 2029-30, using baselines in which the Autumn Statement 2023 Work Capability Assessment descriptor reforms are assumed to have (1) been implemented and (2) not been implemented.
An assessment of the potential impact of the planned changes to health and disability benefits is available here: Spring Statement 2025 health and disability benefit reforms – Impacts. This includes breakdowns for each change separately on levels of poverty. It also includes estimated impacts regarding the changes to the Work Capability Assessment descriptors proposed at Autumn Statement 2023, but which were subsequently reversed.
What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of making access to work schemes the responsibility of employers on small and medium-sized businesses.
As outlined in the Pathways to Work Green Paper published on 18 March, we need to get the balance right between supporting employers to understand and provide reasonable adjustments as part of their legal duties, and interventions that go beyond this this to enable employment. There are no plans to require employers to provide measures beyond a reasonable adjustment. We will assess any new intervention through evaluation, ensuring its impact and value for money.
Whether her Department plans to introduce a substantial risk element into the PIP assessment process.
In our Green Paper, Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working, we announced our plans to scrap the Work Capability Assessment and use the single Personal Independence Payment assessment to assess entitlement for the Universal Credit health element. We are considering how change of this kind could affect individuals who currently meet limited capability for work and work-related activity criteria due to non-functional special circumstances; including those currently classed as having substantial risk. We also announced plans to launch a process to review the PIP assessment. 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. Any changes to the PIP assessment will need to work alongside the reforms set out in the Green Paper.
What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of planned reforms to Personal Independence Payment on people that receive (a) housing allowances and (b) higher rate housing allowances.
No such assessment has yet been made.Information on the impacts of the Pathways to Work Green Paper will be published in due course, and some information was published alongside the Spring Statement. These publications can be found in ‘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.
What estimate her Department has made of the number of under 22 year olds who will no longer receive limited capability to work payments.
Information on the impacts of the “Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working Green Paper” will be published in due course, with some information already published alongside the Spring Statement.A further programme of analysis to support development of the proposals in the Green Paper will be developed and undertaken in the coming months.
Whether her Department plans to make an assessment of the potential impact of making access to work schemes the responsibility of employers on the employability of people with disabilities.
As outlined in the Pathways to Work Green Paper published on 18 March, we need to get the balance right between supporting employers to understand and provide reasonable adjustments as part of their legal duties, and interventions that go beyond this this to enable employment. There are no plans to require employers to provide measures beyond a reasonable adjustment. We will assess any new intervention through evaluation, ensuring its impact and value for money.
What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of changes to the eligibility criteria for carers allowance on local authority care services.
From 7 April 2025 the weekly earnings limit in Carer's Allowance increased to £196 net earnings, the largest cash increase ever. All things being equal, the earnings rule change will result in more people being entitled to Carer’s Allowance. There are no other planned changes to the entitlement conditions. Local authorities are responsible for their own "care service" arrangements and these may differ between authorities.In our recent Pathways to Work Green Paper we announced a broad package of reforms to the health and disability benefit and support system, including changes to Personal Independence Payment. For those who are affected by the new eligibility changes, including for linked entitlements such as Carer’s Allowance, we are consulting on how best to support this group, including how to make sure health and eligible care needs are met.
What proportion of people claiming (a) disability and (b) incapacity benefits with a mental health condition are eligible for those benefits due solely to a mental health condition.
The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.
Whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of putting in place an independent process to set benefit levels in line with the cost of essentials.
No assessment has been made. The Social Security Administration Act 1992 requires the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions to review benefit and State Pension rates each year to see if they have retained their value in relation to the general level of prices or earnings. Where the relevant benefit or State Pension rates have not retained their value, legislation provides that the Secretary of State is required to, or in some instances may, up-rate their value.Following this review, benefit and State Pension rates are increased in line with statutory minimum amounts and others are increased subject to Secretary of State’s discretion.Following the Secretary of State’s up-rating decisions for 2025/26, DWP expenditure on state pensions and benefits will increase by £6.9 billion.
Whether she plans to introduce regulations amending section 37 of the Pension Schemes Act 1993 for contracted out defined benefit schemes.
We have heard from pension schemes and industry representatives about the impacts arising from this judgment for pension schemes, their members, and sponsoring employers. Potential impacts are likely to be different for individual schemes. Where schemes do not have a way to demonstrate that historic benefit changes met the reference scheme test, we recognise that this could lead to uncertainty and additional costs. No final decisions have been made but we are actively considering our next steps and will provide an update in due course.
What assessment she has made of the potential impact of the judgement in Virgin Media Ltd v NTL Pension Trustees II Ltd, [2023] EWHC 1441 (Ch) on (a) occupational workplace pension schemes and (b) employers.
We have heard from pension schemes and industry representatives about the impacts arising from this judgment for pension schemes, their members, and sponsoring employers. Potential impacts are likely to be different for individual schemes. Where schemes do not have a way to demonstrate that historic benefit changes met the reference scheme test, we recognise that this could lead to uncertainty and additional costs. No final decisions have been made but we are actively considering our next steps and will provide an update in due course.
Whether she has made an estimate of the level Universal Credit Standard Allowance should sit at per week in order to enable households to afford the essentials.
No assessment has been made at this point. The Government recognises the critical role Universal Credit has to play in tackling poverty and making work pay and has already taken steps to help those in need.Benefit rates are reviewed each year, increasing by 6.7% in April 2024 and by a further 1.7% from April 2025, in line with inflation.Around 5.7 million Universal Credit families are forecast to benefit from uprating in financial year 2025 to 2026, with an average annual gain for a family estimated to be £150.The Fair Repayment Rate, to be introduced from April, will reduce the Universal Credit overall cap on deductions from 25% to 15%. This measure will help approximately 1.2 million of the poorest households benefit by an average of £420 a year.
Whether the upcoming review into Universal Credit will be required to regularly report to Parliament on its progress.
The Government is fulfilling its manifesto commitment to review Universal Credit in a range of ways. The Universal Credit review process is working alongside the child poverty taskforce and others to consider how the full range of Universal Credit policy areas contribute to our objectives to tackle poverty, make work pay and boost growth. We are not expecting to produce a formal report but as part of the review, Parliament will be regularly updated on progress and any future changes.
When she plans to launch the review of Universal Credit; and when the review will conclude.
The review has already begun with the announcement of the Fair Repayment Rate in the Budget, giving 1.2m households an average of £420 per year. We are continuing to review the benefit to ensure it makes work pay and reduces poverty.
When she plans to lay out the terms of reference for the Government’s review into Universal Credit.
There are no terms of reference for the review process and we expect the review to take place throughout 2025. The Government is fulfilling its manifesto commitment to review Universal Credit in a range of ways. We have already announced dedicated strands of activity, like the child poverty taskforce, as well as this work to take stock of the core structures and policies of Universal Credit. We are engaging with a multitude of groups and people. We have begun to invite stakeholders to set out their concerns around Universal Credit and ideas for where it could improve.
Whether the upcoming review into Universal Credit will consult directly with groups of people who have lived experience of receiving Universal Credit.
The Department has been regularly engaging with stakeholders since the election and is committed to continuing to do so, on Universal Credit and other issues. We recognise the important role of people with a lived experience of receiving Universal Credit in the review process. We plan to engage with a multitude of groups and people and will continue to use existing forums as well as set up new sessions. In addition, we have also created a mailbox where any customer can express their views on how Universal Credit could be improved to support them, and we will be launching a survey covering customer’s circumstances, knowledge of Universal Credit and their labour market aspirations.