Written questions by Reynolds.

In the past year what has the average time been for the Child Maintenance Service to obtain a verified address for a paying parent once a caseworker identifies that one is missing; and what processes are in place to minimise delays where child maintenance arrears are accruing.

The Government is committed to ensuring parents meet their financial obligations to their children. Where a paying parent fails to take responsibility for paying their child maintenance and cannot be traced, the Child Maintenance Service (CMS) will take immediate action and do everything within its powers to trace the paying parent. In addition to information provided by parents, CMS undertakes a series of trace checks to verify the paying parent’s address. These checks draw on several approved information sources, including; cross government databases, real time information from HM Revenue & Customs, credit reference agencies, employers and Local Authorities.The CMS have a range of strong enforcement powers that can be used against those parents who consistently refuse to meet or evade their obligations to provide financial support to their children. We are committed to using these powers fairly and in the best interests of children and separated families to ensure compliance.The statistical information requested in not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

What steps the Child Maintenance Service takes to (a) verify and (b) obtain up‑to‑date addresses for paying parents in cases where enforcement action cannot proceed due to the absence of a confirmed address.

The Government is committed to ensuring parents meet their financial obligations to their children. Where a paying parent fails to take responsibility for paying their child maintenance and cannot be traced, the Child Maintenance Service (CMS) will take immediate action and do everything within its powers to trace the paying parent. In addition to information provided by parents, CMS undertakes a series of trace checks to verify the paying parent’s address. These checks draw on several approved information sources, including; cross government databases, real time information from HM Revenue & Customs, credit reference agencies, employers and Local Authorities.The CMS have a range of strong enforcement powers that can be used against those parents who consistently refuse to meet or evade their obligations to provide financial support to their children. We are committed to using these powers fairly and in the best interests of children and separated families to ensure compliance.The statistical information requested in not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

What the average time is between a parent with care requesting a Financial Investigation Unit referral and the referral being actioned; and how the Department monitors compliance with internal timeframes.

Data on the average time from a parent initiating a referral request to the Financial Investigation Unit (FIU) and that referral being actioned are not held centrally and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.All cases which are accepted by the Financial Investigation Unit (FIU) for investigation are assessed, and appropriate evidence obtained to fully inform the course of FIU action. The length of time required to complete the FIU action will depend on the complexity of fraud. Criminal cases of course can take much longer, due to their complexity.

How many cases in the last three years involved child maintenance payments being incorrectly refunded to the paying parent due to clerical error; and what steps the Department is taking to reduce such errors.

This information is not readily available and providing it would incur disproportionate cost.The Child Maintenance Service (CMS) works to ensure cases are kept up to date and payments are processed accurately, with controls in place to minimise incorrect refunds. The introduction of the View Parent Finances screen further improves clarity and compliance by giving caseworkers a clearer, simplified view of complex financial information.

When his Department last reviewed the Child Maintenance Service’s policy framework for modern shared‑care arrangements; and whether the Service plans to reform its policies on cases where both parents actively share day‑to‑day parenting responsibilities.

The Government recognises that shared care arrangements can play an important role in supporting children to maintain relationships with both parents after separation. In the child maintenance system, shared care is reflected in the maintenance calculation. Where a child stays overnight with the paying parent for at least one night a week on average, the amount of maintenance due is reduced to reflect the care provided. If the Child Maintenance Service is satisfied that both parents have equal day-to-day care for the child, in addition to sharing overnight care, there is no requirement for either parent to pay child maintenance.

What plans his Department has to review the internal complaints process of the Child Maintenance Service.

The Child Maintenance Service (CMS), as part of the Department for Work and Pensions, follows the Department’s standard complaints procedure. The CMS regularly reviews complaint data, including insights from the Independent Case Examiner, to identify key themes and trends, which they use to drive improvements to the complaint handling process. Furthermore, lessons learned are regularly presented to operational teams, supporting them to deliver effective interventions at the initial stage of the complaint and thereby improve the overall customer experience. The CMS remains focussed on taking pro-active steps to improve the customer experience, developing its customer service strategy to focus on improving current and future service throughout the customer journey.

How many directors with responsibility for human resources are employed across their department and its executive agencies; and how many of those directors hold professional HR qualifications from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development or equivalent professional bodies.

Number of Directors with responsibility for HR across DWP and its Executive AgenciesNumber of these who have a CIPD qualification or equivalent55

What estimate his Department has made of the average time taken to complete earnings assessments for carers in receipt of Carer's Allowance who undertake part-time self-employment; and if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing monthly online income reporting for self-employed carers to streamline the assessment process.

For most self-employed earners the department relies on their accounts to calculate the relevant weekly net earnings figure for Carer’s Allowance (CA) purposes. The modernisation of DWP IT systems will provide the foundation to deliver DWP’s long-term strategy to improve how earnings are treated in CA. This is being explored through discovery work to explore potential solutions including the automation of earnings. The department does not collect data on the average time taken to complete earnings assessments for unpaid carers in receipt of CA who are self-employed.

What criteria his Department is using to assess the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman's compensation recommendations for women born in the 1950s affected by State Pension age changes; and whether he will publish the full methodology and evidence considered before announcing his final decision.

The Secretary of State announced in his oral statement of 11 November 2025 that we will retake the decision made in December 2024 as it relates to the communications on State Pension age. Retaking the decision should not be taken as an indication that Government will necessarily decide that it should award financial redress. The process to retake the decision is underway and it is important that we give this full and proper consideration. We will update Parliament on the decision as soon as a conclusion is reached and on 2 December 2025 we committed to re-take the decision within three months.

What progress has been made on the review of compensation for women born in the 1950s affected by State Pension age changes; and when the review will conclude.

The Secretary of State announced in his oral statement of 11 November 2025 that we will retake the decision made in December 2024 as it relates to the communications on State Pension age. Retaking the decision should not be taken as an indication that Government will necessarily decide that it should award financial redress. The process to retake the decision is underway and it is important that we give this full and proper consideration. We will update Parliament on the decision as soon as a conclusion is reached and on 2 December 2025 we committed to re-take the decision within three months.

What estimate he has made of the number of members of defined benefit pension schemes with pre-1997 service who have received no discretionary pension increases in the last ten years; and what steps he is taking to encourage sponsoring employers and trustees to grant discretionary increases to pre-1997 pension benefits.

Analysis published by the Pensions Regulator indicates that, as of March 2023, around 17 per cent of members of private sector defined benefit pension schemes do not receive any pre-1997 indexation on benefits. This information can be found at: thepensionsregulator.gov.uk/en/document-library/research-and-analysis/data-requests. Reforms in our Pension Schemes Bill will enable more trustees of well-funded defined benefit pension schemes to share surplus with employers, and deliver better outcomes for members, and benefit the wider economy, unlocking some of the estimated £160 billion of scheme surplus. As part of any agreement to release surplus funds to the employer, trustees will be better placed to negotiate additional benefits for members such as discretionary indexation. The Pension Regulator already sets out that trustees should consider the situation of those members who would benefit from a discretionary increase and whether the scheme has a history of making such awards. The Regulator will be producing further guidance on surplus sharing once the legislation is in place.

What steps his Department is taking to ensure that frontline call handling staff have (a) accurate and (b) up-to-date information on expected timelines for responses from (i) decision-making teams and (ii) complaints handling units (A) in general and (B) for Universal Credit queries; and if his Department will update call scripts to include standardised guidance on wait times.

There is clear guidance available to all staff regarding complaint handling and the expected timeframe for responding to complaints, which is accessible via the Department’s intranet. The Department aims to respond to complaints within 15 working days. Where this is not possible, such as in complex cases, the Department remains committed to providing a response at the earliest opportunity. DWPs complaints procedure is available to the public on GOV.UK (https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-work-pensions/about/complaints-procedure#guidance-on-how-to-complain).

What recent assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the Access to Work scheme in supporting disabled people to (a) enter and (b) remain in employment; and what steps he is taking to (i) reduce delays, (ii) improve administrative efficiency, and (iii) ensure adequate funding of the scheme.

Access to Work (AtW) is a demand-led, personalised discretionary grant which supports the recruitment and retention of disabled people in employment. The Scheme has been providing support for over 30 years. In 2024-2025, 61,670 people were approved for Access to Work provision. This is around a 10% increase when compared to 2023/24. Expenditure on Access to Work provision was around £320.7 million, which supported around 60,000 disabled people in employment. We recognise that Access to Work is providing a poor experience for some applicants with processing delays affecting employees’ ability to start or continue in employment, and employers’ ability to support them. That is why in the Pathways to Work Green Paper, we consulted on the future of Access to Work and how to improve the scheme so that it helps more disabled people in work. We are reviewing all aspects of Access to Work as we develop plans for reform following the conclusion of the consultation.

Whether he plans to expand the foundation apprenticeship scheme to include the (a) hospitality, (b) retails and (c) care sectors.

New foundation apprenticeships will give young people a route into careers in critical sectors, enabling them to earn a wage while developing vital skills.The first seven foundation apprenticeships, which launched in August, focused on industrial strategy and priority areas, and include a health and social care foundation apprenticeship.The department is working with Skills England to explore which other sectors and occupations would be most suitable for foundation apprenticeships. Further detail will be set out in due course.

If he will publish guidance on how businesses will be able to utilise the Growth and Skills Levy.

The government publishes information for businesses on the Growth and Skills offer, available here; Find training and employment schemes for your business - The Growth and Skills Levy.

What steps she plans to take to reform the Carer’s Allowance system.

We have announced the highest ever increase to the Carers Allowance earning limit, started considering the feasibility of a taper instead of the earnings threshold and launched an independent review of Carers Allowance overpayments.

What assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of Personal Independence Payments in covering additional costs associated with disability.

Personal Independence Payment (PIP) provides a contribution to the extra costs that may arise from a long-term disability or health condition. PIP is a non-contributory, non-means-tested, additional cost benefit and can be worth over £9,500 a year, tax free. Individuals can choose how to use the benefit, in the light of their individual needs and preferences. The benefit can also be paid in addition to any other financial or practical support someone may be entitled to such as Universal Credit, Employment and Support Allowance, NHS services, free prescriptions, help with travel costs to appointments. It can also act as a passport to additional support such as premiums and additional amounts paid within certain benefits, Carer’s Allowance for an informal carer or the Blue Badge scheme. The benefits have been consistently uprated in line with inflation since they were introduced and were, like other benefits, increased by 6.7% from 8 April 2024.