Written questions by Johnson.

What delegated flexibilities are available to her Department for calculating (a) working hours and (b) actual hours worked.

Terms and conditions of employment outside the Senior Civil Service are delegated to departments but must be managed in the public interest and in accordance with the Civil Service Management Code, and through consultation with the Cabinet Office and His Majesty's Treasury. Where a term of employment is contractual, like working hours, it cannot be changed for existing employees other than with their expressed agreement or through collective bargaining with the trade unions.

What steps she is taking to support staff in her Department who are employed on Skilled Workers Visas and whose salary is below the new salary threshold.

All staff employed in the department on a skilled worker visa have a salary above the skilled worker minimum salary threshold introduced in April 2024.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact the new salary thresholds for Skilled Worker visas on staffing levels in her Department.

Whilst the impact of changes to the Skilled Worker Salary threshold are affecting a very small proportion of staff within the Department, visa expiry and potential options for obtaining a future work visa are specific to individuals’ circumstances and the Home Office legislation which applies at the time that their current visa expires. As current employees’ visa expiry dates span several years and not all will be impacted by the changes to the skilled worker salary thresholds, the department does not expect changes to the Skilled Worker salary threshold to negatively impact on service or resource levels.

What the gender breakdown is for Universal Credit claimants who are single parents.

The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

How many women have been granted an exemption to the two-child limit as a result of non-consensual conception since April 2017.

The requested information is provided in the table below and shows in April of each year from 2017 to 2024, the number of households with a non-consensual conception exception to the two-child policy, who were women (if single claimants) or couples in which at least one claimant was a woman. Single UC Households, with a non-consensual conception exceptionCouple UC households, with a non-consensual conception exceptionApr-1700Apr-1810-Apr-1914010Apr-2056040Apr-211,00070Apr-221,500110Apr-232,100130Apr-242,400170 Notes:All figures are rounded to the nearest ten or to two significant figures. Where a value is marked with a dash, this indicates it has been rounded to zero. Where a value is zero, this indicates that no households meeting the criteria are recorded in our management information.Single households are counted where the household has a single female claimant.Couple households are counted where the household has at least one female claimant.If a household received the exception in more than one of the months listed above, they will appear in the figures for all of those months.If a woman moved between households and received the exception in both households, she will be counted more than once.All figures show the number of households with an assessment period ending in the corresponding month.These figures only cover UC Full Service and will not include any exceptions for UC Live Service. UC Live Service closed for new claims on 1 January 2018.This data is based on Universal Credit management information and uses a similar methodology to published statistics on the two-child policy.These statistics are based on latest data, they may not always match published statistics for previous years.Figures may not always sum to the total given, because of rounding.

With reference to revisions to the Immigration Rules, updated on 19 February and 14 March 2024, what recent discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for the Home Department on the potential impact of its salary calculations on the continued employment of staff from her Department on workplace visas.

Whilst the impact of changes to the Skilled Worker Salary threshold, introduced in April 2024, is affecting a very small proportion of staff within the Department, visa expiry and potential options for obtaining a future work visa are specific to individuals’ circumstances and the Home Office legislation which applies at the time that their current visa expires. As current employees’ Visa expiry dates span several years and not all will be impacted by the changes to the skilled worker salary thresholds, the department does not expect changes to the Skilled Worker salary threshold to negatively impact on service levels.

How many single parents on maternity leave have had benefit payments capped.

The requested statistics are not available as the Department does not hold information on the maternity leave status of single parents that have had benefit payments capped.

How many complaints the Disability Confident policy team in her Department has had concerning a Disability Confident employer failing to comply with the Disability Confident criteria in the last three years.

The Disability Confident scheme has over 19,000 members and they report over 12 million employees working in their organisations. The scheme is designed as a learning journey with all employers starting at Level 1 and encouraged to progress through the scheme to Levels 2 and 3. As they progress on their learning journey, we expect they will continue to increase and share their understanding with employees and put in place effective and inclusive policies and procedures in support of disability employment.The range of suitable validators of organisations seeking Disability Confident Leader status or renewal of that status is explained in the scheme guidance. Most validations are undertaken by existing Disability Confident Leaders, although the full list is:existing Disability Confident Leadersdisabled employees, customers or people in the local communitylocal diversity and inclusion groupslocal disability organisations or network groupsdisabled people’s user led organisations (DPULOs)recognised accreditation organisations whose accreditation covers the components of the Disability Confident Employer self- assessmentdisabled stakeholder groups or forumsnational disability network groupsnational disability organisationsinternal diversity and inclusions groups/forumsThe scheme encourages businesses to choose an organisation suited to their business size, that can provide a proportionate level of challenge based on their own knowledge, lived experience, skills and expertise.Disability Confident Leaders have had their own self-assessment independently validated and demonstrated a high level of commitment and success in creating inclusive workplaces. This experience equips them to be able to support others through the process sharing their knowledge and skills, to assess and validate other organisations effectively.Other organisations able to validate businesses seeking to become or renew Disability Confident Leader status have specific expert knowledge of disability related issues in the workplace and / or have lived experience of disability.As part of the work, we have begun to strengthen the scheme, we are considering options to make the validation process more robust, including improving the guidance for validators and reviewing the types of bodies permitted to undertake validations.The overall number of complaints received by the Disability Confident policy team in the period 2022 to 2024 is approximately 220. Where the Department is made aware of any complaint raised against a Disability Confident employer for not meeting the scheme criteria, we would apply the process described in the Disability Complaints procedure. If after further examination, we consider the employer is failing to comply with any of the scheme criteria, the Department will give the employer an opportunity to remedy the situation. There have been no instances where an employer was given the opportunity to remedy the situation and failed to respond.

Which bodies provide independent validation of organisations seeking Disability Confident Leader status or renewal of that status.

The Disability Confident scheme has over 19,000 members and they report over 12 million employees working in their organisations. The scheme is designed as a learning journey with all employers starting at Level 1 and encouraged to progress through the scheme to Levels 2 and 3. As they progress on their learning journey, we expect they will continue to increase and share their understanding with employees and put in place effective and inclusive policies and procedures in support of disability employment.The range of suitable validators of organisations seeking Disability Confident Leader status or renewal of that status is explained in the scheme guidance. Most validations are undertaken by existing Disability Confident Leaders, although the full list is:existing Disability Confident Leadersdisabled employees, customers or people in the local communitylocal diversity and inclusion groupslocal disability organisations or network groupsdisabled people’s user led organisations (DPULOs)recognised accreditation organisations whose accreditation covers the components of the Disability Confident Employer self- assessmentdisabled stakeholder groups or forumsnational disability network groupsnational disability organisationsinternal diversity and inclusions groups/forumsThe scheme encourages businesses to choose an organisation suited to their business size, that can provide a proportionate level of challenge based on their own knowledge, lived experience, skills and expertise.Disability Confident Leaders have had their own self-assessment independently validated and demonstrated a high level of commitment and success in creating inclusive workplaces. This experience equips them to be able to support others through the process sharing their knowledge and skills, to assess and validate other organisations effectively.Other organisations able to validate businesses seeking to become or renew Disability Confident Leader status have specific expert knowledge of disability related issues in the workplace and / or have lived experience of disability.As part of the work, we have begun to strengthen the scheme, we are considering options to make the validation process more robust, including improving the guidance for validators and reviewing the types of bodies permitted to undertake validations.The overall number of complaints received by the Disability Confident policy team in the period 2022 to 2024 is approximately 220. Where the Department is made aware of any complaint raised against a Disability Confident employer for not meeting the scheme criteria, we would apply the process described in the Disability Complaints procedure. If after further examination, we consider the employer is failing to comply with any of the scheme criteria, the Department will give the employer an opportunity to remedy the situation. There have been no instances where an employer was given the opportunity to remedy the situation and failed to respond.

What steps her Department has taken to ensure that bodies providing independent validation of organisations seeking Disability Confident Leader status or to renewal of that status are fit for purpose.

The Disability Confident scheme has over 19,000 members and they report over 12 million employees working in their organisations. The scheme is designed as a learning journey with all employers starting at Level 1 and encouraged to progress through the scheme to Levels 2 and 3. As they progress on their learning journey, we expect they will continue to increase and share their understanding with employees and put in place effective and inclusive policies and procedures in support of disability employment.The range of suitable validators of organisations seeking Disability Confident Leader status or renewal of that status is explained in the scheme guidance. Most validations are undertaken by existing Disability Confident Leaders, although the full list is:existing Disability Confident Leadersdisabled employees, customers or people in the local communitylocal diversity and inclusion groupslocal disability organisations or network groupsdisabled people’s user led organisations (DPULOs)recognised accreditation organisations whose accreditation covers the components of the Disability Confident Employer self- assessmentdisabled stakeholder groups or forumsnational disability network groupsnational disability organisationsinternal diversity and inclusions groups/forumsThe scheme encourages businesses to choose an organisation suited to their business size, that can provide a proportionate level of challenge based on their own knowledge, lived experience, skills and expertise.Disability Confident Leaders have had their own self-assessment independently validated and demonstrated a high level of commitment and success in creating inclusive workplaces. This experience equips them to be able to support others through the process sharing their knowledge and skills, to assess and validate other organisations effectively.Other organisations able to validate businesses seeking to become or renew Disability Confident Leader status have specific expert knowledge of disability related issues in the workplace and / or have lived experience of disability.As part of the work, we have begun to strengthen the scheme, we are considering options to make the validation process more robust, including improving the guidance for validators and reviewing the types of bodies permitted to undertake validations.The overall number of complaints received by the Disability Confident policy team in the period 2022 to 2024 is approximately 220. Where the Department is made aware of any complaint raised against a Disability Confident employer for not meeting the scheme criteria, we would apply the process described in the Disability Complaints procedure. If after further examination, we consider the employer is failing to comply with any of the scheme criteria, the Department will give the employer an opportunity to remedy the situation. There have been no instances where an employer was given the opportunity to remedy the situation and failed to respond.

What recent assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of trends in the number of vacancies in her Department.

DWP is a demand led organisation which determines the level of staffing resource required to deliver our services. Workforce Plans, which include recruitment, set out detailed plans to deliver the required level of resource. Workforce Plans are regularly reviewed to meet latest demand and new policy requirements, and the Department prioritises resource across operational areas.

If she will meet with representatives of trade unions to discuss the potential impact of workplace visa rules on staff in her Department.

Whilst the impact of changes to the Skilled Worker Salary threshold introduced in April 2024 are affecting a very small proportion of staff within the Department, visa expiry and potential options for obtaining a future work visa are specific to individuals’ circumstances and the Home Office legislation which applies at the time that their current visa expires. As current employee’s Visa expiry dates span several years and not all will be impacted by the changes to the skilled worker salary thresholds, the DWP Visa Sponsorship Team meet with Trade Unions weekly to ensure impacted members are supported.

With reference to the report entitled Dying in Poverty, published by Marie Curie in November 2024, what steps she is taking to tackle the levels of people dying in poverty in Liverpool.

The Department has noted the recommendations made in the report, and values Marie Curie as a key stakeholder which engages with us constructively in this area. The primary way the Department supports people nearing the end of life is through special benefit rules which are known as the Special Rules for End of Life (SREL). These enable people who are nearing the end of their lives to get faster, easier access to certain benefits, without needing to attend a medical assessment or serve waiting periods and in most cases, receive the highest rate of benefit. For many years, the Special Rules applied to people who have 6 months or less to live, they have now been changed so they apply to people who have 12 months or less to live.  Changes to the Special Rules mean that thousands of people nearing the end of life are now able to claim fast-tracked financial support from the benefits system six months earlier than they were able to previously.

In which of her Department's offices there are staff employed on sponsored visas who will not meet the salary threshold at the end of the current visa term.

DWP currently sponsors 169 employees. The number of DWP staff that are currently sponsored by the department who will not meet the salary threshold at the end of their current visa is unknown. Each case will depend on the individuals’ specific circumstances, and the Home Office legislation at the time their current visa expires.

How many staff in her Department are on sponsored visas; and how many will not meet the skilled worker visa salary threshold at the end of their visa term.

DWP currently sponsors 169 employees. The number of DWP staff that are currently sponsored by the department who will not meet the salary threshold at the end of their current visa is unknown. Each case will depend on the individuals’ specific circumstances, and the Home Office legislation at the time their current visa expires.

How many staff in her Department are required to pay the NHS Health Surcharge.

The Department does not hold the data requested.

If she will publish (a) staff turnover, (b) the number of new recruits and (c) the number of vacancies in her Department in each of the last three months.

a) The annual turnover rate for DWP ending in the last three months is 7.0% in September, 6.8% in October and 6.6% in November. Annual end of year turnover rates are published in the DWP Annual Report and Accounts.b) DWP has had 2,063 new recruits between 2 September 2024 and 30 November 2024. c) DWP has advertised 170 recruitment campaigns for up to 2147 roles.

What discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for the Home Department on (a) exemptions for and (b) flexibility in (i) sponsored visa and (ii) skilled workers visa guidance staff in her Department.

The Secretary of State, and ministers, regularly meet with Cabinet and ministerial colleagues, regarding a range of matters. DWP takes the welfare of its staff very seriously and continues to provide a range of support to colleagues employed on time limited visas who are impacted by the uplift to Skilled Worker salary thresholds for sponsorship introduced in April 2024.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of not increasing Local Housing Allowance rates in 2025-26 on the number of households requiring temporary accommodation.

The Government recognises that homelessness levels are too high and there are a range of contributing factors. We will look carefully at these issues as we develop our strategy for ending homelessness. When reviewing the Local Housing Allowance (LHA), the Secretary of State considered a range of factors, including the private rental situation, the Government’s goals and missions, and the wider fiscal context and engaged with MHCLG. DWP currently spends around £30bn annually on housing support and the April 2024 increase to LHA costs approximately £7bn over 5 years. For those who need further support, Discretionary Housing Payments (DHPs) are available from local authorities. DHPs can be paid to those entitled to Housing Benefit or Universal Credit who face a shortfall in meeting their housing costs. As announced at the Budget, funding for homelessness services is increasing next year by £233m compared to this year (2024/25). The increased spending will help to prevent rises in the number of families in temporary accommodation and help to prevent rough sleeping. This brings the total spend to nearly a billion pounds in 2025/26.

Whether she has made an assessment of the potential implications for her policies of surveys undertaken by the Food Foundation Food entitled Food insecurity tracking, published in July 2024, on a potential link between ethnicity and food insecurity.

We are committed to tackling poverty in all its forms and this includes tackling food insecurity by reducing mass dependence on emergency food parcels. Good work can significantly reduce the chances of people failing into poverty so will be the foundation of our approach. The Child Poverty Taskforce has started urgent work to publish the Child Poverty Strategy in Spring 2025. We will harness all available levers across government to bring about an enduring reduction in child poverty in this parliament, as part of a 10-year strategy for lasting change. Our jobcentres support our customers, including in ethnic minority groups, to move into employment by providing access to mainstream services and bespoke programmes that are designed to be flexible to individual needs. We are also taking targeted action in 20 places with a high ethnic minority employment gap. The Get Britain Working White Paper, to be set out in the Autumn, will develop measures to reduce inactivity and help people to find better paid and more secure jobs. Alongside this, we have committed to reviewing Universal Credit by listening to the full range of views on potential changes, so that our social security system is fit for purpose. As announced in the Autumn Budget, a new Fair Repayment Rate will be introduced from April 2025, reducing Universal Credit deductions overall cap from 25% to 15%. This measure will help approximately 1.2 million of the poorest households benefit by an average of £420 a year. We also announced that, £1 billion, including Barnett impact, will be invested to extend the Household Support Fund in England by a full year until 31 March 2026, on top of the six months already announced, and to maintain Discretionary Housing Payments in England and Wales.