Written questions by Blackman.

Whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of its proposed disability benefit changes on rates of homelessness.

No assessment has 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’(opens in a new tab).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 has made an assessment of the potential impact of its proposed changes to disability benefits on demand for local authority social care services.

No assessment has 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’(opens in a new tab).A further programme of analysis to support development of the proposals in the Green Paper will be developed and undertaken in the coming months.

How many posts there are for (a) press, (b) media and (c) other communications staff in her Department; and what the salary band is for each post.

Our Communications team is responsible for ensuring transparency and informing the public about vital policies and services that support citizens every day. We communicate about our services to over 20 million people, whether that's about paying benefits, pensions or helping people to move into and progress at work.As one of the largest departments, our Communications team helps 90,000 colleagues deliver their important work by keeping them informed and engaged on our priorities and delivery, and promoting the support available to some of our most vulnerable households.In the central DWP communications team, there are a total of 142 Government Communication Service professionals.Of this total, 21 work in the media discipline which covers press and media responsibilities.This is the latest available data from 30 April 2025.The salary bands are:AIO/EO £36,211 - £41,092IO/HEO £43,589 - £48,672SIO/SEO £48,405 - £60,482G7 £57,787 - £74,457G6 £75,550 - £83,973The SCS pay scale can be found in the DWP ANNUAL REPORT & ACCOUNTS 2023-24

Which jobcentres in Scotland have seen work coach staffing numbers reduced (a) since 2018-19 and (b) in the year for which the most recent data is available.

Work Coach staffing numbers for 2018-19 are unavailable. We have therefore compared Work Coach staffing numbers between March 2020 and the latest position (February 2025). The following Jobcentres in Scotland have seen reductions in Work Coach levels between the two periods of March 2020 and February 2025: Airdrie Stirling StreetForfar Service RoadForres Tytler StreetFraserburgh South Harbour RoadGlasgow Radnor HouseGreenock Dalrymple StreetLeven Waggon RoadPaisley High Street The following Jobcentres in Scotland have seen reductions in Work Coach levels between the two periods of March 2024 and February 2025: Annan Murray StreetAyr Wallacetoun HouseDumfries Irish StreetForfar Service RoadFraserburgh South Harbour RoadGlasgow Radnor HouseLeven Waggon RoadPaisley High Street Data is correct as at the end of February 2025.Work Coach staffing levels include staff working on Universal Credit and Legacy Benefits.Work Coach staffing levels do not include Work Coach Team Leaders and Disability Employment Advisers.The number of Work Coaches employed in these Jobcentres is unpublished management information, collected and intended for internal departmental use and has not been quality assured to National Statistics or Official Statistics publication standard. As the Department holds the information, we have released it.It is important to note that, during the Covid-19 Pandemic (20/21), the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) rapidly expanded Jobcentre capacity by opening temporary Jobcentres. This was part of the Rapid Estate Expansion Programme (REEP). The vast majority of REEP sites are no longer in use.

What the initial results are of the work undertaken in the eight trailblazer areas set out in the Get Britain Working White Paper; and what are the key performance indicators for this work.

As announced in the Get Britain Working White Paper, Trailblazers to test more localised delivery of the Youth Guarantee and support for people who are economically inactive are due to launch starting from April 2025. We are working closely with the Trailblazer delivery areas to develop their plans, which includes evaluation and performance information ahead of rollout.

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the priorities are of the joint Work and Health Unit.

The Department for Work and Pensions and Department of Health and Social Care Joint Work and Health Directorate (JWHD) (formerly Unit) was set up in 2015 in recognition of the significant link between work and health and to improve employment opportunities for disabled people and people with health conditions. The goal of the JWHD is to open up opportunities to good work and to support a healthier, more productive and inclusive nation, by helping more disabled people and people with health conditions to: get appropriate work, get on in that work, and to return to work as quickly as possible if they leave it. This supports the Government priority of tackling economic inactivity, set out in the Get Britain Working White Paper. The JWHD works to join up the health and employment systems, including the addition of employment support in existing care pathways, such as placing Employment Advisors in NHS Talking Therapy services and WorkWell, which is part of the plan to Get Britain Working and enables local areas to lead, design and deliver work and health support that meets the needs of their communities. It is also recognised that employers play an important role in addressing health and disability. To build on this, JWHD is facilitating “Keep Britain Working”, an independent review of the role of UK employers in reducing health-related inactivity and to promote healthy and inclusive workplaces. The lead reviewer, Sir Charlie Mayfield, is expected to bring forward recommendations in Autumn 2025. Additionally, the JWHD has developed a digital information service for employers, and continues to oversee the Disability Confident Scheme.

Whether her Department records the number of enquiries received from (a) hon. Members and (b) Members of Devolved (i) Parliaments and (ii) Assemblies on a quarterly basis.

The department receives and responds to enquiries from Members of Parliament and Members of devolved Parliaments or Assemblies but does not collate, report or produce statistics on this.

How many written representations on compensation for women affected by changes to the state pension age she has received from Labour (a) hon. Members representing Scottish constituencies and (b) Members of the Scottish Parliament since 5 July 2024.

The Department does not keep this information centrally and therefore it is not readily available. Providing the information that the Department does hold would incur disproportionate costs.

If she will make an estimate of the number of women born in the 1950s affected by State Pension age changes in each constituency in (a) Scotland and (b) Northern Ireland.

In Scotland, as of the 2022 census there were the following numbers of 1950s-born women in each Scottish constituency: ConstituencyFemales aged 63 to 72 in 2022East Renfrewshire6,086Na h-Eileanan an Iar1,914Midlothian5,569North Ayrshire and Arran6,866Orkney and Shetland2,901Aberdeen North6,079Aberdeen South5,144Aberdeenshire North and Moray East6,279Airdrie and Shotts5,342Alloa and Grangemouth5,716Angus and Perthshire Glens7,146Arbroath and Broughty Ferry6,507Argyll, Bute and South Lochaber7,029Bathgate and Linlithgow5,286Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross6,977Coatbridge and Bellshill5,540Cowdenbeath and Kirkcaldy5,976Cumbernauld and Kirkintilloch5,585Dumfries and Galloway7,212Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale6,432Dundee Central5,094Dunfermline and Dollar5,543East Kilbride and Strathaven5,921Edinburgh East and Musselburgh4,895Edinburgh North and Leith4,363Edinburgh South5,203Edinburgh South West4,699Edinburgh West5,847Falkirk5,732Glasgow East4,516Glasgow North3,995Glasgow North East4,823Glasgow South4,754Glasgow South West4,648Glasgow West4,880Glenrothes and Mid Fife5,958Gordon and Buchan5,696Hamilton and Clyde Valley5,982Inverclyde and Renfrewshire West6,209Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire6,686Livingston5,600Lothian East6,023Mid Dunbartonshire6,639Moray West, Nairn and Strathspey6,736Motherwell, Wishaw and Carluke5,589North East Fife6,248Paisley and Renfrewshire North5,749Paisley and Renfrewshire South5,439Perth and Kinross-shire6,664Rutherglen6,004Stirling and Strathallan5,965West Dunbartonshire5,905Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock6,619Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk7,240Central Ayrshire6,245Kilmarnock and Loudoun6,100West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine6,004 The relevant Scottish census data is available here in table UV102a, broken down by United Kingdom Parliamentary Constituency 2024: SuperWEB2(tm) - Table View. In Northern Ireland, as of the 2021 census there were the following numbers of 1950s-born women in each Northern Irish constituency: ConstituencyFemales aged 62 to 71 in 2021Belfast East4,825Belfast North5,116Belfast South and Mid Down5,343Belfast West5,081East Antrim5,633East Londonderry5,771Fermanagh and South Tyrone5,701Foyle5,087Lagan Valley5,528Mid Ulster4,845Newry and Armagh5,439North Antrim5,656North Down6,181South Antrim5,286South Down5,441Strangford5,917Upper Bann5,796West Tyrone5,234 The relevant Northern Irish census data is available in this table: Get data for Single year of age and sex (MS-A09) | NISRA Flexible Table Builder