Written questions by Blackman.

With reference to data provided by her Department in relation to the court case Asylum Aid v Secretary of State for the Home Department [2025] EWHC 316 (Admin), for what reason 170 statelessness applications submitted between 31 January and 31 December 2024 were rejected without consideration.

The information requested is not currently available from published statistics, and the relevant data could only be collated and verified for the purpose of answering this question at disproportionate cost.

How many rejections of statelessness applications submitted in 2024 have been followed by renewed applications.

The information requested is not currently available from published statistics, and the relevant data could only be collated and verified for the purpose of answering this question at disproportionate cost.

What the most common grounds were for the rejection of statelessness applications submitted in 2024.

The information requested is not currently available from published statistics, and the relevant data could only be collated and verified for the purpose of answering this question at disproportionate cost.

When she plans to respond to the letter of 9 April 2025 from the hon. Member for Aberdeen North, reference ZA32718, case CMPT12025/33740.

We aim to investigate issues raised by complainants, and MPs on their behalf, within 15 working days, but where the case is complex, we may need to take longer. We acknowledge receipt of your letter dated 9th April 2025 and will provide a reply shortly.

With reference to the EHCR's Interim update on the practical implications of the UK Supreme Court judgment published on 25 April 2025, what guidance her Department has provided to (a) workplaces and (b) hospitality venues on access to single sex facilities.

The Government has set out our expectation that organisations follow the clarity the ruling provides. The EHRC’s interim update provides a perspective on how the judgment and Equality Act are practically applied in some areas. The EHRC has already committed to supporting organisations, including workplaces, with its updated statutory Code of Practice following consultation; we will engage them as necessary as they progress this work.

How many waiver requests from overpayment recovery of Universal Credit were (a) recorded and (b) granted (i) in full and (ii) partially for (A) each of the last two calendar years and (B) the current calendar year to date.

In last year's Annual Report and Accounts (ARA) waivers were included as part of the losses and special payments section on page 258: DWP annual report and accounts 2023 to 2024 (HTML) - GOV.UK. Information regarding Secretary of State discretion to waive recovery of debt can be found in Chapter 8 of the Benefit Overpayment Recovery Guide which is published on gov.uk. Benefit overpayment recovery guide - GOV.UK

With reference to the Public Law Project report entitled From pillar to post: barriers to dealing with deductions from Universal Credit, published on 19 September 2024, what steps her Department is taking to improve the accessibility of (a) waivers, (b) suspensions, (c) reductions in the rate of recovery and (d) other forms of discretionary relief from overpayment recovery.

DWP strives to set affordable and sustainable repayment plans and encourages customers to make contact if they are unable to afford the proposed repayment rate. When a customer makes contact because they are experiencing financial hardship, the rate of repayment can be reduced or, depending on the customer’s financial circumstances, a temporary suspension of repayment can be agreed. In exceptional circumstances a waiver can be considered. Customers are never pressured to pay more than they can afford. DWP has strengthened customer notifications encouraging anyone who cannot afford the proposed rate of repayment to contact the Department to discuss an affordable repayment plan. All appropriate debt notifications also provide signposting to relevant external support.DWP has also introduced the new Fair Repayment Rate (FRR) which has reduced the Universal Credit (UC) overall deductions cap from 25% to 15% of a customer’s UC standard allowance. This measure will help customers retain more of their UC award.

Pursuant to the Answer of 14 March 2025 to Question 36658 on Home Office: Training, whether the training described is specific to statelessness determination.

All training undertaken by Home Office staff is intended to be relevant for the work tasks they are assigned.

If she will list the job titles of staff in her Department's statelessness determination unit.

The statelessness unit job titles include the following:Administrative Support OfficersDecision MakersTechnical SpecialistsTeam LeadersSenior CaseworkersSenior Operational ManagersDeputy Chief CaseworkersChief CaseworkerAssistant Director

Pursuant to the Answer of 14 March 2025 to Question 36658 on Home Office: Training, how many technical specialists are employed by her Department to provide training on statelessness determination only.

The statelessness training is not restricted to a single technical specialist and may be delivered by any number of technical leads (who have a wider remit) across the Asylum and Human Rights Operational area.

With reference to the Answer of 13 December 2023 to Question 5974 on Universal Credit: Children, what recent assessment her Department has made of the impact of deductions from Universal Credit payments on trends in the level of (a) relative and (b) absolute child poverty.

Estimating the impact of deductions on trends in poverty is complex as stopping deductions would result in a build-up of arrears of the range of debts a customer has and stop vital obligations such as child maintenance being paid.The government is committed to a sustainable, long-term approach to drive up opportunity and drive down poverty across the UK. As announced by the Chancellor in the Autumn Budget, a new Fair Repayment Rate has now been introduced from 30 April 2025, reducing the Universal Credit (UC) overall deductions cap from 25% to 15% of a customer’s UC standard allowance. This measure will help approximately 1.2 million of the poorest households benefit by an average of £420 a year.

Whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of its proposed disability benefit changes on children's educational attainment.

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 proposed changes to disability benefit on demand for NHS services.

No 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’(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 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

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.

In the central Department for Transport communications team, there are a total of 91.01 Full Time Equivalent Government Communication Service professionals.Of this total, 31.82 work in the media discipline which covers press and media responsibilities.This is the latest available data from June 2024.

Media and Sport, 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.

In the central Department for Culture, Media & Sport communications team, there are a total of 43.54 Full Time Equivalent Government Communication Service professionals.Of this total, 13 work in the media discipline which covers press and media responsibilities.This is the latest available data from June 2024.

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

Defra Group Communications is the first shared service communications team in Whitehall, merging 6 geographically dispersed communications teams from the core department and Arm’s Length Bodies (ALBs). Alongside the department, the team works to the Environment Agency, Natural England, the Animal and Plant Health Agency, Forestry Commission and Rural Payments Agency. The teams work across all communications disciplines in support of the policy and operational priorities including a frontline team across the country providing a 24-hour communications response to incidents, working with local media and partners to give communities timely information they need to take action and prepare. This includes local and national media, planning, stakeholder engagement, digital communications and internal. Defra Group Communications staff work in an agile way to 6 organisations, it is not possible to provide granular full-time equivalent figures for each part of the group. The communications team employs professionals across all Civil Service grades, you can find more details on the salaries across Civil Service grades here - Civil Service Grades Explained - Defra Jobs - UK Government.

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

The Ministry of Defence (MOD) press, media team is made up of 14 employees. Roles range from grades Higher Executive Officer to Grade six and have salary ranges between £36,530 to £40,150 up to £70,450 to £78,790 This figure is for the MOD Directorate of Defence Communications Press Office and Media personnel only.