Written questions by Anderson.

What steps she is taking to help support autistic people into the workplace.

We are committed to supporting neurodivergent people, including autistic people, get into and thrive in work. Our Jobcentres have a range of support available, including Disability Employment Advisors.On 6th March 2025 we announced that we will deploy 1000 work coaches to help people with health conditions and disabled people towards and into work. This will build and expand on existing measures like additional work coach support which delivers personalised support for some customers on the health journey.Connect to Work is our new, voluntary, locally led Supported Employment Programme that is helping disabled people, people with health conditions and those with complex barriers to employment, including learning disabled and autistic adults, to find sustained work. West London Alliance and East Sussex have now opened their local Connect to Work services, with roll out across England and Wales continuing throughout 2025.In January this year we launched an independent panel of academics with expertise and experiences of neurodiversity. The panel will consider the reasons why neurodivergent people have poor experiences in the workplace, and a low overall employment rate, making their recommendations to government later this summer.The Secretaries of State for Work and Pensions and Business and Trade have asked Sir Charlie Mayfield to lead an independent review. While not specific to neurodiversity, this review is considering how best to support and enable employers to recruit and retain more people with health conditions and disabilities, promote healthy and inclusive workplaces, and how to support more people to stay in or return to work. Sir Charlie Mayfield will deliver his final report in the autumn.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of requiring Personal Independent Payment claimants to score four points in a single category on autistic people.

No assessment has been made.Information on the impacts of the Pathways to Work Green Paper has been published here ‘Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working Green Paper’(opens in a new tab).Among those in receipt of Personal Independence Payment whose primary impairment is autism, 94% scored at least four points on one daily living activity at their most recent assessment. That suggests that only a very small proportion of autistic people will lose PIP as a result of the new eligibility threshold being introduced from November 2026.Impacts of the proposed changes depend on many factors including how the mix of conditions among claimants evolves over time, and behavioural responses. These impacts are uncertain at an overall England and Wales level, and it would not be possible to make an informed assessment at such a granular level as individual primary medical conditions.The number of people currently on PIP who did not score 4 points in one category in their last assessment should not be equated with the number who are likely to lose PIP in future. It’s important to make a clear distinction between the two, not least because we don’t want constituents to be unnecessarily fearful about their situation, when we understand many are already anxious. Someone who did not score 4 points in an activity in a previous assessment may well score 4 points in a future assessment as conditions change over time.Changes to PIP eligibility aren’t coming into effect immediately. Our intention is these changes will start to come into effect from November 2026, subject to parliamentary approval. PIP changes will only apply at the next award review after November 2026. The average award review period is about three years.We are consulting on how best to support those who are affected by the new eligibility changes, including how to make sure health and eligible care needs are met. PIP is not based on condition diagnosis, but on functional disability as the result of one or more conditions and is awarded as a contribution to the additional costs which result.We have also announced a wider review of the PIP assessment which I am leading, and 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. We will provide further details as plans progress.

How many people began receiving Pension Credit after the announcement of changes to the eligibility criteria for the Winter Fuel Payment in 2024.

On 29 May 2025 we published Pension Credit applications and award statistics. This publication provides application volumes up to 25 May 2025. Pension Credit Statistics - May 2025Comparing the period since the announcement on 29 July 2024 that Winter Fuel Payment (WFP) will be means tested (29 July 2024 to 25 May 2025) with the comparable period a year previous (31 July 2023 to 26 May 2024), DWP has:Received 285,600 Pension Credit claims – a 51% increase or 96,200 extra applications on the comparable period a year previousCleared 308,800 Pension Credit claims - a 74% increase or 131,300 extra clearances on the comparable period a year previous, of which: 162,800 Pension Credit claims have been awarded – a 57% increase or 58,800 extra awards on the comparable period a year previous. Please note, the figures presented are from DWP’s Pension Credit system which has previously been collected for internal departmental operations use only and has not been quality assured to Official Statistics publication standards.

What steps she plans to take to help support (a) seriously ill and (b) disabled people who may be affected by proposed changes to the Personal Independence Payment.

We have committed to introduce a new requirement that claimants must score a minimum of four points in at least one daily living activity to be eligible for the daily living component of Personal Independence Payment (PIP) to focus PIP on those with higher needs. We are mindful of the impact this change to PIP eligibility could have on people. That is why, in the Green Paper Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working (published on 18 March), we are consulting on how best to support those who lose entitlement due to the reforms, including ensuring health and care needs are met. This Labour government will always protect the most vulnerable. Those with severe conditions will not be affected. There will be no change for a person claiming PIP under “Special Rules for End of Life” (SREL). They will not require a consultation and will automatically be awarded the enhanced rate of daily living as is the current process.

If she will make an assessment of the potential merits of changing the eligibility criteria for the Winter Fuel Allowance to enable more people to claim it

The Government wants to expand eligibility for Winter Fuel Payments, recognising the goals of supporting these pensioners, meeting need and of sustainable public finances. Any change will be announced to Parliament in the normal way.

If she will publish a breakdown of work capability assessment decisions by medical condition between January 2022 and November 2024.

Statistics on Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) Work Capability Assessment decisions by grouped medical condition, including ‘mental and behavioural disorders’, are published on Stat-Xplore in the sections ‘ESA Work Capability Assessments’. Users can log in or access Stat-Xplore as a guest and, if needed, can access guidance on how to extract the information required. Statistics on Universal Credit Work Capability Assessment decisions by grouped medical condition, including ‘mental and behavioural disorders’, are available at Universal Credit Work Capability Assessment statistics, April 2019 to December 2024 - GOV.UK in section 6 of the document and table 7 of the tables. Information on lower level conditions is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

If she will publish the Work Capability Assessment decisions made between January 2022 and November 2024, broken down by mental and behavioural disorders.

Statistics on Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) Work Capability Assessment decisions by grouped medical condition, including ‘mental and behavioural disorders’, are published on Stat-Xplore in the sections ‘ESA Work Capability Assessments’. Users can log in or access Stat-Xplore as a guest and, if needed, can access guidance on how to extract the information required. Statistics on Universal Credit Work Capability Assessment decisions by grouped medical condition, including ‘mental and behavioural disorders’, are available at Universal Credit Work Capability Assessment statistics, April 2019 to December 2024 - GOV.UK in section 6 of the document and table 7 of the tables. Information on lower level conditions is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

If she will publish a breakdown of work capability assessment decisions in each month between January 2022 and November 2024.

Statistics on Work Capability Assessment decisions by month of decision are published on Stat-Xplore in the sections ‘ESA Work Capability Assessments’ and ‘Universal Credit Work Capability Assessments’. Users can log in or access Stat-Xplore as a guest and, if needed, can access guidance on how to extract the information required.

How many disability benefit claimants will be impacted by the disability benefit reforms in Ashfield constituency.

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 steps her Department is taking to prevent child poverty in Ashfield constituency, in the context of disability benefit reforms.

Delivering our manifesto commitment to tackle child poverty is an urgent priority for this Government. The Ministerial Taskforce is working to publish a Child Poverty Strategy looking at levers across four key themes of increasing incomes, reducing essential costs, increasing financial resilience; and better local support especially in the early years. We are listening carefully to the voices of children and families living in poverty, including children with disabilities and special educational needs. Later this month, the Taskforce will meet with external experts, including disability charities and organisations, to discuss the impact of poverty on disabled children specifically. Alongside our work on the Child Poverty Strategy, we have set out ambitious plans to reform employment support and support disabled people and people with health conditions to stay in work and get back into work. Our Get Britain Working (GBW) White Paper includes £15 million funding to support trailblazers and local development of GBW plans. We announced in our Pathways to Work Green Paper that we would establish a new guarantee of support for all disabled people and people with health conditions claiming out of work benefits who want help to get into or return to work, backed up by £1 billion of new funding.

What steps her Department is taking to support severely disabled people who cannot work.

The social security system will always be there for those who can’t work. As part of making changes to the payment rates in Universal Credit, we will ensure that those with the most severe, lifelong conditions who will never be able to work have their incomes protected. For those who are affected by the new PIP eligibility changes, we are consulting on how best to support this group, including how to make sure health and eligible care needs are met.

What diversity, equality and inclusion targets her Department has for staff recruitment.

The Department for Work and Pensions does not have specific targets for diversity, equality and inclusion in recruitment. Instead, the department looks to establish methods of recruitment that give all applicants a fair opportunity to succeed, based on merit. The department looks to build an organisation that is representative of the community that it serves that also fulfils all principles set by the Civil Service Commission. The exception to this is a DWP ambition to fill 5% of AO/EO vacancies through Going Forward into Employment (GFiE) Life Chance Employment Schemes. This ambition of 5% is held across the whole Civil Service, in a scheme led by Cabinet Office, but is not a fixed target that must be met.

What plans she has for future eligibility criteria for the Motability Scheme.

The Motability Scheme operates throughout the UK and is open to recipients of enhanced mobility Personal Independence Payment, higher rate mobility Disability Living Allowance, War Pensioner’s Mobility Supplement and Armed Forces Independence Payment (including equivalent Scottish benefits).We recently announced plans to make changes to eligibility for the Daily Living component of PIP.In our Green Paper: Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working we also set out our intention to carry out a longer-term review of the whole PIP assessment, working closely with stakeholders and those with lived experience.Motability’s latest annual report shows that there are approximately 815,000 individuals participating in the Scheme.

What the total cost was of providing translation services in her Department in the last year.

In the last 12 months the total money spent on interpretation services was £8,496,578.37.

How many claimants are registered under the Motability Scheme.

The Motability Scheme operates throughout the UK and is open to recipients of enhanced mobility Personal Independence Payment, higher rate mobility Disability Living Allowance, War Pensioner’s Mobility Supplement and Armed Forces Independence Payment (including equivalent Scottish benefits).We recently announced plans to make changes to eligibility for the Daily Living component of PIP.In our Green Paper: Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working we also set out our intention to carry out a longer-term review of the whole PIP assessment, working closely with stakeholders and those with lived experience.Motability’s latest annual report shows that there are approximately 815,000 individuals participating in the Scheme.

Pursuant to the Answer of 11 February 2025 to Question 29494 on Social Security Benefits: Fraud, if she will make it her policy to (a) record and (b) publish annually the number of benefit fraud investigations which result in benefits being revoked.

The Department is not currently considering changing the data we record or publish about the outcomes of fraud investigations. We are confident that the data we collect and publish in the Annual Reports and Accounts is comprehensive and proportionate – this can be found at the link here: DWP annual report and accounts.

How many reports of benefit fraud were made to her Department in 2024; and how many and what proportion of these resulted in benefits being revoked.

The number of benefit fraud public referrals, received by Counter Fraud, Compliance and Debt (CFCD) in the Department, in the calendar year 2024 was 160,079. Data is not held on how many of these resulted in benefit being revoked.Counter Fraud and Compliance has different approaches to tackling fraud, depending on the nature and severity. The team deploys a diverse range of expertise, technology, and intelligence to protect the integrity of the benefits system, correcting benefit where appropriate and bringing the most serious cases to justice. This approach has seen Counter Fraud and Compliance deliver over £1.2 billion savings for 2023-24.

Why was no cost benefit analysis done for the change to the Winter Fuel Allowance entitlement.

There is no requirement to carry out a cost benefit analysis for all policy changes. A policy costing will be published as standard following the Autumn Budget 2024. An equality analysis was produced as part of Ministerial decision making in line with the requirements of the Public Sector Equality Duty.

What estimate she has made of the cost to the public purse of bringing together the administration of Pension Credit and Housing Benefit.

No definitive estimate has yet been made as to the full cost of this policy. The Department has already begun working with local authorities to ensure that take-up of Pension Credit is maximised and implementation is appropriately planned. This work will help further our understanding of the costs so we deliver consistent and high quality support to pensioners.

What estimate she has made of the number of people that will be affected by the proposed changes to pensioners' eligibility for the Winter Fuel Payment in Ashfield constituency.

It is estimated that around 15,800 pensioners in Ashfield Constituency (2024 boundaries) will be impacted by the decision to amend the eligibility criteria for the Winter Fuel Payment. This is based on February 2024 Pension Credit statistics which are available via DWP Stat-Xplore and the Winter Fuel Payment statistics for winter 2023 to 2024 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) which are available via GOV.UK. This estimation is calculated by subtracting the number of people claiming Pension Credit in Ashfield Constituency from the number of Winter Fuel Payment recipients in Ashfield Constituency. It is possible to use the Pension Credit statistics, to give a minimum estimate of the number who may be eligible for Winter Fuel Payments. Therefore, the above estimation is essentially the number of Winter Fuel Payment recipients who are not claiming Pension Credit pre-policy change, as an estimate of those who will no longer receive the Winter Fuel Payment. Please note that the above estimation would not take into account any potential increase in Pension Credit take-up that we might see as a result of the Government’s Pension Credit Awareness Campaign. We do not have data on those additional Pension Credit claims by Parliamentary constituencies or Local Authorities. The published Pension Credit figures refer to households, so the number of individuals in respect of whom Pension Credit is paid will be higher (i.e. taking account of households where a claimant has a partner and / or dependents.) In addition, while Pension Credit claimants constitute the majority of those that will be eligible for the Winter Fuel Payment, pensioners who claim other qualifying means-tested benefits will also be eligible for the Winter Fuel Payment. It is not, however, possible to include those on other qualifying means-tested benefits in these figures.