Written questions by Byrne.

What assessment she has made of inadequate public transport as a barrier to employment in Birmingham Hodge Hill and Solihull North constituency.

Awaiting answer.

Whether his Department is responsible for the residual liabilities associated with the former DWP office at the junction of St Margaret's Avenue and Church Walk in Birmingham Hodge Hill and Solihull Nor

DWP exited the property in 2006. The office was part of the Private Finance Initiative (PFI) that ended in 2018. The department is keeping this under review.

With reference to the policy papers entitled Spending Review 2025, published on 30 June 2025, and Budget 2025, published on 28 November 2025, what their Department’s capital Departmental Expenditure Limit (DEL) will be in each year of the Spending Review period; how much capital funding has been allocated to each of their Department’s programmes; and how much and what proportion of the capital DEL allocation remains unallocated in each year.

DWP secured £1.0bn (2026/27), £0.8bn (2027/28), £0.6bn (2028/29) and £0.5bn (2029/30) in capital (CDEL) funding through the Spending Review. The Department is currently undertaking its internal business planning process, through which it will set programme budgets ahead of the new financial year. Details on DWP budgets are to be published in the explanatory memo for the 2026/27 Main Estimate.

How many pensioners are in receipt of the State Pension in each (a) local authority and (b) parliamentary constituency in (i) Birmingham and (ii) Solihull; and what estimate she has made of the cost to the public purse of the increase to the State Pension in the next financial year.

The number of pensioners in receipt of the State Pension in each (a) local authority and (b) parliamentary constituency in (i) Birmingham and (ii) Solihull are provided in the following tables. These figures are for the quarter ending August 2024 and are available at DWP Stat-Xplore. (a) (i) - Birmingham Local Authority WardState Pension CaseloadAcocks Green2,848Allens Cross1,590Alum Rock1,809Aston1,890Balsall Heath West1,083Bartley Green3,565Billesley3,045Birchfield1,027Bordesley and Highgate671Bordesley Green875Bournbrook and Selly Park1,251Bournville and Cotteridge3,502Brandwood and King's Heath2,850Bromford and Hodge Hill2,462Castle Vale1,449Druids Heath and Monyhull1,661Edgbaston2,509Erdington3,155Frankley Great Park1,825Garretts Green1,208Glebe Farm and Tile Cross2,689Gravelly Hill1,052Hall Green North2,806Hall Green South1,830Handsworth1,081Handsworth Wood2,716Harborne3,363Heartlands888Highter's Heath1,663Holyhead956King's Norton North2,110King's Norton South1,609Kingstanding2,714Ladywood1,227Longbridge and West Heath3,498Lozells703Moseley3,189Nechells857Newtown755North Edgbaston2,030Northfield1,970Oscott2,948Perry Barr2,948Perry Common1,714Pype Hayes1,546Quinton3,392Rubery and Rednal1,878Shard End1,729Sheldon3,353Small Heath1,673Soho and Jewellery Quarter1,574South Yardley1,393Sparkbrook and Balsall Heath East1,929Sparkhill1,783Stirchley1,271Stockland Green2,553Sutton Four Oaks2,336Sutton Mere Green2,303Sutton Reddicap1,743Sutton Roughley2,354Sutton Trinity1,982Sutton Vesey4,317Sutton Walmley and Minworth3,881Sutton Wylde Green2,441Tyseley and Hay Mills1,070Ward End964Weoley and Selly Oak3,202Yardley East1,751Yardley West and Stechford1,290 (a) (ii) - Solihull Local Authority WardState Pension CaseloadBickenhill2,540Blythe2,761Castle Bromwich2,725Chelmsley Wood1,988Dorridge and Hockley Heath2,692Elmdon2,464Kingshurst and Fordbridge1,784Knowle3,167Lyndon2,434Meriden3,121Olton2,772Shirley East2,371Shirley South2,859Shirley West2,687Silhill2,789Smith's Wood1,868St Alphege3,214 (b) (i) - Birmingham Parliamentary ConstituencyState Pension CaseloadBirmingham Edgbaston14,853Birmingham Erdington16,063Birmingham Hall Green and Moseley13,148Birmingham Hodge Hill and Solihull North14,525Birmingham Ladywood8,847Birmingham Northfield16,997Birmingham Perry Barr12,384Birmingham Selly Oak14,322Birmingham Yardley13,381Sutton Coldfield21,356 (b) (ii) - Solihull Parliamentary ConstituencyState Pension CaseloadBirmingham Hodge Hill and Solihull North14,525Meriden and Solihull East20,545Solihull West and Shirley19,100 In 2025/26, it is estimated the total State Pension expenditure will increase by around £9bn (in nominal terms). This estimation is available in the latest Benefit Expenditure and Caseload tables published at Autumn Budget 2024. Source: Benefit expenditure and caseload tables 2024 - GOV.UK

What estimate she has made of the impact on economic growth of the measures announced in the Get Britain Working White Paper.

The trend of economic inactivity is a long-term challenge; the UK is the only country in the G7 with an inactivity rate higher than before the pandemic. Building a thriving labour market, reducing economic inactivity and increasing the number of people in...

What estimate she has made of how many economically inactive people will rejoin the workforce as a result of the measures announced in the Get Britain Working White Paper.

The trend of economic inactivity is a long-term challenge; the UK is the only country in the G7 with an inactivity rate higher than before the pandemic. Building a thriving labour market, reducing economic inactivity and increasing the number of people in...