Written questions by Jarvis.

Whether he plans to implement he recommendations of the Independent Review of Carer’s Allowance Overpayments.

I refer the hon. Member to my Written Statement of 25 November HCWS1092 and (at Col 22WS) Carer's Allowance Overpayments Review - Hansard - UK Parliament where I outlined the department’s response to Liz Sayce’s Independent Review. The Government has welcomed the report and is accepting or partially accepting 38 out of the 40 recommendations. In some cases, the changes the report is asking for have already been made. Others will take more time to put in place.

If he will make an assessment of the potential impact of State Pension age changes on 1950s-born women living in Eastleigh constituency.

All women born since 6 April 1950 have been affected by changes to State Pension age. Estimates can be made using ONS 2021 Census Data on how many women born in the 1950s resided in each constituency in that year.

What correspondence he has received from the WASPI Campaign since 1 September 2025.

The Department for Work and Pensions receive a very large volume of correspondence on a range of issues including the PHSO’s investigation into the communication of State Pension age rises. We attach great importance to providing prompt and accurate replies.

What assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of Local Housing Allowance for residents in Eastleigh constituency.

Local Housing Allowance (LHA) determines the maximum levels of housing support for households claiming Housing Benefit or the housing element of Universal Credit and who rent in the private rented sector. LHA is not intended to cover all rents in all areas. In April 2024 LHA rates were increased to the 30th percentile of local market rents, (including in the Eastleigh area), costing £1.2bn across Great Britain (GB) in 2024/25 and £7bn over 5 years. LHA rates were reviewed at Autumn Budget and will remain at current levels in 2026/27. A range of factors were considered, such as rental levels across GB, the challenging fiscal context, and the impact of current levels of housing support For those renters who require additional support to meet a shortfall in rent costs, Discretionary Housing Payments are available from local authorities.

What steps he is taking to ensure that the Keep Britain Working Vanguard Taskforce will adequately factor in the challenges of living with fluctuating conditions.

We are bringing together a Vanguard Taskforce to steer the Keep Britain Working Vanguard Phase and are committed to listening to disabled people and those with long-term health conditions, these voices will be reflected in the outputs of the phase. This Taskforce will advise on the development of a Healthy Working Lifecycle Standard over the Vanguard Phase. The Standard will focus developing the best practices and approaches to drive better outcomes for all those managing health conditions or living with impairments, and as such the challenges of living with fluctuating conditions will be a key consideration.

What steps he is taking to monitor the quality of paid services offering assistance with Attendance Allowance applications.

Free help, support and advice on claiming Attendance Allowance is widely available, including on GOV.UK, from DWP, and organisations such as Age UK. There is no need for claimants to pay for advice and support with benefit applications.

What discussions has he had with organisations that deliver supported accommodation on work for young people living in supported housing.

We acknowledge there is a challenge arising from the interaction between Universal Credit and Housing Benefit for working age customers (including young people) living in supported and temporary accommodation. We are considering options to improve work incentives for residents of supported housing and temporary accommodation, while taking into account the views of stakeholders. Any future decisions on housing support will be made in the round, prioritising measures that best meet Government objectives within the current fiscal environment. It remains our priority to ensure that those who can work are supported to enter and sustain employment.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of housing costs on the ability of people over 65 to retire.

The Department has made no such assessment. The Pensions Commission will consider the outcomes and risks for future cohorts of pensioners, taking into consideration the role housing plays amongst other factors.

Whether his Department plans to make an assessment of the effectiveness of telephone-based disability benefit assessments.

An assessment of whether each of the channels - telephone, video and face to face - for initial health assessments drive different award outcomes and impact Annually Managed Expenditure (AME) has recently been undertaken. The results will be published in due course. This is in addition to the research published last year, which can be found on GOV.UK. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/health-assessment-channels-research/health-assessment-channels-research

What recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of apprenticeship (a) uptake and (b) completion rates among businesses in Eastleigh constituency.

The latest data on apprenticeship starts and achievements in the Eastleigh parliamentary constituency are published in the Apprenticeships statistics publication and can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/20473790-6c7d-416e-f87c-08de0724494a​This has been available since 17 July 2025. Finalised figures for the 2024/25 academic year will be published in the Apprenticeships: November 2025 statistics publication.​Achievement rates are not available for individual parliamentary constituencies, but nationally (England) they can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/apprenticeships/2024-25#content-7

How many and what proportion of Child Maintenance Service cases lapse each year due to failure to trace the paying parent.

The statistical information specific to the scenario you have given is not collated centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost to the Department. The Government is committed to ensuring parents meet their financial obligations to their children. Where a paying parent fails to take responsibility for paying their child maintenance and cannot be traced, the Child Maintenance Service (CMS) will take immediate action and do everything within its powers to trace the paying parent. The CMS have a range of enforcement powers that can be used against those parents who consistently refuse to meet or evade their obligations to provide financial support to their children. We are committed to using these powers fairly and in the best interests of children and separated families to ensure compliance.

What steps her Department is taking to support the growth of apprenticeships in Eastleigh constituency.

This government is transforming the apprenticeships offer into a new growth and skills offer, which will offer greater flexibility to employers and learners across the country, including in Eastleigh, and support the Industrial Strategy. In August, the department introduced new foundation apprenticeships for young people in targeted sectors, as well as shorter duration apprenticeships. These flexibilities will help more people learn new high quality skills at work and fuel innovation in businesses across the country. To support the growth of apprenticeships, the government provides £1,000 to both employers and training providers when they take on apprentices aged under 19, or 19 to 24-year-old apprentices who have an education, health and care plan or have been, or are, in care. We will also pay employers up to £2,000 for eligible foundation apprenticeships to contribute to the extra costs of supporting someone at the beginning of their career. Employers also benefit from not being required to pay anything towards employees’ National Insurance for all apprentices aged up to age 25, when the employee’s wage is below £50,270 a year.

What steps his Department is taking to promote initiatives to help reskill older workers without IT skills.

The Department for Work and Pensions currently offers support for those out of work, including older jobseekers, through its network of Jobcentres and through contracted employment programmes. Where a work coach becomes aware that a customer lacks digital skills, they can refer them to suitable provision for example, Foundation Digital Skills, and then onto Essential Digital Skills. In addition, work coaches and employers are supported by 50PLUS Champions working across all 37 Jobcentre Districts. 50PLUS Champions act as enablers, working collaboratively to strengthen the support available to customers over the age of 50. Examples of personalised activities that Champions organise for older jobseekers include digital awareness sessions and confidence building. Through Midlife MOT reviews, delivered in Jobcentres across the UK and the digital MOT online, we also support older people to review their health, finances and skills. The Government is reforming Jobcentre Plus and creating a new Jobs and Careers Service that will enable everyone, including the over 50s, to access support to find good, meaningful work, and support to help them progress in their careers. This includes an enhanced focus on skills and careers advice. The new service across Great Britain will be universal andavailable to anyone who wants to look for work, increase their earnings, re-train, upskill, or change their career.

What steps he is taking to reduce waiting times for applications to the Access to Work grant.

As set out in the Green Paper, we are reforming Access to Work to improve the scheme so that it helps more disabled people into and on in work. We are committed to reducing waiting times for claims and we prioritise customers starting a job in four weeks. Nevertheless, Access to Work is demand-led and tailored to the needs of each customer. We are continuing to streamline delivery practices and have increased the number of staff processing claims. Since May 2024, 118 additional staff have been redeployed to support Access to Work.

What assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of the Health and Safety Executive’s approach to asbestos management in non-domestic buildings.

HSE is a non-departmental public body. Whilst it has responsibility for its own policy, it reports direct to DWP ministers. The Work and Pensions Committee held an inquiry into HSE’s approach to asbestos management and published a report in 2022. I am now working with HSE on how it will tackle Great Britain’s asbestos legacy using a variety of regulatory interventions. Asbestos in non-domestic buildings is a key ministerial priority, and HSE provides regular updates and assurance to ministers about its approach to asbestos management.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the Housing Benefit (a) earnings disregard and (b) taper rate on the work incentives of young people in supported accommodation; and whether she plans to review those rules.

It remains the department’s priority to ensure that those who can work are supported to enter the labour market and to sustain employment. The Department acknowledges there is a challenge presented by the interaction between Universal Credit and Housing Benefit for those living in Supported Housing and Temporary Accommodation and receiving their housing support through Housing Benefit. The department will consider the issue carefully in partnership with stakeholders.Like Universal Credit, Housing Benefit has an income taper. As Housing Benefit may be claimed by those both in work and out of work, there are no rules around the number of hours that someone may work; instead, there are income tapers which apply. The income taper in Housing Benefit ensures people in work are better off than someone wholly reliant on benefits. In addition to any financial advantage, there are important non-financial benefits of working. These benefits include learning new skills, improved confidence and independence as well as a positive effect on an individual's mental and physical health. However, the treatment of earnings in Housing Benefit is less generous than that of Universal Credit. Therefore, although customers living in Supported Housing are better off working than doing no work at all, they can be financially better off limiting the hours they work to ensure they retain a small amount of Universal Credit entitlement.Changing the current rules would require a fiscal event and funding at a Budget. As funding is required to allow a change, any future decisions will take account of the current fiscal context.

Whether (a) disabled people and (b) carers will be consulted on the outcomes of the Timms review.

The Timms review will be co-produced with disabled people, the organisations that represent them, clinicians, experts, MPs and other stakeholders, so a wide range of views and voices are heard. This will include carers' organisations so that the voices of unpaid carers are heard. We are committed to concluding the review by Autumn 2026 and reporting outcomes to the House in a ministerial Oral Statement. We have committed to a general debate on this, in Government time. Any legislation to implement the outcomes of the review will not be brought forward until that has happened.

With reference to the Office for National Statistics' dataset entitled CC02 Regional labour market, published on 12 August 2025, what steps she is taking to support young people into work in Eastleigh constituency.

The Department is committed to ensuring young people have access to the support they need to move into sustainable employment. DWP currently provides young people aged 16-24 with labour market support through an extensive range of interventions at a national and local level. This includes flexible provision driven by local need, nationwide employment programmes and support delivered by work coaches based in our Jobcentres and in local communities, working alongside partners such as the Kings Trust, Local Authorities, National Careers Service/Career Wales, local colleges and Youth Trusts. Local Youth Employment Coaches in Eastleigh are providing tailored, intensive support through extended appointments and a range of targeted opportunities including: Sector-Based Work Academy Programmes (SWAPs): delivered in partnership with three local colleges, offering training and work experience across key sectors including construction, hospitality, retail, and health and social care. The Movement to Work Programme: recently supported young people through a two-week course focused on overcoming employment barriers – such as access to clothing and IT –and improving job readiness. Feedback has been overwhelmingly positive and of the 10 attendees, 2 young people have already secured employment with another 4 awaiting interview outcomes. Sessions focused on the benefits of work experience and shifting mindsets: Employment Advisors in Eastleigh have developed sessions highlighting the benefits of work experience and shifting attitudes towards employment. These are delivered in collaboration with charities and employers, offering work experience placements that build skills and enhance CVs. We have also set up job matching support to assist young people with their job applications and securing suitable roles. In addition, we are providing outreach services in Romsey, while not exclusively aimed at young people, these services help overcome transport barriers in a region with a predominantly younger demographic.

Whether her Department plans to ensure that pension scheme trustees are able to use surplus funds to provide discretionary increases for pre-1997 pensioners whose pensions have not kept pace with inflation.

Discretionary indexation is over and above the statutory requirements. This discretion is usually exercised by the trustees with the agreement of the sponsoring employer.The precise design of pension benefits is a matter for employers and trustees and is not covered in Department for Work and Pensions legislation. Pension scheme rules regarding pension entitlements are many and varied and must remain a matter for employers and scheme trustees to decide. The Pension Schemes Bill 2025 makes changes so that more trustees of well-funded schemes have the flexibility to share their scheme surplus with employers, subject to strict funding safeguards for members. Scheme trustees are required to act in the interest of scheme beneficiaries. Working with sponsoring employers, they will be responsible for decisions around surplus release. Together they will agree how members can benefit from any release of surplus, which could include discretionary benefit increases. The Pensions Regulator already expects that trustees should be aware of members who would benefit from any decision to award a discretionary increase and whether the scheme has a history of making such awards.

What assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of the Personal Independence Payment assessment process for people living with bipolar disorder.

Entitlement to Personal Independence Payment (PIP) is based on the needs arising from a long-term health condition or disability and not on a particular disability or diagnosis such as bipolar disorder. Health conditions may be physical, sensory, mental, intellectual or cognitive, or any combination of these, and the assessment takes a comprehensive approach to disability, reflecting the needs arising from the full range of conditions. Health Professionals conducting PIP assessments are trained specialists in disability analysis. All HPs receive specific training on assessing the effects of mental health conditions and are supported by Mental Health Function Champions (MHFCs). MHFCs are experienced professionals with relevant expertise in mental health, cognitive, developmental, and learning disabilities. They are available to provide advice and support throughout the assessment process. Additionally, HPs have access to Condition Insight Reports and Continuing Professional Development guides. These resources offer detailed clinical and functional information on a range of conditions, including Bipolar, to support HPs in delivering informed assessments.