Written questions by Goldman.

What steps he is taking to increase the speed of (a) award decisions and (b) reimbursement payments for the Access to Work scheme.

We are committed to increasing the speed of (a) award decisions and (b) reimbursement payments under the Access to Work scheme. To support this, we have increased capacity by recruiting additional staff to process applications and payments. Access to Work payments processing is currently meeting the Standard level agreement of 10 days. We also prioritise cases where customers are about to start work or require renewal of existing support.In March 2025, the Department for Work and Pensions published the Pathways to Work Green Paper, which launched a consultation on the future of Access to Work and how the scheme can better support disabled people in employment. We are reviewing all aspects of Access to Work as we develop plans for reform following the conclusion of the consultation.

If he will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing single-parent specific work coaches.

Parents claiming Universal Credit have support from Work Coaches, who provide individual, tailored help to all customers across the country. This includes supporting the development of skills needed to look for and obtain sustained employment, advice to parents on childcare support and funding through Flexible Support Fund to remove immediate barriers to employment. We are also considering how we can improve our employment support to parents as part of our Child Poverty Strategy.

Whether his Department’s review of Universal Credit will consider (a) the potential impact and effectiveness of the conditionality scheme and (b) the necessity of sanctions for lead carers of children.

The review of Universal Credit is exploring the policy design and structures of Universal Credit and is focused on three main areas:Tackling poverty and helping people manage their moneyMaking work pay and improving work incentivesMaximising Universal Credit's potential and its impact on customers We have already shown our ambition with the changes made to the Fair Repayment Rate, enabling 1.2m households to retain an average of £420 per year. Conditionality and sanctions are not in scope of the review. We do, however, continuously review both the policy and how they are applied, as well as how they affect claimants and their outcomes.

With reference to the Trussell Trust’s Guarantee our Essentials research, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of uplifting Universal Credit to £120 per week.

The purpose of the standard allowance is to provide towards basic living costs. Additional amounts are added to provide for individual needs such as housing, disability, and childcare costs. Around 4 million households will benefit overall from the Government’s decision to increase the Universal Credit standard allowance – estimated to be worth £725 annually by 2029/30 in cash terms based on Spring Statement 2025 economic assumptions - £250 annually above inflation for a single household aged 25 or over. We have uprated benefit rates for 2025/26 in line with inflation, with 5.7 million Universal Credit households forecast to gain by an average of £150 annually.

Whether she has made an assessment of the adequacy of the universal credit assessment period; and whether she plans to change the frequency of that assessment.

The first payment of Universal Credit is usually made around five weeks after the claim is made. The first calendar month is the initial assessment period, during which information is verified to ensure accurate payments. At the end of that period, entitlement for that month is calculated and paid seven days later. Payments thereafter are made monthly in arrears. Assessment Periods, once made, are set and cannot be changed. Universal Credit is designed to top-up earnings from employment, adapting to changes in the amount of earnings received each month. Assessing UC monthly ensures that we receive at least one update of earnings information for each working member of a household, meaning that the benefit calculated accurately reflects the needs of the household. There are currently no plans to change Universal Credit assessment periods.

With reference to the Select Committee on Work and Pensions letter on the Pension Protection Fund and Financial Assistance Scheme payments of 17 December 2024, what progress she has made on implementing the recommendations on inflation protection for pre-1997 pensions.

The PPF and FAS rules on indexation have been the subject of much discussion. I am aware of the concerns surrounding the matter and understand the problems experienced by Defined Benefit pension scheme members adjusting to an income in retirement which may be less than they were expecting. I will continue to consider this issue over the coming months. The Government is considering the Select Committee’s valuable report and will respond fully to the report and recommendations later this year.

What steps her Department is taking to help ensure problems arising from menstrual health conditions, such as endometriosis, are accepted by employers as justified workplace absences.

Officials from the Department for Work and Pensions and the Office for Equality and Opportunity met with Endometriosis UK to discuss the development of Equality Action Plans on 13th November 2024. On 18th October 2024 the Government appointed Mariella Frostrup as the new Menopause Employment Ambassador. The Menopause Employment Ambassador will work closely with employers across the country to improve workplace support for women experiencing menopause and wider women’s health issues including menstrual health conditions. This appointment comes as the government has proposed a wide-ranging set of generational reforms to boost protections for workers. The Employment Rights Bill is the first phase of delivering the Government’s plan to Make Work Pay, supporting workers through strengthening statutory sick pay, making flexible working the default, and requiring large employers to produce equality action plans.