Written questions by Vickers.

How many claimants in receipt of legacy benefits are currently receiving additional benefit entitlement in respect of more than one spouse.

Awaiting answer.

Whether the Government plans to amend legacy benefit regulations to remove provisions recognising additional spouses in polygamous marriages.

Awaiting answer.

What steps he is taking to close legacy benefit provisions relating to polygamous marriages.

Awaiting answer.

Whether individuals in polygamous marriages can receive additional entitlement for multiple spouses under Universal Credit.

Awaiting answer.

What estimate his Department has made of the annual cost to the public purse of additional benefit payments made in respect of multiple spouses under legacy benefit arrangements.

Awaiting answer.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the duration of the Bereavement Support Payment on the finances of bereaved parents with dependent children.

Bereavement Support Payment (BSP) aims to provide support during the acute period following a bereavement by way of an initial lump sum followed by up to 18 monthly instalments. Where longer-term financial support is needed, benefits such as Universal Credit have been specifically designed to provide assistance with ongoing living costs. The Government keeps the eligibility of all benefits under review.In Autumn 2021 the previous Government carried out an evaluation on whether BSP is meeting its policy intent by supporting claimants with the immediate costs that follow a bereavement. The findings suggested that BSP is meeting this policy intent, and it also found that the current payment distribution of a lump sum and 18 monthly instalment was working well.

If he will make an assessment of the adequacy of the Bereavement Support Payment in the context of trends in the cost of living.

Bereavement Support Payment (BSP) is intended to provide support during the acute period following a bereavement when people may face sudden costs or disruption. Where longer-term income support is needed for everyday living costs, qualifying individuals can access Universal Credit, which is generally increased in line with inflation. The rate of Bereavement Support Payment is reviewed on a discretionary basis each year as part of the annual uprating process.

How many an what percentage of cases concerning the Child Maintenance Service referred to Independent Case Examiners were (a) wholly upheld, (b) partially upheld and (c) wholly dismissed in each of the last three years.

The Independent Case Examiner publishes an Annual Report each year. Data relating to upheld rates for DWP and its individual service lines, including the Child Maintenance Service, for the years being requested, can be found within those reports.The Independent Case Examiner’s Annual Reports are available on gov.uk. DWP complaints: Annual reports by the Independent Case Examiner - GOV.UK

How many and what percentage of cases concerning the Child Maintenance Service referred to the Parliamentary Health and Health Service Ombudsman were (a) wholly upheld, (b) partially upheld and (c) wholly dismissed in each of the last three years.

This is a matter for the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman’s office. The Ombudsman publishes case statistics annually on her website: Publications | Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO)

How many consolatory payments were made to (a) paying and (b) receiving parents by the Child Maintenance Service in each of the last three years.

The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.The department hold records of how many consolatory payments were authorised for Child Maintenance Service customers. This information is provided in the table. We are unable to supply a breakdown of payments made to paying and receiving parents without additional work at disproportionate cost. Year No. of consolatory payments authorised 2022/202321072023/202426342024/20252189

What steps his Department is taking to improve the accuracy of automated decision-making tools used in benefit administration.

The Department uses automated decision-making in some areas, as described in our Personal Information Charter. Customers are told when an automated decision has been made in relation to their case, along with information on the steps they would need to take if they want to exercise their right to ask for a human to review that decision. Using automated decision-making allows us to improve accuracy, speeds up delivery and frees up colleagues’ time so they can support the people who need it most. DWP has a legal requirement to ensure appropriate safeguards are in place when carrying out automated decision-making. The Department carries out regular checks to ensure our systems are working as intended, and any new features go through rigorous testing.

What recent assessment the Department has made of the level of access to face-to-face support for claimants with limited digital skills.

If a work coach becomes aware a claimant lacks digital skills, they are able to refer to provision for Foundation Digital Skills, and then onto Essential Digital Skills training. In England, this is paid for by the adult skills budget.

What recent assessment his Department has made of the accuracy of fraud and error detection systems used in Universal Credit administration.

Over the last year, we have seen a statistically significant decrease in the Universal Credit overpayment rate from 12.4% to 9.7% of expenditure - this represents a 21% fall in the overpayment rate, equivalent to £1.7bn in terms of FYE 2025 Universal Credit expenditure. This compares to the Universal Credit overpayment peak of 14.7% of expenditure in FYE 2022. On Wednesday 26 November the Office for Budget Responsibility also published an updated Universal Credit fraud and error forecast which shows the rate of Universal Credit overpayments is expected to drop to 7.5% of Universal Credit expenditure by 2028/2029.

What steps his Department is taking to improve support for unemployed claimants aged over 50 seeking to return to work.

Work helps everyone play active and fulfilling roles in society while building financial security for retirement. The Department is therefore committed to supporting workers over the age of 50 through a wide-ranging strategy that promotes inclusion, flexibility, and progression. This includes promoting age-inclusive practices, supporting workplace health, policy and service reform and removing age related barriers to employment. The Department has also signed up to and actively promotes the Age-Friendly Employer Pledge, encouraging employers to adopt flexible working, age-positive hiring, and career development. The Government recognises that workers over 50 bring a wealth of skills and experience both to the workplace and the economy. We are committed to reforming labour market support, taking lessons from the current DWP service to those over 50, and the experience of 50PLUS Champions, to ensure that future support is reflective of their individual needs. We published our Get Britain Working White Paper on 26 November 2024. This set out our plans to reform Jobcentre Plus and create a new Jobs and Careers Service that will enable everyone, including claimants over 50, to access support to find good, meaningful work, and help them progress in work or increase their earnings. Our new service includes an enhanced focus on skills and careers advice and will provide support that is better tailored and personalised. We will embed the principles of accessibility and inclusivity into the design of the Jobs and Careers Service throughout the entire customer journey, acknowledging diverse support needs, including those of individuals over 50.

What assessment the Department has made of the impact of digital-only communications on claimant engagement and error rates.

DWP are continuing to explore the choice of contact channel to reduce the cost of benefits administration and meet the needs of our customers for faster communication. This is based on customer research. While some customers are already able to access messages digitally this is not the only way in which we communicate with those customers. In the future we expect to expand the scope of our digital communications, but with a customer preference capability to allow customers to control which channel they choose and take account of accessibility needs. All new services and capabilities are assessed for impact on error rates

What estimate his Department has made of the number of pensioners eligible for Pension Credit who are not currently receiving it.

The latest available Pension Credit take-up statistics cover the financial year 2023 to 2024 and are available at: Income-related benefits: estimates of take-up: financial year ending 2024 - GOV.UK. The Government wants all pensioners to get the support to which they are rightly entitled. That is why we have been running the biggest ever Pension Credit take-up campaign. Alongside the campaign, we are making better use of data to directly target potentially eligible households. Since February, all new Housing Benefit claimants who may be eligible have been invited to apply for Pension Credit. In September, the Department undertook a trial in partnership with Age UK and Independent Age targeting 2,000 households in England identified using HMRC and DWP data.The DWP’s drive to maximise Pension Credit take-up has seen the Department receive record numbers of claims – some 320,300 Pension Credit claims in the year ending July 2025 with nearly 60,000 extra awards compared to the equivalent period in the previous year.We are also undertaking research specifically looking into the factors that motivate people to make a claim as well as why some older people do not claim benefits to which they could be entitled, in order to build the evidence of what works to increase take-up.

What steps the Department is taking to reduce the backlog of Work Capability Assessments and improve the speed of decision making.

The Department for Work and Pensions prioritises assessments for new claims to minimise waiting times and ensure claimants receive the right benefit entitlement as soon as possible. However, due to unforeseen high levels of Work Capability Assessments (WCA) required in late 2024, a backlog of reassessment cases built up from individuals reporting a change in their condition before May 2025. We are working with suppliers to increase capacity for clearing this backlog, including by accelerating the recruitment of assessors.

What recent assessment the Department has made of the adequacy of Jobcentre staffing levels to support claimants with complex needs.

We recognise that as a department we come into contact with some claimants who have complex needs or are vulnerable. The department already has processes in place to support and safeguard people who use our services, and we will continue to provide this support as changes are taken forward. The Department continually impacts and assesses the service being offered to customers. Staff numbers, including the number of Work Coaches, and demand for Jobcentre services are reviewed on an ongoing basis, in line with the latest economic and benefit forecasts.

What estimate his Department has made of the current clearance times for Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit claims.

Monthly statistics on Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit (IIDB) assessments, by assessment month and decision time, are published on Stat-Xplore . They are available for claim starts to March 2025. Users can log in or access Stat-Xplore as a guest user and, if needed, can access guidance on how to extract the information required.

What recent estimate his Department has made of the average processing time for Personal Independence Payment claims in the latest three-month period.

The most recent available data on the average actual clearance times for Personal Independence Payment (PIP) claims can be found in Tables 1 and 2 of the latest release of the Personal Independence Payment: Clearance/outstanding times and customer journey statistics for England and Wales. The collection can be found here: Personal Independence Payment statistics - GOV.UK. Then navigate to the latest release.