Written questions by Vickers.

What assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of trends in the level of women in employment since 2010.

The Government is committed to tackling the challenges women face in the labour market and takes seriously the challenges they face in balancing work with other life events. The Public Sector Equality Duty requires public authorities to consider impacts on those with protected characteristics, including sex, when exercising their functions, like making decisions. Female participation in the labour market grew substantially over the 2010s, predominantly driven by changes to the female State Pension Age. In recent years, participation has stalled and has only grown by 0.9 percentage points in the last 5 years, and the employment rate for women aged 16-64 currently stands at 72.1%. (Source: Labour Force Survey, Jul-Sep 2024). As set out in the Get Britain Working White Paper, too many women who care for their families still experience challenges staying and progressing in work. This is reflected in the higher rates of female inactivity and unpaid carers, and contributes to the gender pay gap. The Get Britain Working White Paper sets out how it will take a system-wide approach to reducing barriers to work, including measures to make it easier to access affordable childcare and manage caring responsibilities alongside work.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of the Autumn Budget 2024 on levels of unemployment.

The Office for Budget Responsibility’s October 2024 forecast, which takes into account measures announced in the Budget, expects the unemployment rate will fall to 4.1% next year and remain low until 2029.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of the Autumn Budget 2024 on levels of poverty.

The Government is developing an ambitious and comprehensive strategy to reduce child poverty. Autumn Budget 2024 announced measures to support households who face the greatest hardships. This support includes a new Fair Repayment Rate which caps deductions made through Universal Credit at 15% of the standard allowance. Before the budget, it was 25% meaning this change will benefit 1.2m families who will be better off by £420 per annum on average. The government also committed £1 billion in 2025-26, including Barnett consequences, to extend the Household Support Fund (HSF) in England, and Discretionary Housing Payments (DHPs) in England and Wales. The HSF will help households facing the greatest hardship and financial crisis, including supporting them with the cost of essentials such as food, energy and water. As shown in the analysis published alongside the Autumn Budget 2024, the impacts of government decisions are progressive and benefit households in the lowest income deciles the most in 2025-26. Overall, on average, all but the richest 10% of households will benefit from policy decisions in 2025-26.

Whether she has had discussions with the Secretary of State for Business and Trade on the potential impact of the Employment Rights Bill on the employment rate.

The Secretary of State, and ministers, regularly meet with Cabinet and ministerial colleagues, regarding a range of matters. Our ambitions are to reverse the trend of inactivity, and to raise both productivity and living standards whilst improving the quality of work. To help achieve this, we have set a long-term ambition to achieve an 80% employment rate, demonstrating our commitment to bringing those furthest away from the labour market into it, increasing local labour supply. Achieving our ambitions requires a cross-government approach, which is why the Employment Rights Bill will make work more secure, boost wages, and help people thrive by supporting them into and to get on in work.

What assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the Pension Credit awareness campaign.

Our campaign has seen DWP receive around 150,000 Pension Credit applications in the 16 weeks since the Winter Fuel Payment announcement compared to around 61,300 Pension Credit applications in the preceding 16 weeks. This represents a 145% increase in applications. The latest figures also show that 42,500 Pension Credit awards were made since the 29 July.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of recent changes to the eligibility criteria for the Winter Fuel Payment on trends in the level of pensioners living in (a) relative and (b) absolute poverty.

On 19 November, Secretary of State wrote to the Work and Pensions Select Committee to share internal government modelling produced by the Department outlining estimates of the number of pensioners estimated to move into poverty as a result of the policy change. This letter is available here Winter Fuel Payments eligibility change - Letter from the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions. The latest modelling shows that compared to the numbers that would have been in poverty without this policy, it is estimated that: (a) there will be an additional 50,000 pensioners in relative poverty after housing costs in 2024/25, 2025/26 and 2027/28 and an additional 100,000 pensioners in relative poverty after housing costs in 2026/27, 2028/29 and 2029/30. (b) for all other measures of poverty, it is estimated that there will be an additional 50,000 pensioners in poverty each year from 2024/25 to 2029/30. The poverty impacts represent the change in the numbers in poverty as a result of the policy change only. They are not an estimate of the change in overall poverty each year or over time and should not be added together or interpreted as cumulative data. It's important to note that this modelling is subject to a range of uncertainties meaning the poverty impacts are rounded to the nearest 50,000 individuals and the nearest 0.1 percentage point which should be taken into account when interpreting the results. This means that small variations in the underlying numbers impacted can lead to much larger changes in the rounded headline numbers. The modelling does not account for any other measures announced at the Autumn Budget. The modelling also does not include any impacts on Pension Credit take-up as a result of the changes to Winter Fuel Payment eligibility. The Prime Minister has been clear that means-testing the Winter Fuel Payment is not a decision that the Government wanted to take but given the £22 billion black hole in the economy, tough choices had to be made to fix the foundations and restore economic stability to make everyone better off in the long term.Last year Winter Fuel Payments cost around £2 billion and were paid to pensioners regardless of their income. Given the dire state of the public finances the Government has inherited, it’s right that the Government targets support to those who need it most while the Government continues our work to stabilise the economy. But the Government will continue to stand behind vulnerable households this winter, including through delivering the £150 Warm Home Discount for low-income households from October and extending the Household Support Fund with £421 million to ensure local authorities can support vulnerable people and families. The Government will also ensure around 1.3 million households in England and Wales will continue to receive up to £300 in Winter Fuel Payments, and the new state pension will increase by around £470 next year, which will significantly outstrip any loss for pensioners of the winter fuel payments. In addition, the Government and industry have worked together to deliver a £500m Winter Support Commitment for customers, which will help customers most in need by providing credit on bills, enhanced debt write-off schemes, and increased funding for charity partners to target hard to reach customers. The Government continues to urge anyone who thinks they may be entitled to Pension Credit to check now, as all eligible claims can be backdated, and anyone who makes a successful claim will receive their payment. Over a million pensioners will still receive the Winter Fuel Payment and our drive to boost Pension Credit take up has already seen a 145% increase in claims. Anyone who makes a successful claim for Pension Credit before 21 December and meets the eligibility criteria will receive both Pension Credit and a Winter Fuel Payment, and the Government has deployed more than 500 additional staff to process the increase in Pension Credit claims.

Whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of extending deemed reseller rules to cover UK-established sellers.

Since 1 January 2021 overseas sellers, or online marketplaces where they facilitate the sale, are required to be registered and account for VAT for supplies of low value imports of £135 or less. Where an overseas seller sells goods located in the UK at the point of sale via an online marketplace, the online marketplace is liable for the VAT for goods of any value.The changes were introduced to ensure a level playing field for UK high street and online retailers, ensure the continued flow of goods at the border and improve compliance.Certified analysis by the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) estimates the changes will raise £1.8 billion per annum by 2026-27.The Government keeps all taxes under review as part of the policy making process.

Whether it remains Government policy to provide £978 million funding for transport projects in Tees Valley.

Investment in the North’s transport infrastructure is of great importance and City Region Sustainable Transport Settlements (CRSTS) has a key role to play in continuing to transform local transport across the region. The Government recently committed a further £200m towards CRSTS in 2025/26 at the Budget, and we will confirm allocations for all CRSTS places, including Tees Valley, in the coming weeks. The previous Government made several funding commitments beyond 2025/26, which we are currently examining through a Spending Review, expected in spring 2025.

Communities and Local Government, what funding Thornaby on Tees will receive from the (a) Town Deal programme and (b) long-term plan for towns.

The Towns Fund has allocated £23.9 million pounds to Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council to deliver 4 projects in the Thornaby area. The projects are now being delivered as part of the Simplification Pathfinder Pilot, a model that brings local growth funding together, providing financial flexibility and streamlined monitoring to aid delivery.Thornaby-on-Tees was not selected to receive funding through the Long-Term Plan for Towns programme. A list of places selected and the place selection methodology can be found on gov.uk.