Written questions by Stride.

For what reason the planned rollout of the abolition of the Work Capability Assessment has been delayed from 2026, and what the full new planned timetable is for rollout of this reform to (a) new and (b) current claims.

Our Green Paper outlines why we think removing the WCA and moving to using the PIP assessment as the single assessment for additional financial support, is the correct decision for the reformed disability benefits system. Scrapping the Work Capability Assessment will take time, and we need to act now to reset the system. We are making changes to PIP eligibility to ensure it focuses more on those with higher needs, making support more targeted to protect this safety net for future generations. We are also lowering the rate of UC health for new claims from April 2026 to £50 and then freezing the rate until 2029/30 – alongside increasing the standard allowance – to reduce the incentive to define yourself as unfit to work, while still providing a higher rate of benefit for disabled people and those with health conditions with extra costs. Following the Green Paper consultation, we will bring forwards a White Paper in Autumn 2025 to set out our full proposals. This will be followed by further primary legislation, which we expect to take forward in the second session, subject to parliamentary approval. Therefore, the indicative date this will take place will be in 2028/29.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of her Department's proposed reforms to eligibility for Personal Independence Payment on employment.

Information on the impacts of the Pathways to Work Green Paper will be published in due course, and some information was published alongside the Spring Statement. These publications can be found in ‘Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working Green Paper’.A further programme of analysis to support development of the proposals in the Green Paper will be developed and undertaken in the coming months.

Whether it is her Department's policy that people with (a) more than £16,000 in savings, (b) a full National Insurance record and (c) a work-limiting health condition will not be eligible for support through the benefits system after the time-limited period of the proposed new single contributory benefit has elapsed.

This is not current government policy. We are consulting on plans for a new “Unemployment Insurance”. We are asking about what the right level of support is and how long it should last, and we would welcome your response. No final decisions have been taken. To confirm, both Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment will continue to exist in the reformed system.

What proportion of new style Employment and Support Allowance claims have been in payment for at least (a) three, (b) six, (c) 12, and (d) 18 months for (i) the Work Related Activity Group and (ii) the Support Group.

The following table shows the volume of new style Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) Work Related Activity Group (WRAG) and Support Group (SG) claims that have been in payment for at least three, six, 12 and 18 months. Volumes of ESA claims that have been in payment for at least three, six, 12 and 18 months In payment for at least:Work-related Activity GroupSupport Group3 months6,000708,0006 months5,000701,00012 months1,000677,00018 months-653,000Source: DWP administrative data for Employment and Support AllowanceVolumes have been rounded to the nearest 1,000.

Whether her Department's proposed reforms to contributory out of work benefits are expected to reduce contributory benefits as a proportion of overall welfare expenditure.

Our proposed reforms to contributory benefits are about creating a more proactive, pro-work system that actually supports individuals. While the reforms are part of a package that will make the benefits system more affordable, they will also ensure that the system continues to provide for those who need it most, while supporting those who can, back into work. We are consulting on establishing a new, simple and clear “Unemployment Insurance” benefit through the reform of contributory working age benefits and we welcome responses. No final decisions have been taken.

With reference to the Tables in the document entitled Work Capability Assessment Reform: update to estimated number of claimants affected, dated 18 April 2024, what her Department's estimate is of the number of claimants moved into each of those categories in the 2029-30 financial year.

The figures requested can be found in the table below: Note – This reform was planned and made by the previous Government, but the figures reflect the latest OBR forecasts and assumptions. Number of claimants affected by Work Capability Assessment Reform, Great Britain Moved from LCWRA to LCW2029-30Totals448,000Total moved due to removing the LCWRA ‘mobilising’ descriptor282,000Total moved due to amending the LCWRA ‘risk’ descriptor136,000 Moved from LCW to IWS2029-30Total moved34,000Total moved due to amending the LCW ‘getting about’ descriptor34,000 Source: Internal Work Capability Assessment Reform Policy Costing model Notes to tables:LCWRA, LCW and IWS are three groups within Universal Credit with different levels of labour market conditionalityLCWRA refers to the ‘limited capability for work and work-related activity’ group. LCW refers to the ‘limited capability for work’ group. IWS refers to the ‘intensive work search’ groupthe number of claimants is rounded to the nearest 1,000. Figures may not sum due to rounding

Whether it remains her Department's policy to begin the rollout of the abolition of the Work Capability Assessment and the categories of Limited Capability for Work and Limited Capability for Work Related Activity from April 2026.

We’ve been clear that WCA isn’t working and needs to be reformed or replaced. We are working to develop proposals for reform to the system of health and disability benefits and will set them out in a green paper in the spring. As part of the Get Britain Working plan, we will support more disabled people and those with health conditions to enter and stay in work, by devolving more power to local areas so they can shape a joined-up work, health, and skills offer that suits the needs of the people they serve.

What her Department's timetable is for abolishing the couple's administrative earnings threshold; and what estimate she has made of the potential impact of the abolition of the couple's administrative earnings threshold on the number of people entering the Intensive Work Search regime.

The previous administration planned to abolish the Couples AET to increase compliance and conditionality requirements on working households, without clear evidence that this would be cost-effective. The Government’s plans for supporting working households towards sustainable good quality jobs are set out in the Get Britain Working white paper.

With reference to the oral answer of 7 October 2024 from the Minister for Employment, Official Report, column 6, what changes have been made to the Access to Work Scheme since the beginning of this Parliament; how many additional staff have been assigned to processing Access to Work claims since the beginning of this Parliament; and from which other area these staff have been diverted.

Since the beginning of this Parliament the Department for Work and Pensions has taken steps to improve operational guidance and process to ensure Access to Work grants are awarded consistently and as quickly as possible. Since July 2024, twenty-three additional staff have been deployed to support Access to Work. Of these, twenty-two were new recruits and one was redeployed from the Personal Independence Payment (PIP) team.

Whether her Department provides information to local authorities on local residents who are (a) above State Pension age and (b) (i) eligible for and (ii) claiming Pension Credit.

The Department already shares extensive data with local authorities for a variety of purposes. Local authorities have access to DWP data about households in receipt of DWP benefits, including people over State Pension age which includes those receiving Pension Credit. Furthermore, as part of the Pension Credit claim process, if claimants state they want to claim Housing Benefit, DWP gathers the claim information required for this and passes it onto the relevant local authority to assess. Local authorities are allowed to re-use DWP data under the terms of a data sharing Memorandum of Understanding, subject to them seeking their own legal advice, and subject to them notifying the Department of their intent. This process can be used to include re-using data originating from DWP to help identify people eligible for Pension Credit. Many local authorities already undertake their own initiatives to identify eligible households and promote take-up and over 160 local authorities have responded positively to our ‘call for action’ following the Secretary of State and the Deputy Prime Minister’s letter to all local authorities in August. The Department will also be writing directly to 120,000 pensioner households in receipt of Housing Benefit who may also be eligible for, but not currently claiming, Pension Credit. We will be inviting these pensioners to claim Pension Credit by the 21 December, which is the latest date for making a successful backdated Pension Credit claim and still qualify for a Winter Fuel Payment.

With reference to the correspondence from the Chair of the Social Security Advisory Committee entitled The Social Fund Winter Fuel Payments Regulations 2024: letter to the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, published on 17 October 2024, whether she plans to publish an updated impact assessment of the Social Fund Winter Fuel Payments Regulations 2024.

In line with the requirements of the Public Sector Equality Duty, an equality analysis was produced as part of the ministerial decision-making process. The Department will continue to monitor and review the impact of the policy, using this to inform any future decisions.

What information her Department holds on the local government (a) area and (b) ward of individual pensioners who (i) are and (ii) are not in receipt of Pension Credit.

The department holds information on individual pensioners who do claim Pension Credit broken down geographically by ward, Local Authority, region, country, and also Westminster Parliamentary Constituencies 2010 and 2024. The department does not hold information on individual pensioners who do not claim Pension Credit. The department publishes data on households in receipt of Pension Credit on Stat Xplore. This is broken down geographically by ward, Local Authority, region, country, and also Westminster Parliamentary Constituencies 2010 and 2024. The department also publishes data on individuals receiving State Pension on Stat Xplore. However, these statistics are currently suspended due to issues with internal processing of State Pension data.

When she plans to respond to the letter from the Chair of the Social Security Advisory Committee entitled The Social Fund Winter Fuel Payments Regulations 2024: letter to the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, published on 17 October 2024.

We welcome the observations and recommendations in the letter from the chair of the Social Security Advisory Committee, and the decision not to take the Regulations on formal reference. The Secretary of State replied to the SSAC letter and recommendations which can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-social-fund-winter-fuel-payments-regulations-2024/the-social-fund-winter-fuel-payments-regulations-2024-secretary-of-state-for-work-and-pensions-reply-to-ssac

Whether she made a request to the Social Security Advisory Committee to expedite their consideration of the Social Fund Winter Fuel Payments Regulations 2024 before she invoked the urgency provision.

The urgency procedure was invoked as a means of making the necessary Exchequer savings in the current financial year, as the Regulations needed to come into force on 16 September 2024 (in time for the qualifying week for Winter Fuel Payments this winter).DWP officials met the Social Security Advisory Committee (SSAC) in August to discuss the Regulations, and the Committee had the opportunity to raise matters of interest to them, prior to formal scrutiny. The regulations were formally considered by SSAC on 11 September.We welcome the observations and recommendations in the letter from the SSAC chair, and the decision not to take the Regulations on formal reference. The Secretary of State replied to the SSAC letter and recommendations which can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-social-fund-winter-fuel-payments-regulations-2024/the-social-fund-winter-fuel-payments-regulations-2024-secretary-of-state-for-work-and-pensions-reply-to-ssac

How much funding has been allocated to the Universal Support programme for each financial year from 2023-24 onward, broken down by local authority area.

Universal Support money has been allocated to a new Supported Employment Programme. Figures from the most recent Business Case approved by HMT in October 2024 show a total spend of c.£1.4bn from 2023/24 to 29/30. However funding beyond the current spending review is not confirmed.Annual breakdowns of spend will be determined by local delivery plans. This information is not available at this point in time while planning work continues with Local Authorities.

With reference to the Responses to Freedom of Information requests on Equality Impact Assessments produced for targeting Winter Fuel Payment, published on 13 September 2024, for what reason the assessment undertaken by HM Treasury concluded that women will be disproportionately impacted and the assessment undertaken by her Department concluded that men will be disproportionately impacted by changes to the eligibility criteria for the Winter Fuel Payment; whether she plans to update her Department's equality impact assessment; and whether processes are in place to ensure equality analyses by different Departments are consistent.

The assessments undertaken by the Department and HM Treasury do not contradict each other. They are on a different basis. HM Treasury analysis is based on Census 2011 data and compares pensioners to the non-pensioner population. Whereas the Department’s analysis uses pensioner benefit administrative data to assess pensioners in receipt of Pension Credit at November 2023, compared to those who received a Winter Fuel Payment in 2022/23. Where both documents consider the likelihood of receiving Pension Credit, both show that women are less likely to be impacted by changes to the eligibility criteria for the Winter Fuel Payment, due to them being more likely to claim Pension Credit. The HM Treasury assessment states that “PC specifically is disproportionately claimed by older, single women.” Older, single women are, therefore, more likely to retain their eligibility for a Winter Fuel Payment and, as a result, are less likely to be affected by the policy. This chimes with the Department’s conclusion that “this policy will have the highest proportional impact on couples, and a marginally greater impact on men than women.” As part of the Public Sector Equality Duty, the Department will continue to monitor and review the impact of the policy, using this to inform future decisions.

What progress she has made on the roll-out of the Universal Support Programme.

My Department continues to work in collaboration with local areas to support their development and delivery of the new employment support programme, shaped around local services and priorities. The programme will primarily help economically inactive disabled people, people with long term conditions and people with additional barriers, to help them find and fulfil their potential to work. We will shortly be launching the grant guidance for the programme, after which local authorities will work with DWP and local partners to design their local programmes. It is anticipated that some areas will begin delivery of the new programme from spring 2025 but this will be a phased roll out, led by local authorities.

What recent progress she has made on (a) rolling out the WorkWell programme and (b) implementing (i) trailblazers and (ii) other reforms to the fit note process.

The WorkWell pilot areas began to go live from October 1st. The majority of the 15 pilot areas are now taking referrals, with the remaining areas expected to begin over the coming weeks. We launched a Call for Evidence to seek views on how the current fit note process works and the support required to facilitate meaningful work and health conversations to help people start, stay and succeed in work. It closed on the 8 July 2024. We received over 1,900 responses that are now being reviewed and will inform our approach moving forward. As part of our Get Britain Working plan, more disabled people and those with health conditions will be supported to enter and stay in work, by devolving more power to local areas so they can shape a joined-up work, health, and skills offer that suits the needs of the people they serve.

With reference to the press notice entitled New Chance to Work Guarantee will remove barriers to work for millions, published on 22 November 2023, what her Department's (a) planned timetable is bringing the Chance to Work Guarantee into effect and (b) policy is on reassessments of claimants on the (i) Employment and Support Allowance and the (ii) Universal Credit health journey (1) before and (2) after the planned changes to the Work Capability Assessment descriptors are implemented; and what steps she plans to take to review her Department's policy on reassessments for claimants on health-related benefits who move into employment.

We are committed to delivering on our manifesto pledge to give disabled people the confidence to start working without the fear of an immediate benefit reassessment if it does not work out. We will set out plans for this in due course.

What plans her Department has to make changes to the Access to Work scheme.

The Access to Work Scheme provides grant funding for disabled people, and those with a health condition, who are in or about to start work. The grant supports with workplace adjustments that go beyond what would normally be expected from an employer through their duty to provide reasonable adjustments under the Equality Act 2010 The Department for Work and Pensions is committed to reducing waiting times for new applications for Access to Work, as well as renewals. We are considering the best way to deliver that for customers. We have increased the number of staff processing Access to Work claims and have prioritised applications from customers who are about to start a job, and renewals.