Every parliamentary written question tabled by Mohammad Yasin this session, with the full answer and department. See how every department answers, or back to the MP page.
Showing 1–20 of 24 · Department for Work and Pensions
What steps the Department takes to involve autistic people and other experts by experience in the design, drafting and review of written communications, guidance and other documents relating to benefits and employment support; and whether autistic people with lived experience are involved in the development and delivery of autism-related training provided to DWP staff as is currently mandatory in the NHS.
Awaiting answer.
For what reason there is no dedicated bereavement-related income support payment paid directly or specifically in respect of bereaved children.
Awaiting answer.
What assessment the Department has made of the real-terms value of Bereavement Support Payment since its introduction in April 2017, including the change in value adjusted for CPI inflation in each fina
The rate of Bereavement Support Payment (BSP) is reviewed annually on a discretionary basis as part of the uprating process. As BSP is not a cost‑of‑living benefit, it is not automatically linked to inflation. While factors such as Consumer Prices Index (...
What methodology is used in the annual uprating assessment of Bereavement Support Payment; and whether CPI inflation is explicitly incorporated into decisions on maintaining its real-terms value.
The rate of Bereavement Support Payment (BSP) is reviewed annually on a discretionary basis as part of the uprating process. As BSP is not a cost‑of‑living benefit, it is not automatically linked to inflation. While factors such as Consumer Prices Index (...
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment his Department has made of changes in the real-terms level of Bereavement Support Payment since its introduction in 2017; and what recent assessment he has made of the effect of inflation
While this Department has not undertaken a consultation on bereavement related employment support, the rate of Bereavement Support Payment is reviewed annually on a discretionary basis as part of the annual uprating process.
Whether his Department has made an assessment of the adequacy of the current 18-month entitlement period for Bereavement Support Payment.
While this Department has not undertaken a consultation on bereavement related employment support, the rate of Bereavement Support Payment is reviewed annually on a discretionary basis as part of the annual uprating process.
When his Department plans to publish its response to the consultation on bereavement-related employment support; and whether that consultation will inform future policy on the Bereavement Support Paymen
While this Department has not undertaken a consultation on bereavement related employment support, the rate of Bereavement Support Payment is reviewed annually on a discretionary basis as part of the annual uprating process.
What mechanisms are in place for housing providers to report the end of a tenancy where Universal Credit Housing Element is paid directly to landlords; and what steps his Department is taking to prevent and recover overpayments made in such circumstances.
Landlords can report changes of this nature through a range of routes, including by email and via the Department’s Employment and Partnership Manager network. However, Universal Credit is designed around the principle that claimants are responsible for reporting changes of circumstance. For that reason, while information from landlords can trigger checks and investigation, claimants are still required to make a declaration through “report a change”.
With reference to The Universal Credit (Earned Income) Amendment Regulations 2020, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of moving double-paydays to subsequent assessment periods on (a) working Universal Credit recipients and (b) resourcing within her Department; and what steps she is taking to reduce the impact on (i) claimants and (ii) resources.
The Department recognises that receiving two sets of earnings from the same employer within a single Universal Credit assessment period can create unexpected fluctuations in a claimant’s award. This situation typically occurs when a claimant’s monthly payday falls very close to the end of their assessment period, resulting in two wage payments being reported through HMRC’s Real Time Information (RTI) system in the same month. To address this, the Universal Credit (Earned Income) Amendment Regulations 2020 were introduced, allowing one set of monthly paid earnings to be reallocated to a different assessment period to ensure awards are calculated fairly. This rule only applies where earnings are paid calendar monthly.The Department’s assessment found that enabling the reallocation of earnings has a positive impact on working UC recipients. By smoothing income across assessment periods, the change reduces financial volatility for the relatively small number of households affected and helps maintain a regular payment cycle. Importantly, it also prevents claimants from losing their Work Allowance in months when double reporting would otherwise occur.Most cases affected by double earnings are now identified and corrected automatically, minimising any burden on customers and administrative pressure on the Department.
What steps his Department is taking to help ensure that people who leave employment due to long-term health conditions or disability can access Employment and Support Allowance and Personal Independence Payment without (a) delays and (b) repeated appeals.
The Department for Work and Pensions is committed to providing timely and accurate support to people whose ability to work is affected by long-term health conditions or disabilities through Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) and Personal Independence Payment (PIP). Anyone who claims ESA and PIP must satisfy the relevant conditions of entitlement, regardless of the circumstances in which the claim is made. Initial decisions on claims will be made without delay once all evidence needed is available. Decisions are made within a statutory framework, which allows for revision within one month of notification, with extensions where reasonable. Decisions may also be revised or superseded where there has been official error, where new medical evidence is presented or where a customer has had a relevant change in circumstances. These provisions help ensure accurate decision making and reduce the need for repeated appeals.We recognise that some customers have complex needs and may require additional support and reasonable adjustments, including adapted communication, additional time, and advocacy from representatives or appointees.
What guidance his Department has issued on the consideration of occupational health reports when assessing claims for (a) Employment and Support Allowance and (b) Personal Independence Payment for people with cognitive or fluctuating conditions.
The Department provides comprehensive training and guidance for assessment providers and the health professionals (HPs) who carry out both Work Capability Assessments (WCA) in Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) and Universal Credit (UC), and Personal Independence Payment (PIP) assessments. The WCA Handbook and the Personal Independence Payment Assessment Guide (PIPAG) sets out how HPs should evaluate all relevant evidence when assessing a claimant’s functional limitations against the respective criteria. Both WCA and PIP assessments are functional assessments, focusing on the impact of health condition(s) or disability. HPs consider all available evidence. DWP decision makers give due consideration to all available evidence when making decisions on benefit entitlement, including the HP’s assessment report and any evidence provided by the individual, their GP or consultant, and anybody else that provides them with formal or informal support. HPs receive training on cognitive and fluctuating conditions and how these might impact on how individuals perform the activities/descriptors which form the assessments.
Whether his Department is taking steps to help ensure that employers participating in the Disability Confident scheme do not unfairly dismiss employees due to health-related absence or long-term conditions.
All employers are required to comply with the Equality Act 2010, including the duty to make reasonable adjustments where a disabled person would otherwise be put at a substantial disadvantage compared with their colleagues. The Equality and Human Rights Commission is responsible for enforcing the Equality Act and providing guidance on reasonable adjustments, and we expect all employers including those in the Disability Confident scheme to act within the law. The Disability Confident scheme encourages employers to create disability inclusive workplaces and to support disabled people to get work and get on in work. When an employer signs up to the scheme, they agree to commitments which include anticipating and providing reasonable adjustments as required and supporting any existing employee who acquires a disability or long-term health condition, enabling them to stay in work. To help employers meet these commitments in practice, Disability Confident provides a range of guidance and resources. This includes the Disability Confident Manager’s Guide [https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/disability-confident-and-cipd-guide-for-line-managers-on-employing-people-with-a-disability-or-health-condition], which explains how managers can make and review reasonable adjustments, consider flexible working, and sets out examples of other types of workplace adjustments. In addition, the Department has developed the ‘Support with Employee Health and Disability’ digital service [https://www.support-with-employee-health-and-disability.dwp.gov.uk/support-with-employee-health-and-disability], which offers employers tailored guidance on supporting employees with health conditions or disabilities, including advice on legal obligations, making reasonable adjustments, and signposting to sources of expert support. The scheme also signposts employers and employees to Access to Work, a discretionary grant that provides support for people with a disability or health condition to move into or retain employment, by helping with extra disability related costs of working that go beyond the standard reasonable adjustments an employer is expected to provide under the Equality Act.
What the average response time is for correspondence from members of the public and from Members of Parliament acting on behalf of their constituents; what targets are in place for responding to correspondence; and what steps the Department is taking to ensure that enquiries submitted via MPs’ offices are acknowledged and replied to promptly.
MP enquiries continue to be treated as a matter of high priority. There is clear guidance avail-able to all staff regarding the expected timeframe for responding to enquiries from MPs, which is accessible via the Department’s intranet.The Department for Work and Pensions aims to respond to MP enquiries within 15 working days. Where this is not feasible, such as in complex cases, the Department remains committed to providing a response at the earliest opportunity.Higher volumes of MP enquiries combined with a rise in more complex complaints, which take longer to investigate, has caused some delays with our responses. We are in the process of recruiting more complaint handlers to reduce our response times.Data on responses to correspondence from MPs is regularly published and can be found here:Data on responses to correspondence from MPs and peers - GOV.UK
What assessment he has made of the effectiveness of UK–EU social security coordination rules in protecting the pension rights of people who have worked in the UK and Greece.
The UK’s comprehensive social security relationship with the EU Member States, including State Pensions, is governed by the Withdrawal Agreement and the Trade and Cooperation Agreement. These agreements provide the necessary level of social security protection and continuity of State Pension provision for those moving between the UK and the EU Member States, including Greece.
Whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of a bilateral reciprocal social security agreement with Greece.
The UK’s comprehensive social security relationship with the EU Member States, including State Pensions, is governed by the Withdrawal Agreement and the Trade and Cooperation Agreement. These agreements provide the necessary level of social security protection and continuity of State Pension provision for those moving between the UK and the EU Member States, including Greece.
What steps his Department is taking to help improve the financial situation of mixed-age couples where one partner has reached State Pension age but the other has not; what information his Department holds on the number of households are affected by the Pension Credit rules for mixed-age couples; what steps he is taking to help ensure that households reliant on a single State Pension can access adequate support; and what guidance he has issued to help ensure that claimants are not inaccurately told they are not entitled to state support.
Universal Credit is a working age benefit that helps with living costs. Ensuring that individuals, including those below State Pension age, can get into, progress and stay in work is important for individuals in helping them to continue saving for their own retirement and contribute to the wider economy. Since 15 May 2019, couples requiring additional support from the benefit system have needed to claim Universal Credit until both members reach State Pension age. Once in receipt of Universal Credit, this ensures that the younger partner can access the same employment support that is available for customers below State Pension Age. Published data shows that in December 2025 there were around 69,000 Universal Credit claimants aged over 65. This will include mixed aged couples and also some single claimants who are just about to move off UC as they reached State Pension Age during that assessment period. Information on eligibility requirements for each benefit is published on GOV.UK guidance pages.
Pursuant to the answer of 12 December 2025 to Question 96726, whether his Department has carried out a formal impact assessment of recent changes to the Motability scheme on disabled people’s access to suitable vehicles; what information his Department holds on the estimated savings from changes to that scheme; what criteria he used to determine which vehicles were removed; and which Ministers in his Department approved those changes.
The Motability Scheme is a lifeline for many disabled people and families, supporting their independence by enabling them to lease a car, wheelchair accessible vehicle, scooter or powered wheelchair in exchange for an eligible disability benefit allowance. The package of reforms to the Motability Scheme announced as part of the Budget will ensure the Scheme delivers fairness for the taxpayer, while continuing to support disabled people. The Scheme will continue to offer a choice of affordable vehicles to meet a range of accessibility needs and offer vehicles which require no advance payment, meaning that people will be able to access a suitable vehicle using only their qualifying disability benefit. Decisions on tax were made in the usual way by HM Treasury ministers, in close consultation with DWP Ministers and based on extensive advice with due consideration of equalities impacts. An Equality Impact Assessment was undertaken including estimated costs savings and it was published by HMT as part of the Autumn Budget. It can be found here: Motability Scheme: reforming tax reliefs - GOV.UK.
Whether the planned increase to the basic State Pension will apply to additional pension payments.
Subject to Parliamentary approval, the basic State Pension will increase by 4.8% in April 2026, in line with the increase in average earnings in the year to May-July 2025. The additional State Pension will increase by 3.8% in line with the increase in the consumer prices index in the year to September 2025.
What assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of recent changes to the Motability scheme, including the removal of certain vehicle brands, the introduction of VAT on advance payments and Insurance Premium Tax on scheme insurance, and operational changes to breakdown cover and mileage allowances, on disabled people’s access to suitable vehicles; and if he will publish the estimated cost savings arising from each change, the criteria used to determine which vehicle categories were removed, and which Ministers approved these decisions.
We are protecting the taxpayer through changes to the Motability scheme, ensuring it supports disabled people whilst delivering efficient use of taxpayers’ money. This includes the removal of some luxury vehicles from the leasing scheme while maintaining a range of vehicles to support disabled people. Tax changes will not impact vehicles substantially adapted for wheelchair users, or existing leases, and Motability will continue to provide vehicles at no additional cost to the value of eligible disability benefits. Decisions on tax were made in the usual way by HM Treasury ministers, in close consultation with DWP Ministers and based on extensive advice with due consideration of equalities impacts. Estimated cost savings were published in the budget documentation: Motability Scheme: reforming tax reliefs - GOV.UK
If he will make an assessment of the potential merits of including older people in receipt of Attendance Allowance who have significant mobility needs and who are not eligible to claim Personal Independence Payment due to having reached State Pension age in the Motability Scheme.
Qualifying benefits for the Motability Scheme are the enhanced rate mobility component Personal Independence Payment (enhanced rate mobility component Adult Disability Payment in Scotland), higher rate mobility component Disability Living Allowance (higher rate mobility component Child Disability Payment in Scotland), Armed Forces Independence Payment and War Pensioners’ Mobility Supplement. Attendance Allowance is intended to help those with a severe disability who have long term care or supervision needs which arise after reaching State Pension age. It has never included a mobility component, and so cannot be used in payment for a leased Motability Scheme vehicle. There is no constraint on what an award of Attendance Allowance can be spent on, and a recipient may choose to use this benefit to fund mobility aids.