Written questions by Duncan-Jordan.

What steps she is taking to review the assessment process for disability and long term sickness benefits.

We are working to develop proposals to reform the system of health and disability benefits and will set these out in due course.This Government is committed to putting the views and voices of disabled people at the heart of all that we do. We are committed to reforming the system of health and disability benefits so that it promotes and enables employment among as many people as possible. The system must also work to support disabled people to live independently. It is also vital to ensure that the system is financially sustainable in the long term. The Health Transformation Programme is modernising health and disability benefit services to improve efficiency and customer experience. It will introduce a new option to apply online, improve how we gather health information, and tailor the process to the customer’s needs and circumstances.

What steps she is taking to review the organisations that carry out the assessment process for disability and long term sickness benefits.

The new Functional Assessment Services (FAS) contracts went live on 9 September 2024. The FAS suppliers are focused on embedding strong performance following the transition from the previous contractual arrangements. Based on strict assessment criteria and specific requirements regarding delivery and performance, the department awarded contracts to the bidders who indicated that they would provide the best service and the best value for money for the taxpayer. Each supplier is held accountable to the same service delivery performance standards set by DWP. The department will robustly manage and monitor the performance of the contracted FAS suppliers in order to obtain optimal performance. Contractual remedies and financial redress are available to the department should performance criteria not be met.

What estimate she has made of the number of appeals related to claims for disability and long term sickness benefits.

Appeals are the responsibility of His Majesty's Courts and Tribunals Service who publish information on tribunal outcomes by benefit type here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/tribunals-statistics. In particular please refer to Main Tables ODS file and tables SSCS_1 to SSCS_3.

What estimate she has made of the number of appeals that are subsequently successful related to claims for disability and long term sickness benefits.

Appeals are the responsibility of His Majesty's Courts and Tribunals Service who publish information on tribunal outcomes by benefit type here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/tribunals-statistics. In particular please refer to Main Tables ODS file and tables SSCS_1 to SSCS_3.

If she will make an assessment with Cabinet colleagues of the potential causes of the (a) disabilities and (b) long-term illnesses that have contributed to the trends in the number of working age people who are claiming sickness and disability benefits.

The number of working age people reporting long-term health conditions and disabilities had been growing steadily since at least the late 1990s, before accelerating since the COVID-19 pandemic. These increases are likely to be caused by a combination of changes in health and awareness, and have been reflected in higher numbers of people receiving incapacity and disability benefits. A number of health-related factors may have contributed to these increases, including: higher prevalence and recognition of health conditions, particularly mental health and neurodiverse conditions; the direct health impacts of the COVID-19 virus; indirect impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and associated lockdowns on physical health (through reduced activity) and mental health (through reduced social interaction and increased anxiety); impacts of subsequent labour market changes and cost of living pressures on health; and increases in NHS waiting times. In addition, a number of behavioural factors are also likely to have contributed to higher numbers claiming incapacity and disability benefits, including: cost of living pressures; greater awareness of disability benefits (in part due to cost of living); longer waits for NHS treatment; economically inactive people being more likely to report long-term illness or disability as their main reason for inactivity; and incentives in the benefit system that can encourage people to claim health-related benefits. In addition, further factors affecting incapacity benefits have been analysed in the publication Growth in numbers of Employment and Support Allowance Support Group or Universal Credit Limited Capability for Work and Work-Related Activity - GOV.UK

What estimate she has made of the number of people of working age currently claiming sickness and disability benefits that would be unable to find gainful employment as a result of their disability or long-term sickness.

No estimate has been made of the number of people of working age currently claiming sickness and disability benefits that would be unable to find gainful employment as a result of their disability or long-term sickness

What assessment she has made of the potential merits of returning the assessment process for disability and long term sickness benefits in-house.

Delivery of functional assessments to support health and disability benefit processing has been outsourced by DWP since 1998. New five-year contracts for these services commenced in September 2024. In advance of the procurement of these contracts, a delivery model assessment was carried out in line with commercial best practice, which determined that outsourced delivery remained the best way of achieving value for money and service stability. A further delivery model assessment will be carried out in due course to inform decisions on future service delivery, beyond the current contracts.

Whether the pension review will consider adequacy.

This government is committed to enabling tomorrow’s pensioners to have security in retirement– which is why we announced the landmark Pensions Review days after coming into office in July.The first phase is focussed on boosting investment and economic growth and we are committed to a second phase that will include retirement adequacy within its considerations. We will provide further detail on the full scope and timetable for the second phase in due course.

If she will make an assessment of the potential merits of requiring a at least 25% of all new pension contributions to be invested in social and green infrastructure projects.

Investing in the right assets to deliver good saver returns, support growth and meet our environmental aims is key to the Government’s pensions initiatives. Proposals put forward by the November 2024 Interim Report of the Pensions Investment Review, aim to deliver a major consolidation of the defined contribution workplace market, and require 86 Administering Authorities of the Local Government Pension Scheme (of England and Wales) to delegate management of their investments to pools. Our objective is to enable schemes to invest in a wide range of assets including infrastructure, meeting social and green aims. The Government expects to publish its Final Report in Spring 2025.

How many people with a frozen overseas state pension live in (a) Canada and (b) Australia.

Data on State Pension caseloads that are not uprated overseas are published and this can be found on Stat-Xplore. 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. As of the quarter ending May 2024, the number of individuals with an overseas state pension that live in a) Canada are 110,860 and b) Australia are 203,699.

What estimate she has made of the potential savings to the public purse of means testing the winter fuel payment.

It is estimated that the changes to Winter Fuel Payments in England and Wales will save around £1.3 billion in 2024/25, rising to £1.5 billion by 2029/30. This figure has been published in the Office of Budget Responsibility’s Economic and Fiscal Outlook (October 2024), available here: https://obr.uk/docs/dlm_uploads/OBR_Economic_and_fiscal_outlook_Oct_2024.pdf

If she will make an estimate of the number of additional Pension Credit claims received since the announcement on changing the eligibility of the Winter Fuel Payment; and what proportion of these claims have been successful.

We are unable to advise how many claims for Pension Credit have been made and then awarded since 29 July 2024. This is because the Department currently reports clearance times by the week the claim was cleared, rather than the week the claim was made. As such this information is not currently available.However, statistics published on 28 November, show that 42,500 Pension Credit Claims were awarded between 29 July and 11 November Pension Credit applications and awards: November 2024 - GOV.UK.

What the average time is for a successful Pension Credit claimant to start receiving winter fuel payments.

The department does not hold data on the average time taken for a successful Pension Credit claimant to receive their winter fuel payment. However, where the customer is eligible for a Winter Fuel Payment, the department aims to make this payment within 2 weeks of the award of Pension Credit.

If she will allow people in receipt of a state pension to claim carer’s allowance.

Pensioners can claim Carer’s Allowance, but under overlapping benefit rules it is not normally payable. I refer the honourable member to the answer I gave on 17 December 2024 to question UIN 18844 which sets this out.

If she will make an assessment of the potential merits of bringing forward legislative proposals to introduce further legal protections for people affected by proposals to allow investigators to access the bank accounts of people who claim benefits.

DWP investigators cannot access anyone's bank accounts, including under the proposed Eligibility Verification Measures within the Fraud, Error and Debt Bill.

What steps she plans to take to protect the privacy of people affected by proposals to allow investigators to access the bank accounts of people who claim benefits.

DWP investigators cannot access anyone's bank accounts, including under the proposed Eligibility Verification Measures within the Fraud, Error and Debt Bill.

If she will make an assessment of the potential impact of proposals to allow investigators to access the bank accounts of people who claim benefits.

DWP investigators cannot access anyone's bank accounts, including under the proposed Eligibility Verification Measures within the Fraud, Error and Debt Bill.

If she will review the eligibility rules for carer's benefits to enable more carers to combine paid work and unpaid care.

Unpaid carers play a vital role in supporting the elderly, disabled relatives or friends. Sometimes unpaid carers will need to turn to the benefit system for financial support, so it is right that we keep Carer’s Allowance under review, to see if it is meeting its objectives, and giving unpaid carers the help and support they need and deserve. The Government has announced that from April 2025 the weekly Carer’s Allowance earnings limit will be pegged to the level of 16 hours work at the National Living Wage (NLW) and in future it will increase when the NLW increases. This means that unpaid carers will be able to earn up to £196 per week net earnings and still receive Carer’s Allowance compared to £151 now. This means that an additional 60,000 unpaid carers will gain eligibility for the benefit between 2025/26 and 2029/30. This important change reduces a work disincentive inherent in the current Carer’s Allowance earnings system, but, as the Chancellor said at the Budget, we also need to look at the current “cliff edge” earnings rules. A taper, for example, could further incentivise unpaid carers to do some work. It could also reduce the risk of significant overpayments. However, introducing a taper in Carer’s Allowance is not without challenges and could significantly complicate the benefit as it currently stands and would mean a significant rebuild of the Carer’s Allowance computer system. DWP has begun some scoping work to see whether an earnings taper in Carer’s Allowance might be a feasible option in the longer term.Many carers who are receiving Carer’s Allowance and doing some work will also be receiving Universal Credit. For those receiving Universal Credit, the 55% taper rate and any applicable work allowance will help to ensure that people are better off in work.

If she will exempt military compensation as income when calculating entitlement to means-tested benefits.

I refer the honourable member to the answer I gave on 5 December 2024 to question UIN 16635.

If she will commission specialist support for carers who have not been in paid employment for some time on (a) managing finances, (b) work placements and (c) confidence building.

As we have promised in the recently published Get Britain Working White Paper, this government will be providing help more effectively by creating a new jobs and careers service to help people into work and get on at work, which will promote better joining up employment support. This will build on what the Department for Work and Pensions already offer to support carers. Part time carers on Universal Credit receive tailored support from their Jobcentre Plus work coach, who will adjust work related requirements to fit around their caring responsibilities. Support also includes skills training, career advice, job search help, volunteering opportunities and access to the Flexible Support Fund to aid job entry. Full time carers providing at least 35 hours caring per week, are not required to undertake any work-related activities, but they can access employment support voluntarily. Additionally, the department launched the Jobhelp pages offering advice to help carers make informed decisions about combining work and caring responsibilities.