The Westminster lensArchive · Written questions · 168 tabled · 168 answered

Written questions by Burgon.

Every parliamentary written question tabled by Richard Burgon this session, with the full answer and department. Back to the MP page.

Department:All (168)Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (44)Department for Work and Pensions (43)Department of Health and Social Care (28)Ministry of Defence (11)Cabinet Office (7)Department for Education (6)Department for Business and Trade (6)Treasury (5)Home Office (5)Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (5)Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (3)Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (2)

Showing 120 of 43 · Department for Work and Pensions

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20 Jan 2026·Department for Work and Pensions·Answered
Asked

What assessment his Department has made of the potential (a) costs and (b) mechanisms available to deliver compensation in line with the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman’s report on Women’s State Pension age communications, HC 638.

Reply

As the Secretary of State set out on 11 November 2025, we are retaking the decision made in December 2024 as it relates to the communications on State Pension age. The process to retake the decision is underway and it is important that the government give this full and proper consideration. Retaking this decision should not be taken as an indication that Government will necessarily decide that they should award financial redress. We will update the House on the decision as soon as a conclusion is reached.

20 Jan 2026·Department for Work and Pensions·Answered
Asked

If he will make an assessment of the potential impact of State Pension age changes on 1950s-born women in Leeds East constituency.

Reply

All women born since 6 April 1950 have been affected by changes to State Pension age. Estimates can be made with ONS 2022 Census Data of how many women born in the 1950s were resident in each constituency in that year.

15 Jul 2025·Department for Work and Pensions·Answered
Asked

Pursuant to the Answer of 8 January 2025 to Question 21325 on Social Security Benefits: Appeals, whether her Department has been able to recover the backlog of mandatory reconsideration cases.

Reply

The PIP Mandatory Reconsideration (MR) backlog was on track to be cleared in March 2025. However, intakes have been higher than anticipated, which meant the backlog was not cleared as predicted. We are increasing resources available for PIP MRs by recruiting decision makers. In April 2025, the median MR clearance time was 61 and 59 calendar days for new claims and DLA reassessments respectively, a reduction of 10 and 12 days respectively in relation to the last quarter.

20 Jun 2025·Department for Work and Pensions·Answered
Asked

What estimate her Department has made of the number of people in poverty who will lose financial support as a result of her Department's proposed changes to the eligibility criteria for Personal Independence Payment.

Reply

The government's impact assessment regarding Health and Disability Reform is available at Spring Statement 2025 health and disability benefit reforms - Impacts. This includes estimated impacts of the proposed changes to Personal Independence Payment entitlement rules on the number of people in poverty. However, it does not have estimated impacts regarding those already in poverty. The Pathways to Work Green Paper set out a broad package of plans and proposals to reform health and disability benefits and employment support. Our plans are designed to protect the most vulnerable and give disabled people equal chances and choices to work. We will continue to carefully consider the impacts of reforms as we develop our detailed proposals for change.

20 Jun 2025·Department for Work and Pensions·Answered
Asked

What estimate her Department has made of the number of Personal Independence Payment recipients who (a) rely on that payment to work and (b) might lose money as a result of her Department's proposed changes to the Personal Independence Payment eligibility criteria.

Reply

Some 17% of PIP claimants are in employment. No assessment has been made on the number of Personal Independence Payment (PIP) recipients who rely on their PIP payment to work. However, an assessment has been made on the number of PIP recipients who might lose money as a result of the proposed changes to eligibility, and can be found in the ‘The Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment Bill: Change to Personal Independence Payment eligibility requirement from the Department for Work and Pensions - June 2025’ impact assessment, in table 3, found at the following website: Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment Bill publications - Parliamentary Bills - UK Parliament (https://bills.parliament.uk/bills/3988/publications). Many people who are no longer entitled to the Daily Living component of PIP will still, however, receive the mobility component. Table 3 outlines that by 2029/30, a minimum 4-point score requirement would result in an estimated 60,000 current PIP claimants (as at October 2026) moving from the enhanced rate of PIP daily living to the nil rate, and 320,000 current PIP claimants (as at October 2026) moving from the standard rate of PIP daily living to the nil rate. It would also result in an estimated 40,000 new claims not being entitled to the enhanced daily living component and 390,000 new claims not being entitled to the standard daily living component (post October 2026). Our intention is that changes will start to come into effect from November 2026 for PIP, subject to parliamentary approval. After that date, no one will lose PIP without first being reassessed by a trained assessor or healthcare professional, who assesses individual needs and circumstance. Reassessments happen on average every 3 years. No one over state pension age at the time any changes come in will be affected. The change includes a run-on of PIP entitlement for 13 weeks as a financial protection, which will apply to claimants who lose entitlement on award review because of the new requirement. This run-on will extend to passported benefits such as Carer’s Allowance and the UC carer’s element. Claimants will continue to receive these awards during the run on period. The number of people currently on PIP who did not score 4 points in one category in their last assessment should not be equated with the number who are likely to lose PIP in future. It’s important to make a clear distinction between the two, not least because we don’t want constituents to be unnecessarily fearful about their situation, when we understand many are already anxious. Someone who didn’t score 4 points in an activity in a previous assessment may well score 4 points in a future assessment – not least as many conditions tend to get worse, not better, over time. Under the current eligibility criteria, 19% of award reviews over the last 5 years have resulted in an increased award. After accounting for behavioural changes, the OBR predicts that 9 out 10 PIP recipients at the time of policy implementation are expected to be unaffected by the PIP 4-point change in 2029/30. Even with these reforms, the overall number of working age people on PIP/DLA is expected to rise by 750,000 by the end of this Parliament and spending will rise from £23 billion in 24/25 to £31 billion in 29/30. We are consulting on how best to support those who are affected by the new eligibility changes, including ensuring health and care needs are met. We have also announced a wider review of the PIP assessment to make it fair and fit for purpose, which I am leading. We are bringing together a range of experts, stakeholders and people with lived experience to consider how best to do this. We will provide further details as plans progress.

7 May 2025·Department for Work and Pensions·Answered
Asked

If she will make it her policy to launch a public consultation on the measures outlined in Annex A of her Department's Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working Green Paper, published on 18 March 2025.

Reply

The Pathways to Work Green Paper set out our plans and proposals for reform to health and disability benefits and employment support. This includes some urgently needed reforms to PIP eligibility and Universal Credit rates that are not subject to consultation but on which Parliament will fully debate and vote. We included these changes in the Green Paper to allow readers to see the proposals in wider context and so they can provide more informed views. The Green Paper does consult on many key elements of the reform package, including employment support and Access to Work, which are at the centre of our plans to improve the system for disabled people. We hope that a wide range of voices will respond to the consultation, and we are holding a programme of public consultation events across the country to help facilitate input. We are also developing other ways to facilitate the involvement of stakeholders and disabled people in our reforms. In addition to the consultation itself, we will establish ‘collaboration committees’ that bring groups of people together for specific work areas and our wider review of the PIP assessment will bring together a range of experts, stakeholders and people with lived experience.

7 May 2025·Department for Work and Pensions·Answered
Asked

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of her Department's estimate that there will be an additional 250,000 people in relative poverty after housing costs in 2029-30 as a result of modelled changes to social security on levels of health inequalities; and whether she plans to publish a health impact assessment.

Reply

The figure referred to does not take account of increased employment as a result of the Green Paper changes, or of other initiatives such as the forthcoming Child Poverty Strategy. Further information on the impacts of the Pathways to Work Green Paper will be published in due course, alongside information published at the Spring Statement.Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working Green Paper - GOV.UKA further programme of analysis to support development of the proposals in the Green Paper will be developed and undertaken in the coming months.

6 May 2025·Department for Work and Pensions·Answered
Asked

How many Personal Independence Payments recipients do not meet four points on a single descriptor for (a) arthritis, (b) cardiovascular diseases, (c) respiratory diseases, (d) multiple sclerosis and neuropathic diseases, (e) cancer, (f) cerebral palsy and neurological muscular diseases and (g) psychotic disorders.

Reply

The information you requested can be found in Table 2.28 in the Pathways to Work: Evidence Pack: Chapter 2.

6 May 2025·Department for Work and Pensions·Answered
Asked

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of Personal Independence Payments on helping disabled people into work.

Reply

The Pathways to Work Green Paper sets out our plans for reform to stop people from falling into inactivity, restore trust and fairness in the system and protect disabled people.The Office of Budget Responsibility has committed to produce an assessment of the labour market impacts of the proposals in the Pathways to Work Green Paper at the time of the autumn budget.Information on the impacts of the Pathways to Work Green Paper has been published here ‘Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working Green Paper’(opens in a new tab).A further programme of analysis to support development of the proposals in the Green Paper will be developed and undertaken in the coming months.

6 May 2025·Department for Work and Pensions·Answered
Asked

What discussions her Department has had with disability organisations on the impact of (a) eligibility changes to Personal Independence Payment and (b) freezing the Universal Credit health element.

Reply

We urgently need reform to stop people from falling into inactivity, to restore public trust and fairness in the system, and to protect disabled people. That is why we are bringing forward some reforms in a Bill, including the changes to PIP eligibility and Universal Credit rates. It is right that we do this via Primary Legislation so that Parliament can fully debate and vote on these changes. As we develop detailed proposals for change, we will continue to consider the potential impacts of reforms. We are consulting on how best we can support those who might lose entitlement to PIP, including how to make sure health and eligible care needs are met. We have also launched a wider review of the PIP assessment, which I shall lead, which will bring together a range of experts, stakeholders and people with lived experience to consider how best to do this. As we make changes to Universal Credit, we will ensure that we protect the incomes of the most severely disabled people, so they can live with dignity and security, while supporting those who can work to do so. Existing Universal Credit claims will also be protected by holding the health top up (LCWRA) steady in cash terms, while they will also benefit from the new higher standard allowance. This government strongly values the input of disabled people and representative organisations. Ahead of the formal consultation for the Green Paper, we have engaged with a number of disability organisations and other stakeholders, and we will continue to explore ways of engaging with disabled people and their representatives. We are now also hosting virtual and in-person public consultation events across the country to further facilitate input and voices of disabled people and stakeholders on the Pathways to Work Green Paper consultation directly.

6 May 2025·Department for Work and Pensions·Answered
Asked

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of her proposed changes to Personal Independence Payment on people with (a) Myalgic Encephalomyelitis and (b) other fluctuating illnesses.

Reply

In January 2025, there were around 25,000 working age claimants in England and Wales that have their main disability recorded as Myalgic Encephalomyelitis, excluding those treated under Special Rules for End of Life. Around 12,000 received less than 4 points across all daily living descriptors. The primary health conditions recorded on the PIP computer system are not classified according to whether they are fluctuating or not, therefore information can only be given for specified conditions.The Personal Independence Payment (PIP) assessment looks at how a long-term health condition or disability impacts on daily life across 12 activities, taking into account fluctuations over a 12-month period. The activities are grouped into two components, daily living and mobility, and within each activity a descriptor must be chosen to score an individual depending on whether an individual can complete the activity, the manner in which they do it, and whether they can complete each activity safely, to an acceptable standard, repeatedly and in a reasonable time period.The assessment is designed to reflect the impact of variations in an individual's needs for all health conditions, not only those which more typically fluctuate. Health conditions may be physical, sensory, mental, intellectual or cognitive, or any combination of these, and the assessment is designed to take a comprehensive approach to disability, reflecting the needs arising from the full range of impairments.Health professionals are expected to be mindful of the fact that many conditions fluctuate, producing symptoms that vary in intensity from mild to severe, and are instructed not to base their opinion solely on the situation as observed at the assessment. Health Professionals also have access to Condition Insight Reports (CIRs)/EBM Protocols which are developed specifically to enable them to gain further insight into clinical and functional information, relating to specific conditions.

6 May 2025·Department for Work and Pensions·Answered
Asked

What estimate her Department has made of the number of people who (a) receive and (b) will receive (i) the daily living allowance and (ii) the enhanced Personal Independence Payment after the measures in her Pathways to Work Green Paper are enacted.

Reply

As a result of the PIP 4-point policy, in 29/30, we expect 1.1 million working age PIP claimants to receive the standard daily living component of PIP and 2.2 million working age PIP claimants to receive the enhanced daily living component. In the absence of the PIP 4-point policy, in 29/30 we would have expected 1.8 million working age PIP claimants to receive the standard daily living component of PIP and 2.3 million working age PIP claimants to receive the enhanced daily living component. As of January 2025, there are 2.9 million working-age claimants receiving a PIP daily living award.

6 May 2025·Department for Work and Pensions·Answered
Asked

What estimate her Department has made of the proportion of disabled people who receive the standard rate of Personal Independence Payments and are expected to no longer receive PIP following the changes to eligibility.

Reply

By the time the proposed changes take effect in November 2026, it is expected that there will be 3.6 million working age people claiming PIP or Disability Living Allowance. The assessment of the Office for Budget Responsibility is that 370,000 claimants at implementation in November 2026 will lose their entitlement by 2029-30, or just over 10% of the PIP caseload in 2026-27.

3 Apr 2025·Department for Work and Pensions·Answered
Asked

What proportion of current Personal Independence Payments recipients do not meet four points on a single descriptor on the daily living activities assessment criteria.

Reply

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.

3 Apr 2025·Department for Work and Pensions·Answered
Asked

How many Personal Independence Payment claimants there are in each (a) constituency and (b) local authority area.

Reply

Data on Personal Independence Payment (PIP) can be found on Stat Xplore. The requested data can be found in the ‘PIP Cases with Entitlement from 2019’ dataset. You can log in or access Stat-Xplore as a guest user and, if needed, you can access guidance on how to extract the information required. For data on claimants in receipt of PIP by local authority area there is a pre-populated table with the latest data. For data by constituency, you can filter by using the ‘Geography’ filter to select ‘Westminster Parliamentary Constituency 2024’. PIP has been devolved to Scotland since April 2020 and existing claims are currently being moved to the Scottish replacement benefit Adult Disability Payment.

2 Apr 2025·Department for Work and Pensions·Answered
Asked

With reference to paragraph 139 of the Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working Green Paper, published on 18 March 2025, for what reason it is her policy that people should no longer be eligible for the daily living component of the Personal Independence Payment if they need (a) assistance to be able to cut up food, (b) supervision or prompting to be able to wash or bathe, (c) assistance to be able to wash either their hair or body below the waist, (d) assistance to be able to get in or out of a bath or shower, (e) supervision or prompting to be able to manage toilet needs, (f) assistance to be able to dress or undress their lower body and (g) supervision, prompting or assistance to be able to manage medication and, or, to be able to monitor a health condition.

Reply

We have committed to introducing a new requirement whereby, in addition to the existing eligibility criteria, people must score a minimum of four points in at least one daily living activity to be eligible for the daily living component of Personal Independence Payment. Our intention is that – subject to parliamentary approval – the changes will apply to new claims and award reviews from November 2026.A high number of people get PIP by having multiple but low-level functional needs across several activities. These could individually be managed with small interventions or the addition of aids or appliances. This change will focus PIP more on those with the greatest needs, ensuring those who are unable to complete activities at all, or who require more help from others to complete them, still get support. Through the Green Paper we are consulting on how best to support those who may lose any entitlement because of this change.

27 Mar 2025·Department for Work and Pensions·Answered
Asked

What the total value is of grants provided by her Department under the Access to Work scheme in each financial year since 2020-21; and how much her Department plans to provide in the (a) 2025-26 and (b) 2026-27 financial years.

Reply

The most recently available data on Access to Work (AtW) outturn expenditure is available in the Access to Work official statistics. Expenditure on Access to Work elements, for financial years 2020/21 to 2023/24 was: Financial year2020/212021/222022/232023/24Nominal Terms£106,624,000£147,717,000£179,679,000£255,171,000Real Terms (2023/24 prices)£120,536,000£167,867,000£190,777,000£255,171,000 This includes expenditure on all AtW elements, including the Mental Health Support Service (MHSS), but excludes expenditure on the Transitional Employer Support Grant (TESG). Further information on AtW expenditure, including breakdowns of expenditure by AtW element type, is published in the Access to Work official statistics and currently covers financial years 2007/08 through to 2023/24. The most recently available data on AtW grant expenditure forecast under the current policy is published here for 2025/26 and 2026/27: Access to Work grant expenditure forecasts - GOV.UK. These figures do not align with figures from the AtW official statistics as they exclude grant expenditure on MHSS and include expenditure on TESG. The department has budgeted £385m for grants in 2025/26 based on the current expenditure forecast. The budget for 2026/27 has not been set. The budget is subject to significant change due to the uncertainty in the forecast and based on affordability and departmental funding pressures

21 Mar 2025·Department for Work and Pensions·Answered
Asked

If she will open a public consultation on the measures not being consulted on in Annex A of her Department's Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working Green Paper, published on 18 March 2025.

Reply

We urgently need reform to stop people from falling into inactivity, restore trust and fairness in the system and protect disabled people. There are some measures announced in the Pathways to Work Green Paper on the 18 March 2025 that we will not be consulting on. Key reforms to improve the system, such as our ‘Pathways to Work’ support offer, reducing assessments for those with severe conditions and recording assessments, are needed urgently and not consulted on in this Green Paper. This also includes changes to PIP. It is right that we bring this forward via Primary Legislation so that Parliament can fully debate and vote on these changes. In the Green Paper, we are consulting on how best to support those who are affected by this change, and we intend to launch a wider review of the PIP assessment. We will bring together a range of experts, stakeholders and people with lived experience to consider how best to do this.

19 Mar 2025·Department for Work and Pensions·Answered
Asked

What steps she is taking to ensure that changes to the Work Capability Assessment prevent disabled people from entering poverty.

Reply

The Health and Disability Green Paper published on 18th March 2025 outlines why we think removing the Work Capability Assessment and moving to using an amended version of the PIP assessment to determine what financial support people receive for health and disability in the Universal Credit system is the correct decision for the reformed system. We will be publishing estimated impacts on claimants for the changes announced on 18 March 2025 on the day of the Spring Statement or shortly after. We understand that for some people, work is simply not possible. We will work through how, without a WCA, these people can be identified and appropriate protections put in place, such as considering award reviews. Engagement with employment support will be determined on a personal basis, according to needs. Following the Green Paper consultation, we will bring forwards a White Paper in autumn 2025 to set out our full proposals.

19 Mar 2025·Department for Work and Pensions·Answered
Asked

Whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of welfare reform on people with multiple sclerosis.

Reply

Information on the impacts of the Pathways to Work Green Paper will be published in due course with some information published this week alongside the Spring Statement. A further programme of analysis to support development of the proposals in the Green Paper will be developed and undertaken in the coming months.

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