Every parliamentary written question tabled by Rupert Lowe this session, with the full answer and department. Back to the MP page.
Showing 1–20 of 143 · Department for Work and Pensions
What assessment he has made of the potential impact of disparities in rates of males and females not being in education, employment or training on boys and young men.
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
Whether his Department plans to publish gender‑disaggregated monitoring data on the potential impact of the 200,000‑job employment and apprenticeship programme announced on 16 March 2026 on the number of men not in education, employment or training.
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
What minimum English language proficiency requirements apply to Jobcentre Plus work coaches and other frontline staff; and whether his Department has conducted any audits or assessments in the last five years of the ability of non‑native English‑speaking staff in those roles to communicate effectively in English with claimants, including those with complex needs.
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
Whether employment and apprenticeship reforms announced on 16 March 2026 include measures to reduce the number of young men not in education, employment or training.
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
What steps he is taking with the Secretary of State for (a) Education and (b) Business and Trade to reduce the number of young men not in education, employment or training.
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
What steps he is taking to ensure that boys and young men receive targeted support to improve education, employment and training outcomes.
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
How many Personal Independence Payment claims were made by residents of Great Yarmouth constituency in each of the last three years; and how many of those claims were successful.
The requested information on Personal Independence Payment (PIP) registrations and clearances by constituency can be found on Stat Xplore.
How many hardship payments were made to benefit claimants in the Great Yarmouth constituency in each of the last three years.
The requested information is not readily available and to provide it would be at disproportionate cost.
How many people were in receipt of Universal Credit in Great Yarmouth constituency in each of the last five years.
Monthly Universal Credit statistics showing the number of people on Universal Credit by Westminster Parliamentary Constituency are published in the People on Universal Credit dataset on Stat-Xplore, and are currently available to March 2026, with a breakdown by Employment Indicator available from November 2013 to February 2026.
What proportion of Universal Credit claimants in Great Yarmouth constituency are in employment.
Monthly Universal Credit statistics showing the number of people on Universal Credit by Westminster Parliamentary Constituency are published in the People on Universal Credit dataset on Stat-Xplore, and are currently available to March 2026, with a breakdown by Employment Indicator available from November 2013 to February 2026.
How many people in Great Yarmouth constituency receive Universal Credit with a health‑related requirement or award.
Monthly Universal Credit statistics showing the number of people on Universal Credit with a health condition or disability restricting their ability to work, by Westminster Parliamentary Constituency are published in the UC Health Caseload dataset on Stat-Xplore, and are currently available to December 2025.
How many nights were spent in hotels by Departmental staff in financial year 2024-25 by the star rating of the hotel.
DWP policy is clear that a hotel may only be booked for clear business reasons and with approval from the staff member’s manager. The policy also puts limits on the cost of hotels, which naturally excludes premium hotels. The total number nights spent in hotels in 2024/25 was 73,893. Information on hotel star rating is not routinely recorded in our system, but any stays must comply with the relevant departmental cost limit.
How many civil servants employed by their Department work in roles primarily focused on (a) transgender policy, (b) diversity, (c) equity and (d) inclusion; and at what annual salary cost.
Dedicated EDI staff help DWP comply with equality legislation, making sure that vulnerable customers are supported. Proactive EDI initiatives can help prevent issues related to discrimination or exclusion, reducing grievances and costly disputes. As of December 2025, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) employed 84,373.2 paid full-time equivalent (FTE) staff. There are no roles within the Department that are primarily focused on transgender policy.Roles considered to be primarily focused on Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) are as follows: 1 x Grade 6 – 0.86 FTE8 x Grade 7 – 8 FTE6 x Senior Executive Officers (SEO) – 5.3 FTE This constitutes a total of 14.16 FTE staff, which represents approximately 0.02% of the Department’s total Paid FTE workforce as being EDI focused. The annual expenditure associated with the salaries for staff whose roles are primarily focused on Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (based on People & Capability Annual Average Salary and including employer pension and NI contributions) amounts to approximately £1,121,565.
What the cost to the public purse was of feasibility studies conducted by their Department for projects that did not proceed in the last five years.
The information requested is not held centrally and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.
What assessment has been made of the effectiveness of hospitality apprenticeship schemes in tackling labour shortages in the pub sector.
Apprenticeships are one of the ways in which employers in the hospitality sector can fill skills gaps and address labour shortages. Employers in the sector have developed a number of apprenticeships including the Level 2 Food and Beverage Team Member, Level 3 Hospitality Supervisor, and Level 4 Hospitality Manager. Published data on apprenticeships, including within the hospitality sector, can be found at: Apprenticeships, Academic year 2024/25 - Explore education statistics - GOV.UK. To support our ambition of 50,000 more young people undertaking apprenticeships and foundation apprenticeships, we will expand foundation apprenticeships into sectors where young people are traditionally recruited, exploring occupations such as hospitality and retail. Additionally, to support SMEs to access apprenticeships, the government will fully fund apprenticeship training for non-levy paying employers (essentially SMEs) for all eligible people aged under 25 from the next academic year. Smaller employers in all sectors will benefit from this change. The department and Skills England engage regularly with the hospitality sector, including industry bodies such as UK Hospitality, regarding training for the sector and the government’s plans for skills. The government has also supported other sector-based initiatives such as the development of a Hospitality Skills Passport and hospitality Sector-based Work Academy Programmes (SWAPs).
For the total spend on (i) LinkedIn membership fees (ii) other subscriptions by his Department in the last financial year.
Due to the way this information is stored in our systems, it would be difficult and incur disproportionate costs to extract subscriptions to LinkedIn and other social media platforms.
How many staff in their Department have been on mental health leave for six months or more; and for what reason.
Information on sickness absence, including mental ill-health, is available in the Civil Service Sickness Absence Reports, which provide statistics by organisation and sickness reason. These reports can be accessed at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/sickness-absence. The Cabinet Office collates Sickness Absence data from DWP on a quarterly basis. On an annual basis this management information is published. The next release of these statistics is expected to be around 18 December.
What estimate he has made of the proportion of identified benefit fraud cases in which the claimant was a non-UK national in the last five years.
The Monetary Value of Fraud and Error Statistics are not disaggregated by nationality and immigration status.
What estimate his Department has made of the value of benefit expenditure paid to non-UK nationals in the last financial year by benefit type.
The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.
Whether his Department routinely records the nationality and immigration status of claimants in cases of proven benefit fraud.
The Monetary Value of Fraud and Error Statistics are not disaggregated by nationality and immigration status.