Every parliamentary written question tabled by Sarah Pochin this session, with the full answer and department. See how every department answers, or back to the MP page.
Showing 1–15 of 15 · Department for Work and Pensions
How contractor performance under the Synergy programme will be monitored and enforced.
The Synergy programme is working with its partners actively to monitor effectiveness, and has a strong governance framework in place to monitor delivery, risk and overall performance. In addition, like all Government contracts, the BPS contract has backst...
What assessment has been made of the potential risks associated with transitioning from legacy systems to the Synergy shared services platform.
The Synergy programme monitors risk through robust governance by default. It is about to embark on a planned series of rigorous testing processes to inform the transition from legacy systems to the modern, user-focused operating model of the future, in la...
What assessment he has made of the potential impact of the Synergy shared services programme on data security.
Synergy places the utmost importance on data security and has contractual conditions with suppliers to specify its data remains in the control of the UK Government. The Synergy team works closely with the data protection and security experts in the Synerg...
Whether his Department has plans for contingency arrangements in the event of disruption to payroll services under the Synergy programme.
Synergy will make go-live decisions based on the proven stability of the new platform and will run a number of parallel payroll runs, to ensure successful transition and continuity of service. The programme has contractual agreements in place with the inc...
What safeguards are in place to ensure the accuracy and timeliness of payroll delivery under the Synergy shared services programme.
The Synergy programme will make delivery decisions based on the proven stability of the new platform. To ensure a successful transition, a number of parallel payroll delivery runs will be conducted. The first delivery point is planned for late 2027 with a...
What assessment he has made of the potential impact of delays in Child Maintenance Service case reviews on administrative costs.
The Child Maintenance Service (CMS) relies on receiving accurate and current information to make child maintenance assessments. If additional or new evidence is provided after a child maintenance assessment has been made for example a Mandatory Reconsideration this can lead to corrective action being taken. As more customers apply to the Child Maintenance Service (CMS) the demand for the service is increasing. To allow the CMS to meet this demand and provide an efficient service the service continuously looks at the resources they have and where it should focus their efforts to get the greatest value for money and deliver the best service to their customers. The CMS reviews overall resource supply and takes appropriate steps to ensure that staffing levels meet current demands. The CMS has an ongoing recruitment campaign for 2026; this will ensure the CMS is resourced to meet current and future forecasted demand.
What assessment she has made of the potential impact of delays by the Child Maintenance Service on (a) parents and (b) children who rely on child maintenance payments.
We know that children in separated families are more likely to live in poverty than those in non-separated families. Child maintenance payments through both statutory and non-statutory arrangements keep approximately 120,000 children out of poverty each year. The Child Maintenance Service (CMS) works hard to make sure parents pay in full and on time to minimise delays in payments. Where parents fail to take responsibility for paying for their children, the CMS will not hesitate to use the range enforcement powers available. The CMS is committed to using these powers fairly and in the best interests of children and separated families. CMS has implemented significant improvements to speed up action when payments first break down, targeting enforcement actions more effectively. CMS undertake regular quality assurance checks to ensure processes are delivered accurately, reducing the requirement for rework and reinforcing our aim to ‘get it right first time’. These measures demonstrate our commitment to minimising delays and ensuring that child maintenance reaches children promptly.
Whether the Child Maintenance Service is meeting its internal target times for progressing cases and taking enforcement action.
The Child Maintenance Service (CMS) is committed to providing a modern and efficient service for all customers.The CMS continues to strengthen its enforcement activity to ensure that parents meet their financial responsibilities. Where parents can afford to pay but do not, the CMS has a range of strong enforcement powers that it can and does use swiftly to influence a return to compliance.Published statistics show a significant increase in compliance, with the proportion of paying parents who paid some maintenance rising from 64% in the quarter ending September 2022 to 74% in the quarter ending September 2025.The published quarterly CMS statistics provide information on application clearances, change of circumstances clearances and Collect and Pay compliance, with the latest data available for quarter ending September 2025.
What assessment he has made of the adequacy of staffing levels and caseload pressures within the Child Maintenance Service.
As more customers apply to the Child Maintenance Service (CMS) the demand for its service is increasing. To allow it to meet this demand and provide an efficient service, the CMS continuously reviews its resources and where to focus its efforts to get the greatest value for money and deliver the best service to customers.The CMS reviews its overall resource supply and takes appropriate steps to ensure that staffing levels meet current demands. The service is currently resourced at a level appropriate to its operational demand, ensuring that support is directed to the teams and functions where it is most needed.There is an ongoing recruitment campaign for 2026; this will ensure CMS continues to be resourced to meet current and future forecast demand.
If he will provide additional resources to the Child Maintenance Service to reduce delays in case progression.
As more customers apply to the Child Maintenance Service (CMS) the demand for its service is increasing. To allow it to meet this demand and provide an efficient service, the CMS continuously reviews its resources and where to focus its efforts to get the greatest value for money and deliver the best service to customers.The CMS reviews its overall resource supply and takes appropriate steps to ensure that staffing levels meet current demands. The service is currently resourced at a level appropriate to its operational demand, ensuring that support is directed to the teams and functions where it is most needed.There is an ongoing recruitment campaign for 2026; this will ensure CMS continues to be resourced to meet current and future forecast demand.
What assessment he has made of the potential impact of delays in Child Maintenance Service case reviews on the likelihood of later corrective or enforcement action.
The Child Maintenance Service (CMS) relies on receiving accurate and current information to make child maintenance assessments. If additional or new evidence is provided after a child maintenance assessment has been made for example a Mandatory Reconsideration this can lead to corrective action being taken. As more customers apply to the Child Maintenance Service (CMS) the demand for the service is increasing. To allow the CMS to meet this demand and provide an efficient service the service continuously looks at the resources they have and where it should focus their efforts to get the greatest value for money and deliver the best service to their customers. The CMS reviews overall resource supply and takes appropriate steps to ensure that staffing levels meet current demands. The CMS has an ongoing recruitment campaign for 2026; this will ensure the CMS is resourced to meet current and future forecasted demand.
What the annual cost was of the Motability Scheme in each of the last five years.
The Motability Scheme receives no direct funding from DWP. However, it does receive the direct transfer of benefit from DWP. This is claimant benefit the claimant would otherwise be receiving, and the cost of transfer is paid for by the Motability Foundation. The total paid to the Motability Scheme from the customers’ benefit in each financial year is as follows (inclusive of amounts for Northern Ireland Executive and Scottish Government benefits): Financial YearAmount2022/23c£2.121bn2023/24c£2.606bn2024/25c£3.075bn Please note our financial systems only hold full year data for financial years 22/3 – 24/25.
If he will provide a breakdown of the value of vehicles provided under the Motability Scheme, with the number of vehicles in each of the following price ranges a) from £10,000 to £20,000, b) from £20,000 to £30,000, c) from £30,000 to £40,000, d) from £40,000 to £50,000, e) from £50,000 to £60,000, f) from £60,000 to £70,000, g) from £70,000 to £80,000, h) from £80,000 to £90,000, i) from £90,000 to £100,000 and j) above £100,000.
The Motability Foundation is independent of government and regulated by the Charity Commission to help disabled people with their mobility and transport needs. They own and have oversight of the Motability Scheme which is delivered by an independent commercial company Motability Operations. The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is responsible for the main benefits that provide a gateway to the Scheme. Data about the brands or values of vehicles leased under the Scheme is held by Motability Operations. Vehicles leased to eligible disabled people as part of the Motability Scheme are exempt from Vehicle Excise Duty, including the expensive car supplement, if applicable. 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.
How many (a) Jaguar, (b) BMW, c) Mercedes, (d) Range Rover, (e) Audi, and (f) Tesla motor vehicles have been purchased under the Motability Scheme in each of the last three years for which figures are available.
The Motability Foundation is independent of government and regulated by the Charity Commission to help disabled people with their mobility and transport needs. They own and have oversight of the Motability Scheme which is delivered by an independent commercial company Motability Operations. The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is responsible for the main benefits that provide a gateway to the Scheme. Data about the brands or values of vehicles leased under the Scheme is held by Motability Operations. Vehicles leased to eligible disabled people as part of the Motability Scheme are exempt from Vehicle Excise Duty, including the expensive car supplement, if applicable. 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.
How many vehicles issued under the Motability Scheme were subject to the Expensive Car Supplement in the last year for which figures are available.
The Motability Foundation is independent of government and regulated by the Charity Commission to help disabled people with their mobility and transport needs. They own and have oversight of the Motability Scheme which is delivered by an independent commercial company Motability Operations. The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is responsible for the main benefits that provide a gateway to the Scheme. Data about the brands or values of vehicles leased under the Scheme is held by Motability Operations. Vehicles leased to eligible disabled people as part of the Motability Scheme are exempt from Vehicle Excise Duty, including the expensive car supplement, if applicable. 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.