Written questions by Arthur.

What assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Disability Confident Scheme.

In 2022, the department commissioned a survey to understand from members’ perspectives the impact that signing up to the scheme has had on their recruitment and retention attitudes and practices towards disabled people. The survey can be accessed on gov.uk using the following link: Disability Confident: survey of participating employers, May 2022 - GOV.UK The department also published the Disability Confident Employer Renewal Research that summarises the reasons why employers did not renew membership of the Disability Confident scheme in 2022, including some qualitative evidence on the scheme’s impact on attracting and recruiting staff with disabilities and/or organisational culture (but not retention) for some employers. This small scale qualitative research with employers can be accessed at Disability Confident Employer Renewal Research - GOV.UK The Disability Confident scheme is well-established and has huge potential, but it needs reform to deliver meaningful change. My officials and I have been working with a wide range of stakeholders, including disabled people and employers, to explore potential reforms. On 15 January 2026 I announced more details about our plans to reform the scheme Disability Confident scheme overhauled to boost workplace standards for disabled people - GOV.UK. We are planning a proportionate assessment of the different strands of the upcoming reforms: this is likely to include qualitative interviews to get insights from employers, conducting short surveys, and gathering feedback on specific processes and products to iteratively improve and adapt.

How many Access to Work awards for blind and partially sighted customers had support worker hours reduced at the point of renewal, in each of the last three years.

The Department does not hold this data. Determining this information would require manually reviewing individual applications which would incur disproportionate cost.

What training Access to Work staff receive on assessing the needs of blind and partially sighted customers.

Access to Work staff are trained to take account of the customer’s own declaration of the support they need within the context of the Access to Work regulations. If more information is required to determine an award, a workplace assessment referral is made to an external partner to provide recommendations for the provision of equipment or support.

How many households where (a) Pension Credit and (b) Housing Benefit is claimed receive additional consideration due to there being a polygamous marriage.

Since 1988 rules have been in place under successive governments which limit access to benefits for people in polygamous marriages to those who were married in a country which allows such marriages. Any polygamous relationship formed in the United Kingdom is excluded by these rules and the second or subsequent partner is treated as a non-dependant. People in polygamous relationships where they are not married to the other members of the relationship are also excluded by these rules.Where a claimant is allowed to claim benefits as part of a polygamous marriage their benefit entitlement is based on the standard amount for couples, plus an amount for each additional partner calculated as the difference between the standard amount for a couple and the standard amount for a single person. There is no financial benefit to someone claiming as part of a polygamous marriage as more would be paid in benefits if the additional person claimed as a single person.The Pension Credit information that has been requested is not held by the Department. Based off the most recent published data (August 2025) from the Housing Benefit Single Housing Extract (SHBE), there are fewer than ten households where the claimant is recorded as having more than one partner. This has been used as a proxy for polygamous marriage.

Whether he has made an estimate of the annual cost to the public purse of young people in supported housing working reduced hours due to the interaction between Housing Benefit and Universal Credit taper rates.

No such assessment has been made. People on a low income living in Supported Housing receive Universal Credit for help with their daily living costs and Housing Benefit for help with their housing costs. Customers living in Supported Housing are also able to access higher levels of housing support through Housing Benefit. We are considering options to improve work incentives for residents of supported housing and temporary accommodation, while taking into account the views of stakeholders. Any future decisions on housing support will be made in the round, prioritising measures that best meet Government objectives within the current fiscal environment. It remains the department’s priority to ensure that those who can work are supported to enter the labour market and to sustain employment.

If he will publish a written response the Reverse Gear report published by the Adam Smith Institute on 11 September 2025.

The Government has no plans to publish a response to the Reverse Gear report.

What assessment he has made with Cabinet colleagues of the potential impact of the two-child benefit cap on incentivising employment among affected families.

Tackling child poverty is at the heart of this Government’s mission to break down barriers to opportunity. The Child Poverty Taskforce will publish a Child Poverty Strategy in the autumn that will deliver measures to tackle the structural and root causes of child poverty. The Strategy will look at levers across four key themes of increasing incomes, reducing essential costs, increasing financial resilience; and better local support especially in the early years.

How many existing claimants are awaiting a Work Capability Assessment; what the average wait time is; and when he expects the backlog to be cleared.

During the second half of 2024, DWP experienced a much higher level of demand for new Work Capability Assessments (WCA) than envisaged. As a result, 35,000 reassessments built up from individuals reporting a change in their condition before May 2025. We have worked with suppliers to rapidly increase capacity to clear this, including by accelerating the recruitment of assessors. 6,000 of these referrals have already been progressed, and we expect the vast majority of the remainder to be cleared over the next six months. In the meantime, claimants awaiting a reassessment will continue to be paid their current rate and when an individual is reassessed, if the outcome of the assessment means they are entitled to a higher rate of benefit, that rate will be backdated accordingly. Please note: All of the above data is derived from contractual management information produced by the Assessment SuppliersThe above data is derived from unpublished management information which is collected for internal departmental use only and has not been quality assured to Official Statistics Publication standards.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the two-child benefit cap on child poverty levels in (a) working families and (b) minority ethnic groups.

This government is committed to tackling child poverty and the Child Poverty Taskforce is developing an ambitious Child Poverty Strategy which we will publish in the autumn. We are considering all available levers, including social security reforms, to give every child the best start in life. The causes of child poverty are wide-ranging and deep-rooted, and so it is right that the Taskforce carefully considers and assesses the available levers as it develops this Strategy. In the meantime, we are pressing ahead with action. As a significant downpayment ahead of strategy publication, we have already taken substantive action across major drivers of child poverty through the Spending Review 2025. This includes an expansion of Free School Meals that will lift 100,000 children out of poverty by the end of the parliament, establishing a long-term Crisis and Resilience Fund supported by £1bn a year including Barnett impact, investing in local family support services, and extending the £3 bus fare cap. In August, we confirmed funding of £600m for the Holiday Activities and Food programme for the next three years, ensuring that children and young people can continue to benefit from enriching experiences and nutritious meals during the school holidays.

Pursuant to the Answer of 5 September 2025 to Question 71920 on Pensions: Trusts, what the (a) terms of reference are and (b) delivery schedule is for that consultation.

The Government will consult on trust-based pension scheme governance, professional and sole trustees, accreditation and skills, member voice and supporting lay trustees. We would encourage interested parties to engage with the consultation when it launches later this year.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the two-child benefit cap on child poverty levels in Edinburgh South West constituency.

This government is committed to tackling child poverty and the Child Poverty Taskforce is developing an ambitious Child Poverty Strategy which we will publish in the autumn. We are considering all available levers, including social security reforms, to give every child the best start in life. The causes of child poverty are wide-ranging and deep-rooted, and so it is right that the Taskforce carefully considers and assesses the available levers as it develops this Strategy. In the meantime, we are pressing ahead with action. As a significant downpayment ahead of strategy publication, we have already taken substantive action across major drivers of child poverty through the Spending Review 2025. This includes an expansion of Free School Meals that will lift 100,000 children out of poverty by the end of the parliament, establishing a long-term Crisis and Resilience Fund supported by £1bn a year including Barnett impact, investing in local family support services, and extending the £3 bus fare cap. In August, we confirmed funding of £600m for the Holiday Activities and Food programme for the next three years, ensuring that children and young people can continue to benefit from enriching experiences and nutritious meals during the school holidays.

Whether his Department plans to publish the decision making process behind the proposal to restrict access to the Universal Credit Health Element for under-22s.

The reasoning for this proposal, set out in the Pathways to Work green paper published in March, is the removal of a potential disincentive to work and the possibility that resources may be better spent on improving the quality and range of opportunities available to young people through the Youth Guarantee. We welcomed views on raising the age someone can access the Universal Credit health element to 22 as part of our Green Paper consultation, which closed on 30 June. We are considering responses and will set out our plans in due course.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of changes to the Universal Credit Health Element on poverty among disabled people.

The Department published an updated assessment of the poverty impacts of the health/disability benefit changes announced at Spring Statement with revisions to reflect the proposed changes since tabled. This estimates that there will be 50,000 fewer individuals in relative poverty after housing costs in 2029/30 as a result of the changes. The assessment is available at: Spring statement social security changes – updated impact on poverty levels in Great Britain, July. We will continue to carefully consider the impacts of reforms as we develop our detailed proposals for change.

Whether his Department plans to make an assessment of the social return on investment of the Access to Work programme.

Following the close of the Pathways to Work Green Paper Consultation at the end of June we are reviewing the Scheme. Its social value lies in supporting people who have a disability or health condition to move into or sustain paid employment. We are continuing to work closely with stakeholders, and in particular disabled people and their representatives.

What steps he is taking to incentivise the Motability scheme to source British manufactured cars.

Motability Foundation is a registered charity regulated by the Charity Commission so is independent of government. The Scheme is delivered by Motability Operations which is an independent commercial company under contract to the charity. The Motability Foundation is wholly responsible for the terms and the administration of the Motability Scheme. The department does however work closely with Motability and is responsible for the disability benefits that provide a passport to the Motability Scheme.

What discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, on incentivising the Motability scheme to buy British manufactured cars.

Motability Foundation is a registered charity regulated by the Charity Commission so is independent of government. The Scheme is delivered by Motability Operations which is an independent commercial company under contract to the charity. The Motability Foundation is wholly responsible for the terms and the administration of the Motability Scheme. The department does however work closely with Motability and is responsible for the disability benefits that provide a passport to the Motability Scheme.

For what reason his Department is prioritising Work Capability Assessments for new benefit claimants over reassessments.

The Department prioritises Work Capability Assessments (WCA) for new benefit claims (and for individuals already receiving UC who join the UC health journey) in order to assess these individuals’ capability for work at the earliest opportunity. This is so they get the right benefit entitlement and the right labour market support as soon as possible. During the second half of 2024, DWP experienced a much higher level of demand for new WCAs than envisaged. As a result, 35,000 reassessments built up from individuals reporting a change in their condition before May 2025. We have worked with suppliers to rapidly increase capacity for clearing this backlog, including by accelerating the recruitment of assessors. 6,000 of these referrals have already been progressed, and we expect most of the remainder to be cleared over the next six months.

What steps his Department is taking to reduce delays in Work Capability Assessments for existing claimants who have reported a deterioration in their health.

The Department prioritises Work Capability Assessments (WCA) for new benefit claims (and for individuals already receiving UC who join the UC health journey) in order to assess these individuals’ capability for work at the earliest opportunity. This is so they get the right benefit entitlement and the right labour market support as soon as possible. During the second half of 2024, DWP experienced a much higher level of demand for new WCAs than envisaged. As a result, 35,000 reassessments built up from individuals reporting a change in their condition before May 2025. We have worked with suppliers to rapidly increase capacity for clearing this backlog, including by accelerating the recruitment of assessors. 6,000 of these referrals have already been progressed, and we expect most of the remainder to be cleared over the next six months.

How much his Department paid directly to the Motability scheme in 2024-25.

For the financial year 2024–2025 the total value of benefits transferred by Department for Work and Pensions to the Motability scheme was £3,074,920,421.67. 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 Motability Scheme also receives zero rate VAT for hire of motor vehicle to individuals in receipt of specified disability benefits,: zero rate VAT for sale of lease vehicle on first sale after end of lease and zero rate Insurance Premium Tax (IPT) on Scheme policies.

Whether her Department has had discussions with private pension schemes on ensuring that people who have made contributions to defined benefit private pensions are able to benefit from a pension surplus.

The Department for Work and Pensions consulted on surplus release from defined benefit pensions schemes last year. Throughout the consultation, and in developing the consultation response and the Pension Schemes Bill, the Department has engaged with pension schemes, representatives of their members, sponsoring employers and trustees. We recognise the valuable perspectives of stakeholder groups.