Written questions by Darling.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of introducing specialist support measures to support unpaid carers into employment.

Unpaid carers play a vital role in our communities, and we all owe them a debt of gratitude. We know that for the vast majority of people, care begins at home with their families. Many people wish to play a role in caring for their friends and family, and we recognise that for some this can be a significant commitment. We are committed to supporting carers to balance unpaid care with paid work where this is feasible. Customers providing care for fewer than 35 hours a week receive personalised support through their Jobcentre Plus work coach to help them find work and their work expectation is tailored to fit caring responsibilities. Support includes identifying skills gaps and referral to skills training, careers advice, job search support, volunteering opportunities and access to the Flexible Support Fund to aid job entry. Unemployed customers who require more intensive employment support can also be referred to the Restart programme. DWP also provides information to help carers and potential unpaid carers make informed decisions about combining work and care through their JobHelp Care choices site. The Get Britain Working White Paper sets out our ambition to reform Jobcentre Plus and create a new service across Great Britain that will enable everyone, to access good, meaningful work, and support them to progress in work, including through an enhanced focus on skills and careers. The new Jobs and Careers Service will be universal to all - regardless of their barriers to work - and the principles of accessibility and inclusivity will be core to service design.

If he will publish all changes to guidance for civil servants issuing Access to Work grants issued since 2020.

Minor changes to guidance have been made to increase readability and operational understanding for civil servants issuing Access to Work grants. More significantly, existing guidance has been applied more consistently. No changes have been made to Access to Work policy, and we will announce any changes prior to them being implemented.

What estimate he has made of the average savings per claimant to his Department from passing costs previously covered by Access to Work to employers.

No such transfer has been made. No changes have been made to Access to Work policy, and we will announce any changes prior to them being implemented. We will be reviewing all aspects of the Scheme now that the consultation on the Pathways to Work Green Paper has closed.

When the Independent Review of Carer's Allowance overpayments will be published.

The Government is carefully considering the recommendations of the Independent Review, conducted by Liz Sayce, into overpayments of Carer’s Allowance (CA). The review investigated how overpayments of CA related to earnings occurred, how we can best support those who have accrued them, and how to reduce the risk of these problems occurring in future.We have already taken steps to improve the way CA operates and to support those who can combine their caring responsibilities with some paid work, including changing the weekly CA earnings limit to match 16 hours work at National Living Wage levels. This is the largest ever increase in the earnings limit since CA was introduced in 1976 and the highest percentage increase since 2001. Over 60,000 additional people will be able to receive CA between 2025/26 and 2029/30 as a result from investment worth around £500 million.

With reference to the April 2025 deadline for backdated voluntary National Insurance Contributions, how many requests for callbacks were logged by his Department before 6 April 2025; how many callbacks have so far been made and completed through all stages; how many people have made National Insurance top-ups under this concessionary arrangement; and when he expects the callback process to be complete.

In total, DWP received c528,000 call-back requests from customers ahead of the voluntary National Insurance Contributions (VNICS) deadline of 5 April 2025. The Department has taken a two-stage approach to actioning these requests.Stage 1 was to gather personal information such as National Insurance numbers and to filter out any duplicate requests. All stage 1 call-backs have been completed.Stage 2 is the review of any gaps in the customer National Insurance record and to assess the impact this may have on a customer’s State Pension. All Stage 2 call-backs for customers over State Pension age, residing in the UK have been completed, with under 5,000 call-backs outstanding for customers over SP age residing abroad. There are c119,500 under State Pension (GB and abroad) Stage 2 call-back outstanding. We expect all Stage 2 call-backs to be complete by end March 2026.DWP does not hold data on how many of the customers went on to pay VNICS under this arrangement.Background:DWP have prioritised Stage 2 for those over or near to their State Pension age. The Department received 56,262 stage 2 call-back requests for customers over State Pension age and living in Great Britain – all these call-backs have been completed.In addition, DWP received 23,961 stage 2 call-back requests for customers over State Pension age, living abroad. DWP have cleared 19,184 of these with 4,777 call-backs left to complete. DWP expect to clear this set of call-back requests before the end of December 2025.All other stage 2 call-back requests are where the customer is under State Pension age. DWP has 119,451 remaining. DWP expect to clear this set of call-back requests before the end of March 2026.

With reference to the April 2025 deadline for backdated voluntary National Insurance Contributions how many requests for callbacks were logged by HMRC before 6 April 2025; how many callbacks have so far been made and completed through all stages; how many people have made National Insurance top-ups under this concessionary arrangement; and when she expects the callback process to be completed.

In total, DWP received c528,000 call-back requests from customers ahead of the voluntary National Insurance Contributions (VNICS) deadline of 5 April 2025. The Department has taken a two-stage approach to actioning these requests.Stage 1 was to gather personal information such as National Insurance numbers and to filter out any duplicate requests. All stage 1 call-backs have been completed.Stage 2 is the review of any gaps in the customer National Insurance record and to assess the impact this may have on a customer’s State Pension. All Stage 2 call-backs for customers over State Pension age, residing in the UK have been completed, with under 5,000 call-backs outstanding for customers over SP age residing abroad. There are c119,500 under State Pension (GB and abroad) Stage 2 call-back outstanding. We expect all Stage 2 call-backs to be complete by end March 2026.DWP does not hold data on how many of the customers went on to pay VNICS under this arrangement.Background:DWP have prioritised Stage 2 for those over or near to their State Pension age. The Department received 56,262 stage 2 call-back requests for customers over State Pension age and living in Great Britain – all these call-backs have been completed.In addition, DWP received 23,961 stage 2 call-back requests for customers over State Pension age, living abroad. DWP have cleared 19,184 of these with 4,777 call-backs left to complete. DWP expect to clear this set of call-back requests before the end of December 2025.All other stage 2 call-back requests are where the customer is under State Pension age. DWP has 119,451 remaining. DWP expect to clear this set of call-back requests before the end of March 2026.

How many people under 16 are in receipt of Disability Living Allowance where the primary medical condition is a neurodevelopmental disorder; and how many people in that category subsequently (a) make claims for and (b) are awarded PIP following reassessment.

As of February 2025, 703,120 claimants with a neurodevelopmental condition are receiving Disability Living Allowance for children (DLAc), in England and Wales. It is not possible to determine how many of these claimants will go on to claim, and receive, PIP until they reach age 16. However, from April to October 2024, there were 33,760 DLAc claimants reaching age 16 with a neurodevelopmental condition as their primary condition. Of these claimants, 31,370 applied to PIP, and 26,190 were awarded PIP. Points to note:- Figures are for England and Wales only.- Figures are rounded to the nearest ten.- Number of claims that are awarded PIP is calculated based on the latest PIP reassessment outcome, after taking account of mandatory reconsiderations and appeals. The most recent data used is for October 2024 to allow sufficient time for the outcome of appeals to be known, although there may be some still outstanding.- Neurodevelopmental disorder includes the following medical conditions:o Learning Disabilityo Speech and Language Disorderso Autismo Asperger’s Syndromeo Dyspraxiao Hyperkinetic disordero ADHD/ADDo Psychiatric disorders of childhood – other / type not known. This category could also contain conditions that do not fall under neurodevelopmental disorder.

Whether guidance has been issued to officials in her Department to reduce support levels under the Access to Work scheme.

No.In the past, some restrictions in the guidance have not always been implemented. The guidance is now being more consistently applied. For the last year, work has been underway to improve Scheme decision-making by applying the guidance with greater consistency, to provide a fairer process. This may mean that some awards change at the point of renewal, but there has been no change in Scheme policy, or instruction to reduce support levels. The support that a customer will receive from Access to Work is dependent upon their needs and circumstances at the time they make an application. Case managers will use the current guidance to ensure Access to Work principles are considered when making a decision on support. No changes have been made to Access to Work policy. We will be reviewing all aspects of the Scheme now that the consultation has closed. Any changes will be announced before being implemented. Any updates to operational guidance are reflected through the published version available online at GOV.UK.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of plans to consolidate smaller DWP offices into larger sites on staff; and what steps she is taking to help ensure that staff are adequately protected.

Where customers do not need to be seen face-to-face for the delivery of services, the Department’s location strategy is to move away from a higher number of smaller sites to fewer, larger sites that can accommodate over 300 colleagues. By investing in the sites that are retained, this will help create a more sustainable, cost-effective estate with improved operational resilience and efficiency. The Department carefully considers the impact on staff when making these decisions. It completes an Equality Assessment to inform decision making. Any colleague affected by office closures receives support through a one-to-one discussion with their line manager to understand the personal impact and address concerns. DWP's priority is to retain, retrain and redeploy as many colleagues as possible, either within the Department, or with other government departments locally.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential effectiveness of (a) the Get Set Progress scheme and (b) paid internship programmes for disabled people; and what discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues to (i) increase internships for disabled people and (ii) diversify the sources from which departments recruit.

Ministers have been encouraged by the briefing they have received on the ‘Get Set Progress’ scheme, but no assessment has been carried out by this department. Employers are crucial in enhancing employment opportunities and supporting disabled people and those with health conditions to thrive in the workforce. All employers have a duty under the Equality Act 2010 to make ‘reasonable adjustments’ in the workplace where a disabled person would otherwise be put at a substantial disadvantage compared with their colleagues. All government departments and employers must consider the Equality Act when providing internships. Civil Service internships are a matter for Government Skills, part of the Cabinet Office and supported internships are a matter for the Department for Education.

Whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of replacing the Work and Health programme that last took applicants in September 2024.

The decision to end the Work and Health Programme was made by the previous Administration. The Government is committed to reducing the disability employment gap. We have a clear ambition to raise the overall employment rate to 80%. We are delivering the biggest employment support package for disabled people and people with health conditions in more than a generation as part of our Pathways to Work Guarantee, which will provide work, health and skills support for disabled people and those with health conditions claiming out of work benefits. The Pathways to Work Guarantee is backed by £1 billion a year of new, additional funding by 2030 and a total of £2.2 billion over four years. Separate to this, our new, voluntary, locally led, Supported Employment programme, Connect to Work, is rolling out across England and Wales. Over the five-year duration of the programme, it will provide specialist employment support to over 300,000 disabled people, people with health conditions and those with complex barriers to employment. This is on top of our Jobcentre core offer, which includes the extended Restart Scheme, Disability Employment Advisers and 1000 Pathways to Work Advisers providing additional work coach support for disabled benefit recipients and those with work-limiting health conditions.

What estimate she has made of the number of people who are (a) incapable of ever working and (b) will no longer have Universal Credit reassessments.

The Department for Work and Pensions has not made a formal estimate of the number of people who are incapable of ever working. However, we recognise that a proportion of claimants receiving health-related benefits have severe or lifelong conditions that significantly limit their ability to engage in work. Subject to Parliamentary approval, the Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment Bill sets out that those who meet the Severe Conditions Criteria (SCC) will not be called for future reassessments for Universal Credit (UC). We estimate that over 200,000 people will be covered by this exemption in 2029/30. This comprises:106,000 people in the ESA Support Group, who have met the SCC as of January 2025, but some will move to UC over the coming years.56,000 people who are existing recipients of the UC Health element, 6,000 of whom are also in receipt of ESA, as of January 2025. This number will fluctuate prior to implementation of the policy in April 2026.71,500 people who we expect to flow on to the UC Health element and meet the SCC after April 2026. Further details can be found in The Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment Bill: Impact Assessment (May 2025).As outlined in the Pathways to Work Green Paper, the Department intends to make changes to both the UC health element and the reassessment process. While final decisions are yet to be made, the Government has committed to ensuring that people with severe or terminal health conditions, such as those meeting the SCC or the Special Rules for End of Life (SREL), will not be subject to routine reassessments. The Department is currently consulting on these proposals, and further detail will be provided following the conclusion of the consultation period on 30 June 2025.

What criteria her Department plans to use to determine when to end Universal Credit reassessments for people who are incapable of ever working.

Subject to Parliamentary approval, the Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment Bill legislates that those who meet the Severe Conditions Criteria (SCC) will not be called for reassessment for Universal Credit (UC). The Severe Conditions Criteria are set out in the Bill, which was introduced to the House on 18 June 2025 and can be found here: https://publications.parliament.uk/pa/bills/cbill/59-01/0267/240267.pdf

If she will provide an estimate of the number of people eligible for the Winter Fuel Payment in 2025-26 who did not receive it in 2024-25, broken down by constituency.

The next release of Official Winter Fuel Payment statistics will cover this period and will be published on 16 September 2025. The majority of pensioners in England and Wales – around 9 million individuals – will now benefit from Winter Fuel Payments, making it better targeted than the previous near-universal payment. This is in line with our wider welfare reforms – ensuring support is targeted and that it is a responsible use of taxpayers’ money. Winter Fuel Payments are £200 for a household with someone of State Pension age and £300 for a household with someone aged 80 or over. They will be paid automatically to anyone who has not opted out. Individuals with a taxable income above £35,000 a year Winter Fuel Payments will be recouped via HMRC.

What steps she is taking to help prevent homelessness among people that receive Personal Independence Payment.

Personal Independence Payment (PIP) is there to help people, now and into the future, with the extra costs of living with a disability.PIP is not intended to cover housing costs, which are paid through Universal Credit or Housing Benefit, but my department is committed to identifying and preventing homelessness amongst all customers.Tailored support is available to those at risk of and experiencing homelessness. This includes easements for those with work-related requirements, to give the space to resolve housing issues; referrals to local authority housing teams under ‘duty to refer’ legislation; and signposting to money advice services.We are continuing funding this year for local authorities to provide additional financial support for people struggling with housing and other essential living costs through the Household Support Fund and Discretionary Housing Payments. Through the Spending Review, we announced £1bn a year including Barnett consequentials from 2026 to reform crisis support in England.The Pathways to Work Green Paper announced a broad package of plans and proposals to reform health and disability benefits and employment support. Our reforms will ensure the most vulnerable and severely disabled people are protected, so they can live with dignity and security, while supporting those who can work to do so. As we develop detailed proposals for change, we will continue to consider the potential impacts of reforms.Ending all forms of homelessness is a priority for this Government. £1 billion has been invested in homelessness and rough sleeping services this year. DWP is fully committed to playing its part in homelessness prevention and supporting MHCLG to develop a new cross-government strategy to get us back on track to ending homelessness.

If her Department will make an assessment of the potential impact of proposed changes to eligibility for the Personal Independence Payment on the number of job vacancies in each constituency.

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.We do not hold the data to assess the impact of the proposed changes to PIP eligibility on the number of job vacancies on a national level or by parliamentary constituency. 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.

What information her Department holds on the number of job vacancies there are in each constituency.

There are no published statistics on the number of job vacancies by constituency. However, the number of online job adverts by local authorities can be found here: Labour demand volumes by Standard Occupation Classification (SOC 2020), UK - Office for National Statistics

What steps her Department plans to take to help support people with (a) mental health problems and (b) psychiatric disorders following the implementation of her proposed reforms to eligibility for the Personal Independence Payment.

PIP provides a cash contribution to support people with the extra costs of living with a long-term health condition or disability. Claimants have freedom and choice to spend their PIP as they see fit and the Secretary of State has been clear this should be maintained.We are aware there is increased anxiety relating to the Green Paper changes resulting in people seeking health related support. We want anyone who is currently in receipt of PIP and who, under the new eligibility criteria, loses their entitlement to have their health and eligible care needs met. DWP and DHSC are working together and will continue to do so as the package of reforms is developed in detail.We also want to reassure people that the changes to PIP will not come into effect immediately. The changes will apply from November 2026 at a person’s next award review. If an existing claimant loses eligibility to PIP, they will continue to receive their full entitlement for 13 weeks after their award review. This will provide time for individuals to respond to their new situation, including accessing employment support if appropriate. This transitional cover is more than three times the length of protection provided for the transition from DLA to PIP.The department has processes in place to support and safeguard people who use our services, and we will continue to provide this support as changes are taken forward.If someone within a job centre is identified as being at risk of suicide, our 6-point plan will be invoked. We also have robust safeguarding processes in place during assessments where our trained health care professionals can make contact with the claimant’s GP or mental health team if they are concerned there has been or is a risk of deterioration to the mental or physical health of an individual.We want to go further so that there is a clear and transparent process in place to ensure vulnerable individuals are adequately supported. In the Green Paper Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working published on 18 March we have committed to undertaking a thorough review of our current approach to safeguarding, with the aim of developing and implementing a new departmental-wide approach.We have also already issued guidance strongly encouraging Local Authorities in England to support disabled people using the Household Support Fund. We will explore how Local Authorities can support disabled people through the new Crisis and Resilience Fund which starts from April 2026.

What steps her Department is taking to help ensure that (a) carers and (b) family members of people with (i) mental health problems and (ii) psychiatric disorders are supported, in the context of proposed changes to disability health benefits.

We will consider potential impacts of our reforms on people with all health conditions, including mental health conditions, as part of our wider consideration of responses to the consultation and as we develop our detailed proposals for change. This includes any impacts on unpaid carers, who provide invaluable support to people with health conditions, are frail or disabled, and who this government is committed to supporting.As we introduce changes to PIP eligibility, we are mindful of the potential impact on unpaid carers. The recently published Bill commits to providing a 13-week run-on for existing claimants who – at their next award review – are no longer eligible for PIP as a result of this change. This will include passporting to other entitlements such as Carers Allowance, allowing the carer a longer period of adjustment. We are also taking action to improve Carer’s Allowance separate to the Green Paper. We have pegged the weekly Carer’s Allowance earnings limit to 16 hours’ work at National Living Wage (NLW) levels, and in future it will increase when the NLW increases. The Carer’s Allowance earnings limit increased to be £196 a week net earnings on 7 April 2025, compared to £151 in 24/25. This is the largest ever increase in the earnings limit since Carer’s Allowance was introduced in 1976 and the highest percentage increase since 2001. Over 60,000 additional people will be able to receive Carer’s Allowance between 2025/26 and 2029/30 as a result. We will also continue to work closely with the Department for Health and Social Care to further assess the impacts of reforms and to see how best health and care needs can continue to be met

Whether her Department plans to provide support for people with mental health problems who need to (a) stop and (b) reduce spending on (i) therapy, (ii) counselling, (iii) personal care and (iv) other support following the implementation of her proposed changes to eligibility for the Personal Independence Payment.

PIP provides a cash contribution to support people with the extra costs of living with a long-term health condition or disability. Claimants have freedom and choice to spend their PIP as they see fit and the Secretary of State has been clear this should be maintained.We are aware there is increased anxiety relating to the Green Paper changes resulting in people seeking health related support. We want anyone who is currently in receipt of PIP and who, under the new eligibility criteria, loses their entitlement to have their health and eligible care needs met. DWP and DHSC are working together and will continue to do so as the package of reforms is developed in detail.We also want to reassure people that the changes to PIP will not come into effect immediately. The changes will apply from November 2026 at a person’s next award review. If an existing claimant loses eligibility to PIP, they will continue to receive their full entitlement for 13 weeks after their award review. This will provide time for individuals to respond to their new situation, including accessing employment support if appropriate. This transitional cover is more than three times the length of protection provided for the transition from DLA to PIP.The department has processes in place to support and safeguard people who use our services, and we will continue to provide this support as changes are taken forward.If someone within a job centre is identified as being at risk of suicide, our 6-point plan will be invoked. We also have robust safeguarding processes in place during assessments where our trained health care professionals can make contact with the claimant’s GP or mental health team if they are concerned there has been or is a risk of deterioration to the mental or physical health of an individual.We want to go further so that there is a clear and transparent process in place to ensure vulnerable individuals are adequately supported. In the Green Paper Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working published on 18 March we have committed to undertaking a thorough review of our current approach to safeguarding, with the aim of developing and implementing a new departmental-wide approach.We have also already issued guidance strongly encouraging Local Authorities in England to support disabled people using the Household Support Fund. We will explore how Local Authorities can support disabled people through the new Crisis and Resilience Fund which starts from April 2026.