Topical Questions 2025-12-08

2025-12-08

TAGS
Response quality

Questions & Answers

Q1 Partial Answer
Mark Garnier Con
Wyre Forest
Context
The Chancellor's Budget imposed a £2,000 cap on salary sacrifice for pension savers, raising an extra £4.8 billion in 2029 and affecting 3.3 million savers and 290,000 employers.
What research has the Pensions Minister done to understand and quantify the negative effects that this cap on salary sacrifice will have on pension savings?
I thank the hon. Gentleman for his question because it gives me a chance to bring the House’s attention to research published after the general election in 2024 but commissioned under the last Conservative Government—I have the document here. What was the research into? It was into capping salary sacrifice pension contributions at £2,000. The hon. Gentleman can read the research published and commissioned by his own party about putting back under control this tax relief, which had got out of hand.
Assessment & feedback
The answer does not directly address the research requested but instead references a different piece of work that was commissioned by the previous government.
Response accuracy
Q2 Partial Answer
Matt Vickers Con
Stockton West
Context
The Chancellor’s Budget introduced more taxes for working individuals and increased benefits for those who are not employed. Since the Government took office, there has been a 1 million increase in universal credit claimants. The government is paying out nearly £1 billion per month in benefits to foreign national households.
The Chancellor's Budget introduces more taxes for people who work and more benefits for those who do not. Since coming into power, the Government saw an additional 1 million individuals claiming universal credit. Currently, close to £1 billion is distributed monthly to foreign national households as benefits. Does the government believe its £16 billion benefits package is equitable towards hard-working individuals who must finance it?
The hon. Gentleman attacks the system, gateways and conditions that his Government created. When it comes to working people and non-working people, he will be aware that most children in poverty live in a household in which someone works, as are most of the children helped by the lifting of the two-child limit. Those who are not are often children under the age of three with a lone parent.
Assessment & feedback
Response accuracy
Q3 Partial Answer
Emma Foody Lab/Co-op
Cramlington and Killingworth
Context
More than 400 16 to 24-year-olds in the constituency are not in education, employment or training, claiming unemployment benefits. The issue is highlighted as potentially causing lifelong damage and depriving them of skills and opportunities for development.
Over 400 individuals aged between 16 and 24 across my constituency are without education, employment, or training and receive unemployment benefits; this could lead to long-term harm and limit their access to necessary skills and growth opportunities. How will the government's youth guarantee initiative support these young people in acquiring essential skills and securing fulfilling prospects?
My hon. Friend is right to raise that issue. The numbers of people not in education, employment or training have been going in a negative direction for several years now. That's why we brought forward the youth guarantee, which will offer work experience, training and ultimately subsidised work, offering hope where previously there was only neglect.
Assessment & feedback
Response accuracy
Q4 Partial Answer
Lincoln Jopp Con
Spelthorne
Context
A constituent aged 30 years old and a Labour voter expressed anger about the new restrictions on pension contributions made through salary sacrifice, which will cost him nearly £2000 annually.
Following the Budget, a furious Labour supporter, thirty years of age, messaged me expressing indignation over the changes to pension contributions via salary sacrifice. She gives up significant perks for the sake of putting 20% of her income into her retirement fund, only to lose almost two grand annually as a result of responsible behavior. Why is the government keen on penalizing savers?
We are taking a pragmatic approach to reforming pension contributions made via salary sacrifice, which costs set to nearly triple from £3 billion in 2017 to £8 billion by the end of this decade. The case for change was powerfully made by a previous Chancellor: “The majority of employees pay tax on a cash salary but some are able to sacrifice salary and pay much lower tax... That is unfair”. So said Baron Hammond of Runnymede.
Assessment & feedback
Response accuracy
Q5 Partial Answer
Helen Morgan LD
North Shropshire
Context
A constituent of Helen Morgan was assessed at the basic level of PIP and deemed fit to work despite severe physical limitations.
A lady came to my surgery the other week to tell me that she had been assessed at only the basic level of PIP and as fit to work. I was staggered, because she could barely walk and could barely breathe. Will the Minister meet me to see how we can rectify this crazy situation in which somebody who can barely walk to a surgery has been told that they are fit to work as a cleaner?
Whether people get PIP is not about whether they can work—they may be working or not. The limited capability for work-related activity part of universal credit is about whether or not a person can work, but I will be very happy to have a conversation with the hon. Lady about what has happened.
Assessment & feedback
The specific issue of rectifying PIP assessment outcomes was avoided.
Response accuracy
Q6 Partial Answer
Euan Stainbank Lab
Falkirk
Context
The lifting of the two-child cap will benefit 1,750 children in Falkirk with working parents.
Some 1,750 kids in Falkirk, most of whom have a parent in work, will be lifted from poverty and its lifelong economic consequences by the fully funded lifting of the two-child cap. Does the Minister agree that the cost of this poverty-alleviation policy is far less than the long-term cost of leaving those parents in poverty?
I agree with my hon. Friend. It is shocking that during the previous Government some 900,000 children were allowed to get into poverty. The cost of that will be borne by us all, which is why the investment now will pay dividends in the future.
Assessment & feedback
The question was answered by a different MP (Dame Diana Johnson) who agreed with Euan Stainbank's point but did not directly address the Minister.
Answer From Another Member
Response accuracy
Q7 Partial Answer
Chris Law SNP
Dundee Central
Context
Maximus has cancelled nearly 1,000 assessment appointments due to IT service issues.
Since Maximus began the contract to provide work capability assessments in September last year, nearly 1,000 people have had their assessment appointments cancelled. However, a whistleblower has been in touch with me to state that cancellations are a regular occurrence largely because of IT services provided by the DWP. Shockingly, one of my constituents had their assessment cancelled five times in my city of Dundee. What action is the Minister taking to monitor and improve the service provided by Maximus so that no one has to suffer the distress of such cancellations?
I would be happy to look into the details. I was not aware of that whistleblowing report, but I would be happy to look at it.
Assessment & feedback
The specific issue of IT service improvements was avoided.
Response accuracy
Q8 Partial Answer
Lillian Jones Lab
Kilmarnock and Loudoun
The youth guarantee scheme represents a clear statement of intent from this Labour Government. Unlike the Conservatives, we will not abandon our young people to a lifetime on benefits, or allow the mental health toll of long-term unemployment to define their futures. Will my right hon. Friend outline how this policy will deliver for those young people by providing skills, confidence and meaningful work, and deliver for the wider economy by turning potential into productivity and reducing the cost of economic inactivity?
My hon. Friend is right to say that purposeful activity, be it training or work, can be an answer to some of the mental health problems that we are seeing in society, so I welcome her endorsement of the youth guarantee and the intentions behind it.
Assessment & feedback
The specifics about delivering for young people were not addressed.
Response accuracy
Q9 Partial Answer
Ian Sollom LD
St Neots and Mid Cambridgeshire
Context
Employers are concerned that the Skills England’s reforms may lower apprenticeship standards.
Since Maximus began the contract to provide work capability assessments in September last year, nearly 1,000 people have had their assessment appointments cancelled. However, a whistleblower has been in touch with me to state that cancellations are a regular occurrence largely because of IT services provided by the DWP. Shockingly, one of my constituents had their assessment cancelled five times in my city of Dundee. What action is the Minister taking to monitor and improve the service provided by Maximus so that no one has to suffer the distress of such cancellations?
The hon. Member is right to say that apprenticeship standards are highly valued. Our constituents value what an apprenticeship means. As we take the scheme forward, it is important that the public and employers have trust in the high standards that an apprenticeship offers.
Assessment & feedback
The issue of monitoring service quality was avoided.
Response accuracy
Q10 Partial Answer
Tom Hayes Lab
Bournemouth East
Context
Nan Roberts, a 92-year-old widow, is waiting for her “choices letter” despite having state pension payments since 1994.
Nan Roberts is 92. She was widowed this year and is facing her first Christmas without her husband of 64 years, and she is feeling utterly fobbed off by a creaking DWP system. She is waiting for her “choices letter”, despite having ingoing state pension payments dating back to 1994. The threat of asking this question has already led to some action by the DWP, but will the Secretary of State outline how I can do more to support my constituent?
The hon. Gentleman is a powerful champion for his constituents and I am sure that all hon. Members will be unhappy to hear about this case. I know that staff from the Department for Work and Pensions have already been in touch with his office, and I am happy to follow up myself.
Assessment & feedback
The specific request for further support was not directly addressed.
Response accuracy
Q11 Partial Answer
Jim Shannon DUP
Strangford
The highest level of pensioner poverty in the UK is in Northern Ireland. One way of lifting pensioners out of poverty is through pension credit applications, which require a one-to-one conversation. Will the Minister undertake to ensure that pensioners are able to have such conversations during the term of this Government, so that they can be lifted out of poverty?
I thank the hon. Gentleman for his brief question. Pensioner poverty halved under the last Labour Government. It went up under the previous Conservative Government, but it is going to come down again under this Government.
Assessment & feedback
The specific undertaking on pension credit consultations was avoided.
Response accuracy
Q12 Partial Answer
Rachael Maskell Lab/Co-op
York Central
On Friday, I learned of an 81-year-old constituent who had to return to work because of the cost of living in York. Will the Government take a deep dive and carry out an inquiry into poverty in later life, so that we can ensure that we deal with pensioner poverty once and for all?
I thank my hon. Friend for her important question. We have seen poverty rates fall less fast among people approaching the state pension age, rather than those over it. We need to look across the range of policy levers to address that, which includes growing the economy so that wages are rising and building houses so that people’s housing costs come down.
Assessment & feedback
The specific request for an inquiry was avoided.
Response accuracy
Q13 Partial Answer
Jayne Kirkham Lab/Co-op
Truro and Falmouth
Cornwall Marine Network in my constituency is a small and medium-sized enterprise members association that provides training and apprenticeship support. It recently celebrated providing 5,000 new jobs and apprenticeships. It will welcome the Government’s youth guarantee and the news that SMEs will not have to pay for apprenticeship training for under-25s. Will the Minister confirm how this Government will increase the capacity of such training providers?
I warmly commend my hon. Friend and the company she mentions. One of the apprenticeship reforms that we have introduced involves SMEs no longer having to pay for apprenticeship training for under-25s, which will help increase capacity.
Assessment & feedback
The specific request was partially addressed but did not include full details.
Response accuracy
Q14 Partial Answer
Ian Sollom LD
St Neots and Mid Cambridgeshire
Since Maximus began the contract to provide work capability assessments in September last year, nearly 1,000 people have had their assessment appointments cancelled. However, a whistleblower has been in touch with me to state that cancellations are a regular occurrence largely because of IT services provided by the DWP. Shockingly, one of my constituents had their assessment cancelled five times in my city of Dundee. What action is the Minister taking to monitor and improve the service provided by Maximus so that no one has to suffer the distress of such cancellations?
The hon. Member is right to say that apprenticeship standards are highly valued. Our constituents value what an apprenticeship means. As we take the scheme forward, it is important that the public and employers have trust in the high standards that an apprenticeship offers.
Assessment & feedback
The specific request for monitoring service quality was avoided.
Response accuracy
Q15 Partial Answer
Ian Sollom LD
St Neots and Mid Cambridgeshire
Since Maximus began the contract to provide work capability assessments in September last year, nearly 1,000 people have had their assessment appointments cancelled. However, a whistleblower has been in touch with me to state that cancellations are a regular occurrence largely because of IT services provided by the DWP. Shockingly, one of my constituents had their assessment cancelled five times in my city of Dundee. What action is the Minister taking to monitor and improve the service provided by Maximus so that no one has to suffer the distress of such cancellations?
The hon. Member is right to say that apprenticeship standards are highly valued. Our constituents value what an apprenticeship means. As we take the scheme forward, it is important that the public and employers have trust in the high standards that an apprenticeship offers.
Assessment & feedback
The specific request for monitoring service quality was avoided.
Response accuracy
Q16 Partial Answer
Ian Sollom LD
St Neots and Mid Cambridgeshire
Since Maximus began the contract to provide work capability assessments in September last year, nearly 1,000 people have had their assessment appointments cancelled. However, a whistleblower has been in touch with me to state that cancellations are a regular occurrence largely because of IT services provided by the DWP. Shockingly, one of my constituents had their assessment cancelled five times in my city of Dundee. What action is the Minister taking to monitor and improve the service provided by Maximus so that no one has to suffer the distress of such cancellations?
The hon. Member is right to say that apprenticeship standards are highly valued. Our constituents value what an apprenticeship means. As we take the scheme forward, it is important that the public and employers have trust in the high standards that an apprenticeship offers.
Assessment & feedback
The specific request for monitoring service quality was avoided.
Response accuracy
Q17 Partial Answer
Ian Sollom LD
St Neots and Mid Cambridgeshire
Since Maximus began the contract to provide work capability assessments in September last year, nearly 1,000 people have had their assessment appointments cancelled. However, a whistleblower has been in touch with me to state that cancellations are a regular occurrence largely because of IT services provided by the DWP. Shockingly, one of my constituents had their assessment cancelled five times in my city of Dundee. What action is the Minister taking to monitor and improve the service provided by Maximus so that no one has to suffer the distress of such cancellations?
The hon. Member is right to say that apprenticeship standards are highly valued. Our constituents value what an apprenticeship means. As we take the scheme forward, it is important that the public and employers have trust in the high standards that an apprenticeship offers.
Assessment & feedback
The specific request for monitoring service quality was avoided.
Response accuracy
Q18 Partial Answer
Ian Sollom LD
St Neots and Mid Cambridgeshire
Since Maximus began the contract to provide work capability assessments in September last year, nearly 1,000 people have had their assessment appointments cancelled. However, a whistleblower has been in touch with me to state that cancellations are a regular occurrence largely because of IT services provided by the DWP. Shockingly, one of my constituents had their assessment cancelled five times in my city of Dundee. What action is the Minister taking to monitor and improve the service provided by Maximus so that no one has to suffer the distress of such cancellations?
The hon. Member is right to say that apprenticeship standards are highly valued. Our constituents value what an apprenticeship means. As we take the scheme forward, it is important that the public and employers have trust in the high standards that an apprenticeship offers.
Assessment & feedback
The specific request for monitoring service quality was avoided.
Response accuracy