Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Topical Questions

Monday 3 February 2025 · 13 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 1 Partly answered 9 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Perran Moon invited the Secretary of State to visit Cornwall to see the impact of WorkWell and asked for confirmation of multi-year funding.
  • Helen Whately questioned the Secretary of State about the addition of 47,000 people to the unemployment figures in December.
  • Peter Swallow inquired if community leaders are best placed to shape local support to tackle child poverty.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Perran Moon Lab Camborne and Redruth
NHS Employment
Context

Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly is one of 15 WorkWell pilot regions, a core element of the government’s 'back to work' plans.

Question

I invite the Secretary of State to visit Cornwall to see how WorkWell is already making a tangible difference in helping those with health conditions to start, stay and succeed in work, and to confirm that the spending review will provide the multi-year funding necessary to sustain and expand that vital service.

Answer from The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (Liz Kendall)

I would love to visit. That is an important programme focused on keeping people in work and getting those who have recently left back into work as soon as possible. In my hon. Friend’s area, WorkWell provides advice on workplace adjustments, access to physiotherapy, and employment advice and counselling, and is working closely with the voluntary sector and employers, backed by £2 million-worth of funding.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Did not confirm multi-year funding but acknowledged WorkWell's importance and current backing by £2 million-worth of funding.

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Q2 Helen Whately Con Faversham and Mid Kent
NHS Employment
Context

The addition of 47,000 people to the unemployment figures in December.

Question

Can Liz from HR tell me which of her colleagues should be fired for the addition of 47,000 people to the unemployment figures in December?

Answer from The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (Liz Kendall)

I am proud to say that I want to get Britain working again after we inherited a situation in which a record 2.8 million people were out of work due to health problems, because the Conservatives pushed the NHS to its knees and failed to have a proper plan to get people back into work.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Did not identify colleagues responsible but blamed previous government for inherited unemployment situation.

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Q3 Peter Swallow Lab Bracknell
Children & Families
Context

Local leaders from charities and other organisations discussed how to tackle child poverty in Bracknell Forest.

Question

Does the Minister agree that community leaders are best placed to shape the support needed to tackle child poverty locally?

Answer from The Minister for Employment (Alison McGovern)

I thank my hon. Friend for his question, and I am so pleased to hear about that work in Bracknell Forest. That is why the fourth part of our child poverty strategy is about local support. I look forward to working with my hon. Friend and his constituents to ensure that strategy is a success.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Did not explicitly agree but acknowledged the importance of local support in tackling child poverty.

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Q4 Steve Darling Lib Dem Torbay
Benefits & Welfare Women & Equalities
Context

Labour councillors on Hull city council voted to condemn the government’s decision not to compensate WASPI women.

Question

Has that given the Minister pause for thought?

Answer from The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (Torsten Bell)

I recognise the strength of feeling on this issue right across the House. We carefully considered the ombudsman’s report, but as the hon. Member knows, we do not think it is fair to provide compensation costing up to £10 billion when 90% of affected pensioners knew that the state pension age was rising, and the evidence shows that letters being sent earlier would have made little difference.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Did not explicitly reflect on councillors' stance but provided reasoning against compensation.

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Q5 Danny Beales Lab Uxbridge and South Ruislip
Employment Mental Health
Context

This week marks Time to Talk Day, a campaign by Mind to destigmatize talking about mental health.

Question

Will the Secretary of State join me in calling for employers up and down the country to take part in Time to Talk Day and outline what more could be done to end mental health stigma in the workplace?

Answer from The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (Liz Kendall)

I absolutely will. As my hon. Friend knows, the Government have launched the “Keep Britain Working” review led by Charlie Mayfield, the former chair of John Lewis Partnership. He is doing precisely that—looking at how we can better support employers to help keep people in work and get them back to work. Mental health is a real concern for me, with so many young people not in education, employment or training, primarily driven by mental health problems.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Did not explicitly outline additional steps but acknowledged the importance of addressing mental health issues in the workplace.

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Q6 Alison Bennett Lib Dem Mid Sussex
Benefits & Welfare
Context

Stephanie from Burgess Hill, a full-time carer for her 89-year-old mum, states that carers’ allowance does not cover true costs of care.

Question

What assessment has been made of the adequacy of carer’s allowance in meeting the true costs of care?

Answer from The Minister for Social Security and Disability (Sir Stephen Timms)

The hon. Member will know that we introduced the biggest ever increase in the earnings threshold for carer’s allowance for those who are able to combine some work with caring. We are determined that carers should get the support they need—there is a premium in universal credit as well, for example—but of course, we will keep all these matters under review.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Did not provide specific assessment but acknowledged ongoing efforts to improve support for carers.

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Q7 Ashley Dalton Lab West Lancashire
NHS
Context

Developments in treatment allow many people with incurable cancers to live reasonably well for years.

Question

How do the Government plan to engage with people with incurable cancers as part of that review, to ensure we are enabled to continue to thrive in our careers and our workplaces?

Answer from The Minister for Social Security and Disability (Sir Stephen Timms)

I commend the resilience of my hon. Friend. Before Christmas, I spoke at a report launch with the charity Working with Cancer, which focuses on exactly the issue she has raised. She is right: employers have a key role in supporting people with cancer to continue to thrive in work, and the “Keep Britain Working” review will engage with people with lived experience as well as employers.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Did not outline specific plans but referenced engagement through 'Keep Britain Working' review.

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Q8 Ian Lavery Lab Blyth and Ashington
Benefits & Welfare Mental Health
Context

There have been rumours about the Government potentially scrapping Personal Independence Payments, which many individuals with mental health issues rely on to continue working and stay active in their communities.

Question

Many people with mental health conditions rely heavily on personal independence payments so that they can continue in work and remain active in their communities. Can the Minister provide advice to the many constituents of mine who have contacted me terrified by the rumours that the Government are about to scrap this vital support for those who already have mental health issues?

Answer from Stephen Timms

My hon. Friend is right that there has been a particularly big increase in mental health problems among young people. Given what the last Government did, I can well understand people being worried. We will continue to support people with mental health problems in the health and disability benefits system. The proposals for reform we will bring forward in the spring will make sure the system is fit for purpose and fair to the taxpayer, and they will deliver the support in work that people such as my hon. Friend’s constituents need.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The government did not provide specific advice or assurances about scrapping Personal Independence Payments, instead referring to upcoming reforms in spring.

How: Under Review

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Q9 Andrew Pakes Labour (Co-op) Peterborough
Education Employment
Context

There is a youth unemployment problem in Peterborough with nearly 1,000 young people unemployed. The area is part of one of the Department's youth guarantee trailblazers.

Question

On Friday last week, we held our first NEETs—those not in education, employment or training—and youth opportunities summit in Peterborough, bringing together Peterborough college, Anglia Ruskin University Peterborough and employers to see how we can tackle our youth unemployment problem. Will the Secretary of State commit to working further with places such as Peterborough to ensure we can deliver decent apprenticeships and more opportunities for young people who need them?

Answer from Liz Kendall

Yes, I do commit to that, and I thank my hon. Friend for his tireless campaigning on the issue. With almost 1,000 young people unemployed in his constituency, or almost one in 10, I know what an important issue it is. His area is part of one of our youth guarantee trailblazers, meaning that every young person is earning or learning. I commit that the whole Government will continue to work with him and partners in his constituency to make sure that no young person is left behind.

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Q10 Chris McDonald Lab Stockton North
NHS Benefits & Welfare
Context

A constituent named Darren, an unpaid carer, was wrongly refused a refund for prescription charges when moving from income support to universal credit.

Question

My constituent Darren, an unpaid carer, was wrongly refused a refund for prescription charges when moving from income support to universal credit. Does my right hon. Friend agree with me that there should be no gap in support in such circumstances?

Answer from Stephen Timms

Yes, I do agree with my hon. Friend, and I am grateful to him for highlighting that case. We have asked the Department for Health and Social Care to review its decision in that case—I hope with a positive outcome.

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Q11 Damien Egan Lab Bristol North East
Benefits & Welfare
Context

During the covid pandemic, assessments for personal independence payments were largely moved to online or over-the-phone formats. Currently, less than 5% of these assessments have returned to face-to-face interactions.

Question

Today, less than 5% of Personal Independence Payments assessments are conducted face-to-face despite the move during the pandemic to online and telephone methods. What assessment has been made regarding this change? Are there any links between this shift and an increase in fraud?

Answer from Andrew Western

Since telephone and video assessments have been introduced, there is no evidence to suggest that these delivery channels are less effective than face-to-face assessments in detecting fraudulent claims. In 2023-24, PIP overpayments accounted for just 0.4% of the DWP’s overall spend on PIP.

Answered
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Q12 Luke Taylor Lib Dem Sutton and Cheam
Benefits & Welfare
Context

Marie Curie research indicates that 15% of end-of-life carers are living below the poverty line, rising to 22% a year after bereavement.

Question

Given the statistics from Marie Curie indicating that 15% of three-quarters of a million end-of-life carers live below the poverty line and this rises to 22% a year after bereavement, will the Minister consider extending the time that carers can claim Carer’s Allowance from two months to six months after bereavement?

Answer from Stephen Timms

We keep these matters under review. I have not looked at that particular proposal before, but if the hon. Gentleman would like to drop me a line I will certainly give it a careful look.

Partly answered

How: Will Focus On, Under Review

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Q13 Meg Hillier Labour (Co-op) Hackney South and Shoreditch
Economy Children & Families
Context

The Front-Bench team is actively working on driving forward a child poverty taskforce, but all decisions come with costs and consequences.

Question

I applaud the Front Bench team's efforts in driving the child poverty taskforce. However, every decision has consequences and associated costs. Will the Minister outline the costs of some of the processes being considered for change, particularly the cost of lifting the two-child cap? If she does not have this figure to hand, will she write to me?

Answer from Alison McGovern

I thank my hon. Friend, the Chair of the Treasury Committee, for all her work on this issue. I will happily engage with her through correspondence on the matter.

How: Will Focus On, Through Correspondence

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