Written questions by Whately.

What proportion of young people claiming Personal Independence Payments for mental health conditions receive enhanced support for (a) daily living and (b) mobility.

Data on Personal Independence Payment (PIP) can be found on Stat Xplore. The requested data can be found in the ‘PIP Cases with Entitlement from 2019’ dataset, by filtering for age using the ‘Age (bands and single year)’ category and ICD Summary Code’ filter to select ‘Mental and Behavioural Disorders (F00-F99)’ for mental health conditions, including neurodiverse and some learning disability conditions. To filter for claimants receiving enhanced support for daily living and mobility, you can use the ‘Daily Living Award Status’ and ‘Mobility Award Status’ to select the ‘Enhanced’ filter. You can also filter for “DWP policy ownership” under the ‘Geography’ category if you wish to do so. You can log in or access Stat-Xplore as a guest user and, if needed, you can access guidance on how to extract the information required.

What proportion of Personal Independence Payment claims for mental health conditions are required to undergo reassessment.

Once someone has been awarded Personal Independence Payment (PIP), which can be paid at one of eight rates, that award will be either be reviewed or the claimant will be required to submit a new claim. Award rates and their durations are set on an individual basis, based on the claimant’s needs and the likelihood of those needs changing. Data on PIP award types and their durations can be found on Stat-Xplore. In particular, the requested data can be found by applying the following filters to the ‘PIP Clearances’ dataset: The variable ‘Award Type’ can be used to break down the clearances by award type, including ‘Awarded under Special Rules for End of Life’ and ‘Short Term Award (no review date) - NR’ which are the two award types that do not have a review date set. To filter for mental health conditions, the category ‘Mental and Behavioural Disorders (F00 - F99) under the ‘ICD Summary Code’ variable can be used, which also includes conditions such as neurodiverse conditions and some learning disabilities. You may also wish to filter for “DWP policy ownership” under Geography due to the devolution of some disability benefits to Scotland. You can log in or access Stat-Xplore as a guest user and, if needed, you can access guidance on how to extract the information required.

How many people aged between 18 and 24 were in receipt of Personal Independence Payments for mental health conditions (a) this year and (b) in each of the last five years.

Data on Personal Independence Payment (PIP) can be found on Stat Xplore. The requested data can be found in ‘PIP Cases with Entitlement from 2019’, by filtering for age using the ‘Age (bands and single year)’ filter, and the ‘ICD Summary Code’ filter to select ‘Mental and Behavioural Disorders (F00-F99)’ for mental health conditions, including neurodiverse and some learning disability conditions. The ‘Month’ filter can be used to select March of each of the last five years and October 2024 for the latest year needed for your request. If you choose to, you can also filter for “DWP policy ownership” under the ‘Geography’ category. You can log in or access Stat-Xplore as a guest user and, if needed, you can access guidance on how to extract the information required.

What her Department's policy is on the use of articificial intelligence.

DWP is collaborating with other Government Departments to maximise AI’s potential to drive growth and deliver real benefits to people across the UK, as set out in the recent AI Opportunities Action Plan. DWP has a clear vision to safely leverage AI to support its staff and improve service delivery to customers. The Department is working with a range of artificial intelligence technologies, such as machine learning, generative AI, and Large Language Models, which will help DWP improve its ability to respond to customers’ needs in a more personalised and seamless way. Some of the details of these are already in the public domain, as set out in DWP annual report and accounts 2023 to 2024 - GOV.UK. DWP is also committed to publishing more details about work in this area as part of the Algorithmic Transparency Recording Standards (ATRS) requirements from the Government Digital Service and has published its first summary through the DWP: Employment and Support Allowance Online Medical Matching ATRS record The Personal information charter - Department for Work and Pensions - GOV.UK sets out individuals’ rights when we process their data. It is important to note that DWP does not utilise AI to replace human judgement in determining or denying payments to claimants.

Pursuant to the Answer of 27 January 2025 50 Question 22715 on Medical Certificates: Public Consultation, whether she plans to launch the fit note trailblazers.

In 2024, the previous government announced that fit note trailblazers would be included in some of the 15 WorkWell pilot areas across Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) in England. Due to the timings of the General Election, they were not launched. As part of £240m investment to support our employment reforms in the Get Britain Working White Paper, we are providing three ICBs with a share of £45m to become 'Health and Growth Accelerators'. These 3 ICBs are North East and North Cumbria, South Yorkshire, and West Yorkshire. We are working with the accelerator ICBs to deliver an intervention aimed at improving the quality of work and health advice and support following a request for a fit note. This will ensure the fit note process is part of our wider system designed to get support to people who are already economically inactive or at risk of falling out of work due to ill health.

What assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the white mail artificial intelligence programme used by her Department.

Whitemail scanning complements existing systems. The AI tool flags correspondence for review by operational agents to determine customer vulnerability and appropriate actions. During solution development, digital teams collaborated closely with operational areas to identify vulnerable customers. This approach ensured that communications received by post were prioritised for those most in need. The solution was rolled out using a test and learn method, incorporating feedback from specialist support teams, and was widely adopted due to its positive impact on customer experience.

What artificial intelligence technologies are used by her Department; and for what purpose each technology is used.

DWP is working with a range of artificial intelligence technologies, such as Large Language Models (LLMs) and generative AI (gen AI) which will help DWP improve its ability to respond to customers’ needs in a more personalised and seamless way. Some of the details of these are already in the public domain as set out in DWP annual report and accounts 2023 to 2024 - GOV.UK. DWP has already committed to publishing more details about work in this area as part of the Algorithmic Transparency Recording Standards (ATRS) requirements from the Government Digital Service. The Personal information charter - Department for Work and Pensions - GOV.UK sets out individuals rights when we process their data. DWP does not use AI to replace human judgement to determine or deny a payment to a claimant.

Whether her Department’s policy on assessing Personal Independence Payments claims remotely has changed since 7 July 2024.

Since July 2024, there has been no change in policy regarding assessing Personal Independence Payment (PIP) claims remotely. With effect from September 2024 assessment suppliers deliver the ‘Health Assessment Advisory Service’ on behalf of the department through the Functional Assessment Services (FAS) contracts. These contracts bring together all functional health assessment services within a geographic area (Lot). Individuals now have the same supplier for their separate PIP and Work Capability Assessments (WCA). As part of the FAS process, the feasibility of a paper-based assessment will always be considered in the first instance, for all cases. Where a paper-based review is not possible the claimant will be invited to an assessment. Before an invitation to an assessment is sent, consideration will be given to claimants who need a specific assessment channel due to their health condition or circumstances. Other claimants who can undertake any assessment type will be allocated to the next available appointment; however, this can be changed if the claimant informs us that a reasonable adjustment is appropriate in their circumstances. The department audits FAS suppliers to ensure that the correct channel type has been selected for the claimant. This provides assurance that claimants are routed to the most appropriate assessment type. The FAS suppliers are also increasing their capacity to deliver more face-to-face assessments, and the department expects the reported percentage of face-to-face assessments to increase towards Autumn 2025. We remain committed to enabling a multi-channel assessment approach. Any future decisions will be evidence-based and to ensure this we will draw on existing evidence, as well as continuing to build our understanding via research and analysis.

Whether she is taking steps to increase the number of Personal Independence Payments assessments that are conducted face-to-face.

Since July 2024, there has been no change in policy regarding assessing Personal Independence Payment (PIP) claims remotely. With effect from September 2024 assessment suppliers deliver the ‘Health Assessment Advisory Service’ on behalf of the department through the Functional Assessment Services (FAS) contracts. These contracts bring together all functional health assessment services within a geographic area (Lot). Individuals now have the same supplier for their separate PIP and Work Capability Assessments (WCA). As part of the FAS process, the feasibility of a paper-based assessment will always be considered in the first instance, for all cases. Where a paper-based review is not possible the claimant will be invited to an assessment. Before an invitation to an assessment is sent, consideration will be given to claimants who need a specific assessment channel due to their health condition or circumstances. Other claimants who can undertake any assessment type will be allocated to the next available appointment; however, this can be changed if the claimant informs us that a reasonable adjustment is appropriate in their circumstances. The department audits FAS suppliers to ensure that the correct channel type has been selected for the claimant. This provides assurance that claimants are routed to the most appropriate assessment type. The FAS suppliers are also increasing their capacity to deliver more face-to-face assessments, and the department expects the reported percentage of face-to-face assessments to increase towards Autumn 2025. We remain committed to enabling a multi-channel assessment approach. Any future decisions will be evidence-based and to ensure this we will draw on existing evidence, as well as continuing to build our understanding via research and analysis.

Whether she has had recent discussions with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on the recommendations of the independent report entitled Our Future Homes: Housing that promotes wellbeing and community for an ageing population, published on 26 November 2024.

DWP works closely with the Ministry of Housing, Community and Local Government to ensure housing needs of those on low incomes, including pensioners, are considered as part of the Government’s Strategy. The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions has not met with her counterparts in the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government and the Department for Health and Social Care to discuss the report specifically. There are cross-government ministerial meetings to shape the strategy which will set out a long-term vision for a housing market that works for communities. The Government aims to build 1.5m high-quality homes, delivering the biggest increase in affordable housing for a generation. The strategy will also include the actions we will take to provide long-term certainty for the market.

Whether she has had recent discussions with the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government on the recommendations of the independent report entitled Our Future Homes: Housing that promotes wellbeing and community for an ageing population, published on 26 November 2024.

DWP works closely with the Ministry of Housing, Community and Local Government to ensure housing needs of those on low incomes, including pensioners, are considered as part of the Government’s Strategy. The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions has not met with her counterparts in the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government and the Department for Health and Social Care to discuss the report specifically. There are cross-government ministerial meetings to shape the strategy which will set out a long-term vision for a housing market that works for communities. The Government aims to build 1.5m high-quality homes, delivering the biggest increase in affordable housing for a generation. The strategy will also include the actions we will take to provide long-term certainty for the market.

What discussions she has had with financial services sector stakeholders on the Public Authorities (Fraud, Error and Recovery) Bill.

DWP continues to seek feedback on the bill through regular engagement with key stakeholders, including the financial services sector, at both official and ministerial level.Where there are particular areas of interest and expertise, detailed working group discussions are being held to ensure the measures are designed to be effective and take into consideration wider feedback from the sector.

Whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of pilot schemes for third party data sharing powers as set out in the Public Authorities (Fraud, Error and Recovery) Bill.

The Third Party Data sharing powers were a proposal under the previous government, separate to the measures proposed in this Bill.The Eligibility Verification Measure (EVM) is significantly different to the previously proposed Third Party Data power. EVM will be limited to information from banks and financial institutions only and will be used only for the purpose of helping to verify eligibility for benefits. The State Pension will be explicitly excluded, and it will be focussed initially on three benefits only: Universal Credit, Pension Credit and Employment and Support Allowance. A statutory Code of Practice will also be introduced and consulted on. There will be independent oversight reporting annually on the effectiveness of the measure and the legislation tightly defines what data can be gathered and for what purpose providing strong safeguards.To demonstrate the feasibility and potential of using data from banks to help verify eligibility for benefits, DWP has already conducted two Proof of Concepts which consisted of establishing data-sharing collaborations with two high-street banks. These exercises showed promising results, for example in the first exercise around half of the matches generated for DWP to review led to a positive outcome for the department. Further information about these Proof of Concepts can be found in the published impact assessment for the Bill - Impact Assessment The government is committed to rolling out the measure carefully through a test and learn approach to ensure it is workable and as effective as possible.

Whether she plans to publish a summary of findings from the call for evidence on fit note reform.

The call for evidence was launched under the previous government to seek views on how the current fit note process works and the support required to facilitate meaningful work and health conversations. It closed on the 8 July 2024 and received around 1,900 responses. Insights and responses gathered will play an important role in shaping ongoing policy development.

Pursuant to the Answer of 6 January 2025 to Question 20687 on Employment, when she expects the Labour Market Advisory Board to finish their work.

The Labour Market Advisory Board, announced on the 23 July 2024, ensures that we listen and engage with a wide range of external views to design and deliver reforms to help drive the Government’s growth mission. The Board, chaired by Paul Gregg (former Director of the Centre for Analysis of Social Policy at the University of Bath), has expertise across the labour market and are working with officials on key priority areas. The role of the Board, set out in the Terms of Reference (Labour Market Advisory Board: Terms of Reference), is to provide ongoing insight, support and challenge to the Department across a range of priorities, including inactivity, youth employment, employer engagement and progression. As set out the Department will undertake a review of the membership and remit of the board after 12 months.

Whether her Department is collecting data about use of the Household Support Fund to support pensioners who are no longer in receipt of the winter fuel payment.

The Department for Work and Pensions publishes management information on the Household Support Fund, including details of the proportion of funding spent on households with pensioners, as well as the proportion spent on energy and water. The latest management information, covering the scheme running from April 2023 to March 2024, is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/household-support-fund-4-management-information-for-1-april-2023-to-31-march-2024. Local Authorities have the discretion to design their own local schemes within the parameters of the guidance and grant determination that the Department for Work and Pensions have set out for the fund.

How many more people she expects to be in employment as a result of proposals in the Get Britain Working White Paper.

I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave on 11th December to question number PQ 17573.

When the next Pension Credit applications and awards dataset will be published.

The next publication of Pension Credit application statistics is due around the end of February 2025 and will cover the data up to week commencing 10 February 2025.

Pursuant to the Answer of 3 December 2024 to Question 16391 on Department for Work and Pensions: Fraud and Maladministration, what progress she has made on the (a) recruitment and (b) training of additi

Funding for 3,000 new roles within the department’s Counter Fraud, Compliance and Debt (CFCD) division, allocated in the Government’s Spending Review, will take effect from April 2025. CFCD has also secured an uplift in staffing costs for Q4 of the financ...

What measure her Department will use to determine whether devolved authorities have been successful in delivering employment support.

Within our Get Britain Working reforms, we committed to offering new responsibilities and funding to mayors and local areas in England because local leaders know their communities best. This includes supporting areas in England to produce Get Britain Work...