Helen Maguire MP: written questions
4 Jul 2024–3 Jul 2025
How these years work
Our reporting years run from 4 July to 3 July, starting with the 2024 general election. They are not official parliamentary sessions. Office costs keep IPSA’s April–March financial years. Records may cover only part of a year; a missing record does not mean no work was done.
Read what this MP said, asked and contributed in Parliament.
26 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Means-tested Benefits: VeteransDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 30 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 63814More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of different approaches to the treatment of military compensation payments across welfare benefits means tests on claimants.
Answer: The receipt of War Pensions and Armed Forces Compensation Scheme (AFCS) awards is already fully ignored when calculating eligibility for Universal Credit (UC). The first £10 per week of a War Pension or AFCS award is disregarded in: income-related Employm...
Answered 8 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordPension Credit: VeteransDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 30 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 63813More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, for what reason the disregard of (a) War Pensions and (b) Armed Forces Compensation Scheme payments is limited to £10 per week when calculating Pension Credit awards.
Answer: The receipt of War Pensions and Armed Forces Compensation Scheme (AFCS) awards is already fully ignored when calculating eligibility for Universal Credit (UC). The first £10 per week of a War Pension or AFCS award is disregarded in: income-related Employm...
Answered 8 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordPension Credit: VeteransDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 30 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 63812More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether she plans to extend the full disregard of military compensation payments applied in Universal Credit to the assessment of Pension Credit.
Answer: The receipt of War Pensions and Armed Forces Compensation Scheme (AFCS) awards is already fully ignored when calculating eligibility for Universal Credit (UC). The first £10 per week of a War Pension or AFCS award is disregarded in: income-related Employm...
Answered 8 Jul 2025
Original Parliament recordFood Banks: SurreyDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 23 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 62053More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether she has made an assessment of trends in levels of foodbank usage in Surrey since 2020.
Answer: The Department does not hold information on levels of foodbank usage in Surrey. The latest statistics on food bank usage including data at a national and regional level can be accessed here Children in low income families: local area statistics - GOV.UK a...
Answered 30 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordDiscretionary Housing PaymentsDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 19 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 61412More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether her Department plans to expand discretionary housing payments to (a) Surrey and (b) other areas with high rental inflation.
Answer: The Government announced through the Spending Review that Discretionary Housing Payments will be included in the new Crisis and Resilience Fund from April 2026. This will provide £842 million per year (£1 billion including Barnett consequential) to reform...
Answered 25 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordLocal Housing Allowance: Private Rented HousingDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 3 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 57156More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of Local Housing Allowance rates in meeting private rental costs in Epsom and Ewell constituency.
Answer: Local Housing Allowance (LHA) rates are reviewed annually, usually at an Autumn fiscal event. Rates are set based on the area of the country a person lives and their bedroom entitlement. The decision to maintain LHA rates at current levels for 2025/26 was...
Answered 11 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordHousehold Support FundDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 20 May 2025AnsweredUIN 53782More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of proposed welfare reforms on the capacity of the Household Support Fund.
Answer: 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. A further programme of analysis to support development of the proposals in the Gree...
Answered 29 May 2025
Original Parliament recordSocial Security Benefits: Advisory ServicesDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 20 May 2025AnsweredUIN 53781More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment she has made of the potential impact of the Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working Green Paper, published on 18 March 2025, on (a) benefits adviso
Answer: 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. A further programme of analysis to support development of the proposals in the Gree...
Answered 29 May 2025
Original Parliament recordUniversal CreditDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 20 May 2025AnsweredUIN 53780More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of increasing flexibility within Universal Credit to enable greater labour market engagement.
Answer: This Government committed in its manifesto to review Universal Credit, to reduce poverty and make work pay. We believe that work continues to be the best way out of poverty, and growing the economy and driving up living standards across the country is thi...
Answered 29 May 2025
Original Parliament recordJobcentres: Advisory ServicesDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 7 May 2025AnsweredUIN 50800More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to (a) improve work coach support and (b) provide tailored employment support for jobseekers.
Answer: As set out in the Get Britain Working White Paper, we are reforming Jobcentre Plus and creating a new service across Great Britain that will enable everyone to access support to find good, meaningful work, and support to help them to progress in work. In ...
Answered 16 May 2025
Original Parliament recordUniversal Credit: Epsom and EwellDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 1 May 2025AnsweredUIN 49888More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to ensure that people receiving Universal Credit have adequate support for accessing (a) employment opportunities and (b) training in Epsom and Ewell constituency.
Answer: Jobcentre teams work closely with Epsom and Ewell Council, Employers, local colleges and providers to promote employment and training opportunities. The Employment and Partnership Team recently facilitated the Annual Epsom & Ewell Employment Fair with...
Answered 12 May 2025
Original Parliament recordChild Maintenance Service: Domestic AbuseDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 28 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 48813More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to prevent the Child Maintenance Service being used in coercive and controlling behaviour by abusive ex-partners (a) by malicious reporting to the (i) police and (ii)
Answer: The Child Maintenance Service is committed to ensuring that it delivers a safe service that is sensitive to the needs of all the parents that use its service. We recognise that some parents may face difficult circumstances, particularly at a time of separ...
Answered 6 May 2025
Original Parliament recordChild Maintenance Service: Fees and ChargesDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 28 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 48812More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of removing the collection charge for receiving parents using the Child Maintenance Service’s Collect and Pay service.
Answer: A consultation on proposed reforms to the CMS was published by the previous Government on 8 May 2024. This included:removing Direct Pay and managing all CMS cases in one service to allow the CMS to tackle non-compliance faster,exploring views on collectio...
Answered 6 May 2025
Original Parliament recordPersonal Independence Payment: ReformDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 23 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 47575More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of proposed reforms to Personal Independence Payment on households with (a) one and (b) more than one young carer.
Answer: Information on the impacts of the Pathways to Work Green Paper will be published in due course, and some information was published alongside the Spring Statement. These publications can be found in ‘Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get ...
Answered 1 May 2025
Original Parliament recordPersonal Independence Payment: ReformDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 23 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 47574More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what her planned timeline is for reviewing her proposed changes to the Personal Independence Payment assessment process.
Answer: In the Pathways to Work Green Paper we announced plans to launch a review of the PIP assessment, which I shall lead. To make sure we get this right, we will bring together a range of experts, stakeholders and people with lived experience to consider how b...
Answered 29 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordChildren: MaintenanceDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 23 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 47572More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether her Department plans to review the Child Maintenance Service threshold for assessing (a) inheritance and (b) other non-earned income.
Answer: Information about the paying parent's gross income is taken directly from HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) for the latest tax year available. This allows calculations to be made quickly and accurately. Any income subject to income tax, including bonuses and ...
Answered 1 May 2025
Original Parliament recordPersonal Independence Payment: Epsom and EwellDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 31 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 42991More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of proposed reductions to the level of the Personal Independence Payment on people in Epsom and Ewell constituency.
Answer: No estimate has yet been made.Information on the impacts of the Pathways to Work Green Paper will be published in due course, and some information was published alongside the Spring Statement. These publications can be found in ‘Pathways to Work: Reformin...
Answered 7 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordUniversal Credit: ChildrenDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 18 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 39341More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment she has made of the potential merits of removing the (a) two-child cap and (b) benefit cap for families in receipt of Universal Credit.
Answer: Tackling child poverty is at the heart of the Government’s mission to break down barriers to opportunity and improve the life chances of every child. The Child Poverty Taskforce is exploring how we can harness all available levers to reduce child poverty,...
Answered 24 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordSocial Security Benefits: AppealsDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 4 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 35589More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to (a) improve response times and (b) ensure mandatory reconsiderations are adequately assessed.
Answer: Whilst we aim to make the right decision as early as possible in the claim journey, Mandatory Reconsideration (MR) is a key element of the Department’s decision-making process. MR offers customers an opportunity to challenge decisions and provide any addi...
Answered 10 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordFood: InflationDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 24 Feb 2025AnsweredUIN 33336More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will make an assessment of the potential implications for her policies of trends in the level of inflation for food products; and what steps she is taking to help support people with the cost of
Answer: We are committed to tackling food poverty and reducing mass dependence on emergency food parcels. Economic factors including the Covid-19 pandemic and the cost-of-living crisis have resulted in record levels of need for food banks. This issue is being dis...
Answered 4 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordHouseholds: Repairs and MaintenanceDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 20 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 25131More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if her Department will take steps to support households with one-off unexpected costs including boiler repairs.
Answer: Budgeting Advances help Universal Credit customers meet intermittent miscellaneous expenses, such as buying essential items like furniture or household equipment. These advances ensure that low-income families that have an emergency financial need and do ...
Answered 24 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordDisability Living AllowanceDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 20 Jan 2025AnsweredUIN 25130More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to provide financial support for families during the three-month waiting period before applying for Disability Living Allowance; and if she will make an assessment of the potent
Answer: The three month qualifying period is not a waiting period. Its purpose is to help establish that the disability or health condition, and the resulting care, supervision or mobility needs are of a long-standing nature. This ensures that disability benefits...
Answered 28 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordLocal Housing AllowanceDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 18 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 21111More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of not increasing Local Housing Allowance rates in 2025-2026 on families.
Answer: The decision to maintain Local Housing Allowance (LHA) rates at current levels for 2025/26 considered a range of factors such as, rental data, the impacts of LHA rates, the Government’s missions and wider fiscal context and the fact that rates were increa...
Answered 6 Jan 2025
Original Parliament recordFinancial Services: EducationDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 16 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 20330More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will take steps to (a) improve the financial educational resources and tools available for adults who are no longer in formal education and (b) increase awareness of the resources currently avail
Answer: Given the current cost of living it is essential for individuals to possess the knowledge and skills necessary to effectively manage their finances. DWP invests in upskilling their staff to increase their confidence in guiding customers through conversati...
Answered 19 Dec 2024
Original Parliament recordDisability: Cost of LivingDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 10 Dec 2024AnsweredUIN 901820More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to help mitigate the impact of increases in the cost of living on disabled people.
Answer: The extra costs disability benefits are not means–tested, paid regardless of any income or savings and worth up to £9,580 a year, tax free.They were uprated by 6.7 per cent from April and will be uprated by 1.7 per cent from next April subject to Parliame...
Answered 16 Dec 2024
Original Parliament record
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4 Jul 2024–3 Jul 2025. One record per UIN and tabled date; the named department is not a measure of answer quality.
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