Helen Whately 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.
74 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Social Security Benefit: MigrantsDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 5 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 57678More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people had their claim rejected for (a) Universal Credit, (b) the State Pension and (c) other public funds due to having a no recourse to public funds condition in each year since 2020.
Answer: Persons subject to immigration control have no recourse to public funds and so cannot access taxpayer-funded benefits such as Universal Credit. Nationals of countries other than the UK and Ireland may have no recourse to public funds because either their ...
Answered 16 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordAccess to Work ProgrammeDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 2 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 56300More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether she has made an estimate of the value of Access to Work claims waiting to be processed.
Answer: We have taken claims as those currently awaiting payment.Estimating the value of outstanding Access to Work (AtW) payment claims would incur a disproportionate cost. To produce an estimate, each claim would need to be manually examined to determine the am...
Answered 10 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordAccess to Work ProgrammeDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 2 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 56299More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the number of outstanding Access to Work applications was in each of the last 12 months.
Answer: The number of outstanding Access to Work applications in each of the last 12 months was: June 2024 = 42,403July 2024 = 48,270August 2024 = 50,803September 2024 = 54,530October 2024 = 56,028November 2024 = 58,112December 2024 = 58,129January 2025 = 60,427F...
Answered 10 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordAccess to Work ProgrammeDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 2 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 56298More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average time taken was to process Access to Work claims once an invoice had been submitted in each of the last 12 months.
Answer: We do not record, and therefore do not hold, data on the average time taken to process Access to Work claims once an invoice has been submitted. To determine this, we would need to review all claims processed over the past 12 months to compare the date ea...
Answered 10 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordSocial Security Benefits: FraudDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 2 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 56296More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the oral contribution of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on 29 April 2025, Official Report, col 236, how many sickfluencers have been prosecuted under
Answer: I refer the honourable member to the answer given to PQ 50195 on 12 May 2025.
Answered 6 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordSocial Security Benefits: Undocumented MigrantsDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 2 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 56295More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people with ineligible immigration status applied for (a) Universal Credit and (b) other welfare payments in the last 12 months.
Answer: To access public funds benefits, individuals are required to be either a British or Irish citizen or hold an immigration status which does not prevent them from accessing public funds. The Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) cannot pay public funds bene...
Answered 9 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordSocial Security Benefits: MigrantsDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 2 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 56294More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people with no recourse to public funds applied for (a) Universal Credit and (b) other welfare payments in the last 12 months.
Answer: To access public funds benefits, individuals are required to be either a British or Irish citizen or hold an immigration status which does not prevent them from accessing public funds. The Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) cannot pay public funds bene...
Answered 9 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordSocial Security Benefits: Foreign NationalsDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 2 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 56293More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many non-UK and Irish nationals have applied for (a) Universal Credit and (b) other welfare payments in the last 12 months.
Answer: To access public funds benefits, individuals are required to be either a British or Irish citizen or hold an immigration status which does not prevent them from accessing public funds. The Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) cannot pay public funds bene...
Answered 9 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordUniversal CreditDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 2 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 56292More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many households on Universal Credit had (a) five, (b) six, (c) seven, (d), eight, (e) nine and (f) 10 or more children since November 2018.
Answer: The latest statistics for the number of children in households on Universal Credit are available on Stat-Xplore for November 2024. As statistics for the number of children are only available from April 2019, the table shows the data for November 2019 to N...
Answered 10 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordChild Tax Credit: Universal CreditDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 2 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 56291More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many Child Tax Credit claimants were moved onto Universal Credit in each year since 2020.
Answer: The number and proportion of Child Tax Credit claimants who have made a claim to Universal Credit following a migration notice can be obtained from Stat-Xplore within People invited to Move to Universal Credit dataset. Users can log in or access Stat-Xplo...
Answered 10 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordChild Tax Credit: Universal CreditDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 2 Jun 2025AnsweredUIN 56290More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what proportion of Child Tax Credit claimants have been moved onto Universal Credit.
Answer: The number and proportion of Child Tax Credit claimants who have made a claim to Universal Credit following a migration notice can be obtained from Stat-Xplore within People invited to Move to Universal Credit dataset. Users can log in or access Stat-Xplo...
Answered 10 Jun 2025
Original Parliament recordPension CreditDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 6 May 2025AnsweredUIN 50196More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent estimate her Department has made of the number of pensioners who are eligible for Pension Credit but not claiming it.
Answer: The latest available Pension Credit take-up statistics cover the financial year 2022 to 2023 and are available at: Income-related benefits: estimates of take-up: financial year ending 2023 - GOV.UK. In the financial year ending 2023, it is estimated that ...
Answered 14 May 2025
Original Parliament recordSocial Security Benefits: ProsecutionsDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 6 May 2025AnsweredUIN 50195More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the oral contribution of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Work and Pensions in the debate on the Report stage of the Public Authorities (Fraud, Error and Recovery) Bill o
Answer: The Department does not use the term ‘sickfluencer’ as a defined term and, as such, does not collect data under this description. Furthermore, the Department is not a prosecuting body; DWP’s role is to refer cases for consideration of prosecution to the a...
Answered 12 May 2025
Original Parliament recordUnemploymentDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 6 May 2025AnsweredUIN 50194More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate she has made of the number of people that will not fall into long term economic inactivity due to funding announced in the Spring Statement 2025.
Answer: We will be developing more detailed assessments of the potential impacts of the employment measures proposed in the Green Paper as these are developed in detail. The Office for Budget Responsibility has also stated that it intends to assess the labour sup...
Answered 14 May 2025
Original Parliament recordEmployment SchemesDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 6 May 2025AnsweredUIN 50193More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate she has made of the number of people that will receive additional (a) employment, (b) health and (c) skills support through funding announced in the Spring Statement 2025.
Answer: We announced in the Pathways to Work Green Paper that we would establish a new guarantee of support for all disabled people and people with health conditions claiming out of work benefits who want help to get into or return to work, backed up by £1 billio...
Answered 14 May 2025
Original Parliament recordProceeds of CrimeDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 22 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 46799More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many times her Department has used the Proceeds Of Crime Act 2002 to recover assets following criminal prosecutions in each of the last five years.
Answer: The Department for Work and Pensions uses the Proceeds of Crime Act to apply to the courts to recover assets following criminal prosecutions. In Great Britian in total there have been 174 cases in the last 5 years which resulted in a confiscation order fr...
Answered 28 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordSolar Power: Lithium-ion BatteriesDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 17 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 45731More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will instruct the Health and Safety Executive to provide information on their planned inspections of battery storage units at Cleve Hill Solar Park before they are switched on.
Answer: The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) received your correspondence dated 19 March 2024 and 28 March 2025 regarding Cleve Hill Solar Park. HSE sent a reply to both pieces of correspondence on 27 March 2024 and 10 April 2025 respectively. I have asked HSE t...
Answered 28 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordHealth and Safety Executive: CorrespondenceDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 17 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 45730More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether her Department is taking steps to monitor the responsiveness of the Health and Safety Executive to inquiries from hon. Members.
Answer: The Department attaches great importance to the effective and timely handling of correspondence and keeps this under constant review. The Cabinet Office publishes statistics on Departmental performance which can be found on the gov.uk website and can be v...
Answered 30 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordSolar Power: Lithium-ion BatteriesDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 17 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 45729More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether she has held recent discussions with the Health and Safety Executive on their inspection plans for the battery storage units at Cleve Hill Solar Park.
Answer: The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) received your correspondence dated 19 March 2024 and 28 March 2025 regarding Cleve Hill Solar Park. HSE sent a reply to both pieces of correspondence on 27 March 2024 and 10 April 2025 respectively. I have asked HSE t...
Answered 28 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordSolar Power: Lithium-ion BatteriesDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 17 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 45728More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will take steps to ensure that the Health and Safety Executive responds to requests from the hon. Member for Faversham and Mid Kent on battery safety at Cleve Hill Solar Park.
Answer: The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) received your correspondence dated 19 March 2024 and 28 March 2025 regarding Cleve Hill Solar Park. HSE sent a reply to both pieces of correspondence on 27 March 2024 and 10 April 2025 respectively. I have asked HSE t...
Answered 28 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordSocial Security Benefits: FraudDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 4 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 44241More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether her Department’s investigators can apply to police to have individuals suspected of committing fraud against the Department arrested.
Answer: Where appropriate, DWP can apply to the Police to undertake an arrest as part of a criminal investigation into suspected fraud.
Answered 23 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordSocial Security Benefits: FraudDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 3 Apr 2025AnsweredUIN 43925More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many times her Department has used (a) section 71 and (b) section 71ZE of the Social Security Administration Act 1992 to recover assets from people found to have committed fraud in each of the last
Answer: The Department has not recovered assets from the debtor, such as through a writ of possession or charging order, under either section 71 or section 71ZE of the Social Security Administration Act 1992 in the last five years. Debts under section 71 are curr...
Answered 9 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordUniversal CreditDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 24 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 40512More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working Green Paper, published on 18 March 2025, with which organisations she has held discussions on the proposed c
Answer: We urgently need reform to stop people from falling into inactivity, restore trust and fairness in the system and promote the interests of disabled people. Therefore, there are some measures announced in the Pathways to Work Green Paper on the 18 March 20...
Answered 1 Apr 2025
Original Parliament recordPersonal Independence PaymentDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 24 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 40511More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working Green Paper, published on 18 March 2025, with which organisations she has held discussions on her proposed r
Answer: We have set out proposals to reform the health and disability benefits system in the Pathways to Work Green Paper published on 18 March 2025. A full 12-week consultation will begin from the point all accessible versions are published on GOV.UK. We are con...
Answered 31 Mar 2025
Original Parliament recordEmployment Schemes: FinanceDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 24 Mar 2025AnsweredUIN 40510More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Pathways to Work: Reforming Benefits and Support to Get Britain Working Green Paper, published on 18 March 2025, which organisations will be responsible for spending the additional
Answer: We announced in the Pathways to Work Green Paper that we would establish a new guarantee of support for all disabled people and people with health conditions claiming out of work benefits who want help to get into or return to work, backed up by £1 billio...
Answered 31 Mar 2025
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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