Matt Vickers MP: written questions
783 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Social Security BenefitsDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 4 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 97238More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what his Department’s current forecast is for its staffing requirements in benefit processing centres for the next financial year.
Answer: The Department continually impacts and assesses the service being offered to customers. Staff numbers are reviewed on an ongoing basis, in line with the latest economic and benefit forecasts.
Answered 5 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordEmployment Schemes: DisabilityDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 4 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 97237More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment his Department has made of the availability of specialist disability employment advisers within Jobcentres.
Answer: Every Jobcentre has access to a Disability Employment Adviser (DEA). We have over 700 FTE DEAs across our Jobcentre network. We regularly monitor the number of staff allocated to this role. DEAs are trained as Work Coaches, followed by additional role spe...
Answered 17 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordCarer's AllowanceDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 4 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 97236More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to increase take-up of Carer’s Allowance among eligible carers.
Answer: Carer’s Allowance (CA) offers financial support and recognition to unpaid carers in England and Wales who are unable to work full-time due to their caring responsibilities.Information and guidance on CA entitlement is available through multiple channels, ...
Answered 12 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordSocial Security BenefitsDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 4 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 97235More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department has made of the impact of the cost of living on the adequacy of benefit levels in the most recent review period.
Answer: The Social Security Administration Act 1992 requires the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions to review State Pension and benefit rates each year to see if they have retained their value in relation to the general level of prices or earnings. Where th...
Answered 16 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordIndustrial Injuries Disablement BenefitDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 4 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 97234More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate his Department has made of the current clearance times for Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit claims.
Answer: Monthly statistics on Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit (IIDB) assessments, by assessment month and decision time, are published on Stat-Xplore . They are available for claim starts to March 2025. Users can log in or access Stat-Xplore as a guest us...
Answered 12 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordUniversal Credit: FraudDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 4 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 97233More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment his Department has made of the accuracy of fraud and error detection systems used in Universal Credit administration.
Answer: Over the last year, we have seen a statistically significant decrease in the Universal Credit overpayment rate from 12.4% to 9.7% of expenditure - this represents a 21% fall in the overpayment rate, equivalent to £1.7bn in terms of FYE 2025 Universal Cred...
Answered 11 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordEmployment: Older PeopleDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 4 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 97232More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to improve support for unemployed claimants aged over 50 seeking to return to work.
Answer: Work helps everyone play active and fulfilling roles in society while building financial security for retirement. The Department is therefore committed to supporting workers over the age of 50 through a wide-ranging strategy that promotes inclusion, flexi...
Answered 10 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordSocial Security Benefits: DisabilityDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 4 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 97231More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment the Department has made of the impact of recent policy changes on the proportion of disability benefit decisions overturned at appeal.
Answer: The Department is committed to monitoring the impacts of its policies. Information about disability benefit appeal overturns can be retrieved from StatXplore, HMCTS’ quarterly statistics, or the Department’s quarterly PIP statistics. The latter includes i...
Answered 16 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordAccess to Work ProgrammeDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 4 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 97230More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to reduce average waiting times for Access to Work applications and renewals.
Answer: We are committed to reducing waiting times for Access to Work. We have increased the number of staff processing Access to Work claims by 27% and applications from customers who are about to start a job or who are renewing are prioritised. The Green Paper ...
Answered 12 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordPension CreditDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 4 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 97229More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate his Department has made of the number of pensioners eligible for Pension Credit who are not currently receiving it.
Answer: The latest available Pension Credit take-up statistics cover the financial year 2023 to 2024 and are available at: Income-related benefits: estimates of take-up: financial year ending 2024 - GOV.UK. The Government wants all pensioners to get the support t...
Answered 10 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordSocial Security Benefits: Artificial IntelligenceDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 4 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 97228More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to improve the accuracy of automated decision-making tools used in benefit administration.
Answer: The Department uses automated decision-making in some areas, as described in our Personal Information Charter. Customers are told when an automated decision has been made in relation to their case, along with information on the steps they would need to ta...
Answered 11 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordJobcentres: StaffDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 4 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 97227More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment the Department has made of the adequacy of Jobcentre staffing levels to support claimants with complex needs.
Answer: We recognise that as a department we come into contact with some claimants who have complex needs or are vulnerable. The department already has processes in place to support and safeguard people who use our services, and we will continue to provide this s...
Answered 11 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordSocial Security BenefitsDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 4 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 97226More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment the Department has made of the impact of digital-only communications on claimant engagement and error rates.
Answer: DWP are continuing to explore the choice of contact channel to reduce the cost of benefits administration and meet the needs of our customers for faster communication. This is based on customer research. While some customers are already able to access mes...
Answered 11 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordUniversal Credit: AppealsDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 4 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 97225More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate his Department has made of the number of Universal Credit claimants awaiting mandatory reconsideration decisions as of the most recent month for which information is available.
Answer: As at end of October 2025, there were 61,000 outstanding mandatory reconsiderations (MR) for Universal Credit (UC). Notes: Each UC claim can have more than one reconsideration registered against it. The above includes all MRs.The data supplied is based on...
Answered 18 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordWork Capability AssessmentDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 4 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 97224More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps the Department is taking to reduce the backlog of Work Capability Assessments and improve the speed of decision making.
Answer: The Department for Work and Pensions prioritises assessments for new claims to minimise waiting times and ensure claimants receive the right benefit entitlement as soon as possible. However, due to unforeseen high levels of Work Capability Assessments (WC...
Answered 12 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordPersonal Independence PaymentDepartment for Work and PensionsTabled 4 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 97223More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent estimate his Department has made of the average processing time for Personal Independence Payment claims in the latest three-month period.
Answer: The most recent available data on the average actual clearance times for Personal Independence Payment (PIP) claims can be found in Tables 1 and 2 of the latest release of the Personal Independence Payment: Clearance/outstanding times and customer journey...
Answered 12 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordDevelopment Aid: DemocracyForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 3 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 96926More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what progress has been made in supporting democratic institutions and election integrity in countries receiving UK development assistance.
Answer: The issues raised by the Hon Member are all significant priorities for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), and he can find regular updates about them by consulting the FCDO's annual reports, following the FCDO news feed on GOV.UK, or ...
Answered 9 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordSlavery: Supply ChainsForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 3 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 96925More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, What recent discussions his Department has had with partners to counter human trafficking and modern slavery in global supply chains.
Answer: The issues raised by the Hon Member are all significant priorities for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), and he can find regular updates about them by consulting the FCDO's annual reports, following the FCDO news feed on GOV.UK, or ...
Answered 9 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordPress FreedomForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 3 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 96924More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps the Department is taking to promote media freedom and protect journalists in countries where press freedoms are under threat.
Answer: The issues raised by the Hon Member are all significant priorities for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), and he can find regular updates about them by consulting the FCDO's annual reports, following the FCDO news feed on GOV.UK, or ...
Answered 9 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordSanctionsForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 3 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 96923More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, What assessment has been made of the effectiveness of UK sanctions regimes in disrupting malign activity.
Answer: The issues raised by the Hon Member are all significant priorities for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), and he can find regular updates about them by consulting the FCDO's annual reports, following the FCDO news feed on GOV.UK, or ...
Answered 9 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordArmed Conflict: Sexual OffencesForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 3 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 96922More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what support the Department is providing to international efforts to prevent and respond to sexual violence in conflict.
Answer: The issues raised by the Hon Member are all significant priorities for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), and he can find regular updates about them by consulting the FCDO's annual reports, following the FCDO news feed on GOV.UK, or ...
Answered 9 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordCommonwealth: Investment and TradeForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 3 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 96921More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what recent discussions have taken place with Commonwealth partners on strengthening trade and investment cooperation.
Answer: The issues raised by the Hon Member are all significant priorities for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), and he can find regular updates about them by consulting the FCDO's annual reports, following the FCDO news feed on GOV.UK, or ...
Answered 9 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordCultural Heritage: ConservationDepartment for Culture, Media and SportTabled 3 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 96920More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to help protect cultural heritage sites at risk from conflict or natural disaster.
Answer: The UK’s principal mechanism for safeguarding cultural heritage at risk from conflict and natural disaster internationally is delivered by DCMS’s International Cultural Heritage Protection Programme (ICHP). This operates in 25 ODA-eligible countries predo...
Answered 11 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordDeveloping Countries: Diplomatic RelationsForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 2 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 96425More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps she is taking to enhance the UK's diplomatic presence and influence in emerging economies.
Answer: The issues raised by the Hon Member are all significant priorities for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), and he can find regular updates about them by consulting the FCDO's annual reports, following the FCDO news feed on GOV.UK, or ...
Answered 9 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordDevelopment Aid: Climate ChangeForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeTabled 2 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 96423More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of climate-related disasters on UK development priorities.
Answer: The issues raised by the Hon Member are all significant priorities for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), and he can find regular updates about them by consulting the FCDO's annual reports, following the FCDO news feed on GOV.UK, or ...
Answered 9 Dec 2025
Original Parliament record
Published records only — not a full account of an MP’s work. How we work →