Department for Work and Pensions

The Department recognises that disclosure is a personal decision and the Support with Employee Health and Disability service, developed with the involvement of employers from smaller businesses, and disability organisations, aims to support employers in creating environments where employees feel safe and supported to disclose health conditions or disabilities.

In recognition of employers’ vital role, DWP and DBT commissioned Sir Charlie Mayfield to lead the Keep Britain Working independent review as part of the Government’s wider white paper plans to Get Britain Working. This has included engagement with businesses across the UK on all aspects of health and disability in the workplace. We are shortly expecting publication of Sir Charlie’s final report.

Government is also awaiting the findings from the recent consultation on disability pay gap reporting, where reporting on disclosure rates was discussed.

Liz Sayce OBE was commissioned to lead an Independent Review into overpayments of Carer’s Allowance (CA). The Government is carefully considering the recommendations of this Review which investigated how overpayments of CA related to earnings occurred, how we can best support those who have accrued them, and how to reduce the risk of these problems occurring in future. We will publish both the review and the Government’s response by the end of this year.

We do not publish the requested information as part of any official statistics release.

We know that quality employment, education, and training have a positive impact on mental health, and leads to greater independence and a feeling of fully participating in society.

That is why, as set out in the Get Britain Working White Paper, DWP and DfE are developing a Youth Guarantee, which will ensure that all 18–21-year-olds in England have access to education, training, or help to find a job or an apprenticeship.

This will build on the wide range of support Department for Work and Pensions already offers to help young people and those with health conditions or disabilities to move into work. This includes flexible provision driven by local need, nationwide employment programmes and personalised support delivered by work coaches based in Jobcentres and in local communities working alongside partners. One such programme is Connect to Work, a voluntary, locally commissioned Supported Employment programme. It is open for anyone who is disabled, has a health condition or is experiencing non-health related barriers to work. Participants are given a dedicated specialist employment support adviser who helps them to identify their career goals and overcome any specific barriers to employment.

The Government is also investing in mental health support services for young people. We are expanding Mental Health Support Teams (MHSTs) to ensure that every school and college has access to specialist mental health professionals, providing access to early support to address problems before they escalate. Additionally, we are also launching Young Futures Hubs, which will bring together services at a local level to support children and young people, helping to ensure that young people can access early advice and wellbeing intervention.

From a JCP perspective, North Shropshire forms part of the Marches collective and we have been working with key stakeholders to develop the Marches Get Britain Working plan. This is currently going through final sign off before being presented to the SoS.

Three jobcentres support the North Shropshire region, as well as a youth hub, working alongside Shrewsbury Town FC Foundation, supporting Young People aged 16 -18 NEETS and 18 - 24 Universal Credit, along with Youth Employability Coaches who support young people with complex needs. The sites offer several initiatives, alongside key partners to support customers into work – WEX, MTW, Apprenticeships, SWAPs, Job Fairs.

It is important that those who experience substantial and longer-term menopausal effects should be adequately protected from discrimination in the workplace, and that employers are fully aware of the issues their employees may be experiencing at work, and their current legal obligations, including under the Equality Act 2010 (the Act).

Depending on circumstances, the Act provides protection from discrimination on grounds of sex and/or age and/or disability for employees experiencing the effects of the menopause. An employee may bring a discrimination claim under more than one of these grounds, which the courts can then consider sequentially, where appropriate.

As part of the plan to Make Work Pay, the government has committed to publishing guidance, including for small employers, on measures to consider relating to uniform and temperature, flexible working and recording menopause-related leave and absence. Guidance can currently be found on the government’s Help to Grow Site: Menopause in the Workplace - Help to Grow. We will continue to work with stakeholders to ensure the content is relevant and to raise awareness and promote best practice amongst businesses.

As part of the Employment Rights Bill, this government is taking the first steps towards requiring large employers to publish action plans alongside their gender pay gap figures; detailing the steps they are taking to narrow their gap and support employees during the menopause. These will ensure that they recognise and tackle the barriers that women still face, as well as opening up space to have broader conversations about women’s health in the workplace. Organisations will be required to detail the evidence-based steps they are taking, supported by government guidance, with the aim of speeding up progress towards workplaces that actually work for everyone.

From HR data, there are currently 911 individual staff showing on the disciplinary report as at 30/09/2025. The disciplinary report is a point in time report of all staff who are or have been undergoing disciplinary action including those cases where an investigation has been or is taking place. We are unable to provide further information as the report does not show historic data beyond live cases and those closed in the past 12 months.

The table below gives the number of Universal Credit (UC) Habitual Residence Test (HRT) assessments that resulted in a ‘pass’ decision in the past five years.

(Source: DWP UC HRT Administrative data)

Notes:

• The Habitual Residence Test (HRT) is nationality blind. It is applied to British citizens returning from abroad to check for factual habitual residency in the UK, as well as to foreign nationals to check they have an immigration status permitting access to public funds and that they are factually habitually resident.
• Not all HRT passes lead to a UC award as claimants need to meet all eligibility criteria.
• All figures are rounded to the nearest thousand decisions.
• An individual may have multiple HRT assessments and multiple passes.
• These figures are not Official Statistics. These figures stem from administrative data and represent the best estimates using current methodologies and assumptions about the data. Future improvements in methodology may lead to different subsequent estimates.
• Figures are for the UK.

HL 10487 asked specifically about the number of National Insurance Numbers issued to individuals outside the United Kingdom. That information is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

The Written Answer, HL885, provided data on the number National Insurance number allocations to adult overseas nationals entering the UK. Updated statistics covering the rolling 12 months period to June 2025 are published on the Department's Stat-Xplore tool and summarised below.

NINO Registrations To Adult Overseas Nationals Entering The UK

The Government is committed to supporting carers to balance unpaid care with paid work where this is feasible. Eligible carers may still receive benefits while working, allowing them to increase their overall income.

The information requested is currently not available. However, support provided by the department includes identifying skills gaps and referral to skills training, careers advice, job search support, volunteering opportunities, localised support and access to the Flexible Support Fund to aid job entry. Unemployed customers who require more intensive employment support can also be referred to the Restart programme or Connect to Work. DWP also provides information to help carers and potential unpaid carers make informed decisions about combining work and care through their JobHelp Care choices site.

The Get Britain Working White Paper sets out our ambition to reform Jobcentre Plus and create a new service across Great Britain that will enable everyone, to access good, meaningful work, and support them to progress in work, including through an enhanced focus on skills and careers. The new Jobs and Careers Service will be universal to all - regardless of their barriers to work - and the principles of accessibility and inclusivity will be core to service design.

The government's decision on defunding Level 7 apprenticeships for those aged 22 and over, including a summary of the evidence that informed that decision, is published here: Written Statements - Hansard - UK Parliament.

All UK employers with an annual pay bill above £3 million pay 0.5 per cent of their pay bill to invest in apprenticeship training. HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) is responsible for collecting the levy on behalf of the government.

The Department for Education is responsible for apprenticeships in England only. The department receives an annual protected apprenticeships budget which is agreed at Spending Reviews. Although closely linked, this is distinct from the total levy income collected and the funds in employer accounts.

In total, this apprenticeship budget covers the spend drawn down by all levy-paying employers, as well as apprenticeships for those who do not pay the levy, the costs of English and maths tuition for apprentices, and additional payments to employers, training providers and apprentices. It also covers the administrative costs of running the apprenticeships programme.

100% of the apprenticeships budget was spent in the 2024-25 financial year. The final outturn was £2,769m, in line with the budget.

Staffordshire County Council was allocated £1,404,490 of Adult Skills Fund funding from the Department for Education in the Academic Year 2024/25. This figure does not account for any reconciliation paid relating to delivery before August 2024.

There are other providers that also receive Adult Skills Funding from central government which deliver to learners in Staffordshire. Further information is published here: Funding allocations to training providers: 2024 to 2025 - GOV.UK

New foundation apprenticeships will give young people a route into careers in critical sectors, enabling them to earn a wage while developing vital skills.

The first seven foundation apprenticeships, which launched in August, focused on industrial strategy and priority areas, and include a health and social care foundation apprenticeship.

The department is working with Skills England to explore which other sectors and occupations would be most suitable for foundation apprenticeships. Further detail will be set out in due course.

All education and training providers (including apprenticeships), and other related service providers, have a duty to make reasonable adjustments for disabled people, so they are not placed at a substantial disadvantage compared to non-disabled students. This includes people with a learning difficulty. This duty is set out under section 20 of the Equality Act 2010.

Disability Rights UK have information available which describes how reasonable adjustments can be provided for students with disabilities.

We want all learners and apprentices to feel comfortable and confident to disclose and discuss their individual needs. The recent Post-16 Education and Skills white paper sets out how we aim to remove barriers to participation and progression for all learners, including those with learning difficulties and disabilities (LDD), by ensuring flexible pathways and tailored support.

The government provides £1,000 to both employers and training providers when they take on apprentices aged under 19, or 19-to-24-year-old apprentices who have an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) or have been in care.

Additional Learning Support funding is available to training providers to make reasonable adjustments which support apprentices who have LDD. Training providers can claim £150 per month where there is a cost involved in making adjustments to support their learning.

Where an apprentice has a LDD which is a barrier to them achieving the standard English and maths requirements there is the flexibility for them to achieve the lower Entry Level 3 qualification in the adjusted subject. From August 2024, this has been extended to apprentices with an LDD but no EHCP.

Small businesses are a vital part of our economy and apprenticeship system. They provide valuable opportunities in priority sectors for young people and apprentices from disadvantaged areas.

The government engages with small employers regularly to promote apprenticeships. During National Apprenticeship Week 2025, we held a round table with small and medium employers and other key partners to better understand the challenges they are facing in recruiting apprentices. This insight allows us to better target engagement activities with small businesses.

The government pays the full training costs for young apprentices under 22 and eligible apprentices aged 22-24 undertaking apprenticeships with non-levy paying employers, also paying £1,000 to both employers and providers for apprentices aged 16-18, and for eligible apprentices aged 19-24.

Small businesses are a vital part of our economy and apprenticeship system. They provide valuable opportunities in priority sectors for young people and apprentices from disadvantaged areas.

The government engages with small employers regularly to promote apprenticeships. During National Apprenticeship Week 2025, we held a round table with small and medium employers and other key partners to better understand the challenges they are facing in recruiting apprentices. This insight allows us to better target engagement activities with small businesses.

The government pays the full training costs for young apprentices under 22 and eligible apprentices aged 22-24 undertaking apprenticeships with non-levy paying employers, also paying £1,000 to both employers and providers for apprentices aged 16-18, and for eligible apprentices aged 19-24.

Small businesses are a vital part of our economy and apprenticeship system. They provide valuable opportunities in priority sectors for young people and apprentices from disadvantaged areas.

The government engages with small employers regularly to promote apprenticeships. During National Apprenticeship Week 2025, we held a round table with small and medium employers and other key partners to better understand the challenges they are facing in recruiting apprentices. This insight allows us to better target engagement activities with small businesses.

The government pays the full training costs for young apprentices under 22 and eligible apprentices aged 22-24 undertaking apprenticeships with non-levy paying employers, also paying £1,000 to both employers and providers for apprentices aged 16-18, and for eligible apprentices aged 19-24.

We are continuing to invest in education and skills training for adults (19 and over) through the Adult Skills Fund (ASF), spending £1.4 billion in the 2025/26 academic year, ensuring that adults can access the education and training they need to get into employment or progress in work. The ASF supports a range of courses for adults of all ages including those relating to new and emerging industries, such as digital technologies.

Currently, 68% of the ASF is devolved to 12 Mayoral Strategic Authorities and the Greater London Authority (GLA). These authorities are responsible for the provision of ASF-funded adult education for their residents, the allocation of the ASF to learning providers, and deciding how the ASF best meets the needs of the local economy. By honouring our commitments to combine and further devolve adult skills funding, we give those with local knowledge the power they need to make decisions that are best for their areas.

This government is also transforming the apprenticeships offer into a new growth and skills offer, which will give greater flexibility to employers and to learners throughout their careers.

From April 2026, the government will also enable employers to use the growth and skills levy for new short courses in areas such as digital, artificial intelligence and engineering, to support Industrial Strategy sectors. This new flexible offer will support employed learners to update or improve relevant aspects of their skills base, with the support of their employer.

Additionally, in August 2025 the government reduced the apprenticeship minimum duration to 8 months so that shorter duration apprenticeships are now possible. We expect this flexibility to open-up more opportunities, including where the apprentice already has relevant prior learning or experiences that reduces their time needed to train. This change will enable more adults with prior career experience to access apprenticeships and achieve occupational competence more quickly.

Lastly, the Lifelong Learning Entitlement (LLE) will launch in academic year 2026/27 and will support individuals to learn, upskill and retrain across their working lives. Learners will be able to use this new entitlement more flexibly than ever before to fund individual modules as well as full courses at levels 4 to 6, regardless of whether they are provided in colleges, universities or independent providers.

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, including through an enhanced focus on skills and careers.

In England, these reforms will include bringing together Jobcentre Plus with the National Careers Service to create a greater awareness and focus on skills and careers as well as better join-up between employability and careers provision.

The current National Careers Service contracts are due to expire on 30 September 2026. Therefore, a decision was required on how to deliver adult careers advice from that point.

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has taken the decision to bring adult careers advice in-house into DWP from 1 October 2026. This means that National Careers Service contractors will no longer deliver this service after that date.

This change is designed to ensure maximum flexibility in developing an integrated employment support and careers advice service. It will enable the service to respond more effectively to customer needs, identify and embed improved operational practices, and bring together employment and careers advice to meet the ambitions of the Get Britain Working White Paper

The Department is committed to ensuring young people have access to the support they need to move into sustainable employment. DWP currently provides young people aged 16-24 with labour market support through an extensive range of interventions at a national and local level. This includes flexible provision driven by local need, nationwide employment programmes and support delivered by work coaches based in our Jobcentres and in local communities, working alongside partners such as the Kings Trust, Local Authorities, National Careers Service/Career Wales, local colleges and Youth Trusts.

As set out in the Get Britain Working White Paper, we are developing a Youth Guarantee to ensure young people aged 18-21 can access high-quality training, apprenticeships, or personalised support to find work. As a first step, we are working with eight Youth Guarantee Trailblazers across England which are testing innovative, locally led approaches to improve support for young people not in education, employment or training (NEET) or at risk of becoming NEET. This includes strengthening local coordination, through local leadership, and outreach to better connect young people with opportunities. We will use learning from these trailblazers to inform future design and development of the Youth Guarantee as it rolls-out across the rest of Great Britain.

We have also announced that we will offer a guaranteed job to young people on Universal Credit, who are unemployed for over 18 months. This forms a key part of the government’s Youth Guarantee, and further details will be announced at the Budget 2025.

In Northern Ireland, all DWP policy areas are transferred, including employment support. This is the responsibility of the Department for Communities.

Connect to Work funding will cover all of England and Wales. Huntingdonshire is part of the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough area for Connect to Work. Cambridge and Peterborough Combined Authority are the Lead Authority (Accountable Body) for this area, working in partnership with Cambridge County Council and Peterborough City Council. The Combined Authority’s Delivery Plan is currently in the final stages of approval, with funding expected to be announced shortly. We understand that the Connect to Work service for Cambridgeshire and Peterborough is expected to be open for participants in early 2026.

DWP does not hold this information over the requested period. DWP has operational data used to identify and recover UC overpayments from deceased recipients, although this does not cover the full time period requested and is not considered to be of suitable quality to accurately answer the question.

The Government is committed to supporting carers to balance unpaid care with paid work where this is feasible. Eligible carers may still receive benefits while working, allowing them to increase their overall income.

Support includes identifying skills gaps and referral to skills training, careers advice, job search support, volunteering opportunities and access to the Flexible Support Fund to aid job entry. Unemployed customers who require more intensive employment support can also be referred to the Restart programme.

Customers providing care for fewer than 35 hours a week receive personalised support through their Jobcentre Plus work coach to help them find work and their work expectation is tailored to fit caring responsibilities.

For unpaid carers who are entitled to Carer’s Allowance, we have introduced the largest increase in the earnings limit since Carer’s Allowance was introduced in 1976. The earnings limit is now 16 hours work at National Living Wage levels and over 60,000 additional people will be able to receive Carer’s Allowance between 2025/26 and 2029/30.

DWP also provides information to help carers and potential unpaid carers make informed decisions about combining work and care through their JobHelp Care choices site.

Unpaid carers play a vital role in our communities, and we all owe them a debt of gratitude. We know that for the vast majority of people, care begins at home with their families. Many people wish to play a role in caring for their friends and family, and we recognise that for some this can be a significant commitment. We are committed to supporting carers to balance unpaid care with paid work where this is feasible.

Customers providing care for fewer than 35 hours a week receive personalised support through their Jobcentre Plus work coach to help them find work and their work expectation is tailored to fit caring responsibilities. Support includes identifying skills gaps and referral to skills training, careers advice, job search support, volunteering opportunities and access to the Flexible Support Fund to aid job entry. Unemployed customers who require more intensive employment support can also be referred to the Restart programme. DWP also provides information to help carers and potential unpaid carers make informed decisions about combining work and care through their JobHelp Care choices site.

The Get Britain Working White Paper sets out our ambition to reform Jobcentre Plus and create a new service across Great Britain that will enable everyone, to access good, meaningful work, and support them to progress in work, including through an enhanced focus on skills and careers. The new Jobs and Careers Service will be universal to all - regardless of their barriers to work - and the principles of accessibility and inclusivity will be core to service design.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) records indicate that a detailed response to the coroner's Prevention of Future Death report following the death of Graham Faulkner was sent by e-mail on 3 July 2024.

Following previous discussions with the Minister for Lords and the Minister for Transformation, Tell Us Once is currently exploring opportunities to expand its existing service offering. The existing capabilities of the system are being investigated to assess whether wider expansion would be viable, or if further digital investment is needed. Digital improvements will assist the service to expand further into the Public Sector with potential opportunity for expansion outside of the Public Sector in the future.

Included in this system assessment is the existing citizen communication route for the bereaved and whether this is meeting user expectations and reducing the administration burden.

The most recent internal evaluations in February 2025 of customer feedback show a satisfaction score of 92% for the online service.

This government has a driving mission to break down barriers to opportunity. Apprenticeship starts by young people under 25 fell by almost 40% over the last decade.

From January 2026, the government will no longer fund level 7 apprenticeships, equivalent to master’s degree level, except for young apprentices under the age of 22, or those aged 22 to 24 who have an education, health and care plan or have been in local authority care. This will enable apprenticeship opportunities to be rebalanced towards young people and create more opportunities for those entering the labour market, who need skills and training to get on in their careers.

This decision was informed by a wide range of evidence, including Skills England’s analysis of official apprenticeship statistics and engagement with a wide range of stakeholders. Skills England did not find a strong enough economic rationale to exempt any level 7 apprenticeship standards from defunding. While level 7 apprenticeships can be a valuable route for some disadvantaged learners, a significant proportion are from non-deprived backgrounds and are significantly less likely to be deprived than apprentices at lower levels.

Level 7 generally has a higher proportion of older learners than other apprenticeships, particularly the senior leader apprenticeship (where 99% are over 25) and standards with an embedded postgraduate qualification. Skills England also suggested that de-funding would be unlikely to lead to a significant fall in the supply of these skills in the long term.

The requested data on apprenticeship vacancies that were advertised on the Find an Apprenticeship website are published in the Apprenticeships statistics publication and can be found here:

https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/37950fb3-a95f-425c-f86d-08de0724494a

This has been available since 17 July 2025. The next update to these figures will be in the Apprenticeships: November 2025 statistics publication. ​

The latest data on apprenticeship starts, participation and achievements are published in the Apprenticeships statistics publication and can be found here:

https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/09b15b1b-393d-40ff-f86a-08de0724494a

​

This has been available since 17 July 2025. Finalised figures for the 2024/25 academic year will be published in the Apprenticeships: November 2025 statistics publication.​

The government is working to ensure that a learning difficulty or disability is not a barrier to people who want to realise the benefits of an apprenticeship.

The Find an Apprenticeship service allows people to identify Disability Confident Employers offering opportunities and Additional Learning Support funding is available to training providers to make reasonable adjustments which support apprentices who have learning difficulties and disabilities.

The government also provides £1,000 to both employers and training providers when they take on apprentices aged under 19, or 19-to-24-year-old apprentices who have an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHC) or have been in care.

Skills England, as the national body for skills in England, meets regularly with representatives across sectors. Ministers and officials regularly meet with a range of stakeholders. In addition, within the last two months representatives from Skills England have met with the Association of Employer and Learning Providers Hospitality and Catering Sector Forum, the Dorset and Somerset Training Providers Network and a regional Tourism and Hospitality Initiative in the North East to discuss the skills needs of hospitality businesses.

This information was published earlier this year and can be found via the following link:

Fraud and error in the benefit system: financial year 2024 to 2025 estimates - GOV.UK.

The Government regularly assesses the effectiveness of careers guidance for young people, including the role of the National Careers Service (NCS). While the NCS primarily focuses on adults, it also provides support to young people aged 13 and over.

According to the 2025 National Careers Service customer satisfaction and progression survey, 97% of young people surveyed aged 18–24 reported gaining some form of Personal Added Value, such as increased confidence, motivation, and a clearer understanding of their next steps, following contact with the service.

This support for young people complements that provided by schools and colleges, which are legally responsible for securing independent careers guidance for all 11- to 18-year-olds.

We are reforming Jobcentre Plus and creating a new Jobs and Careers 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, including through an enhanced focus on skills and careers. Our new service will move away from the current one size fits all approach, recognising people are individuals with different support needs and will provide better tailored support. The new service will be universal and must work for everyone, including young people.

The current FM supply chain who provide catering services (as of 1st October 2025) has inherited canteen crockery and cutlery from the previous supplier(s), therefore are unable to ascertain where these were manufactured.

Our suppliers have confirmed there are no plans in place currently to purchase any crockery or cutlery in the future.

As civil servants, it is our duty to ensure that public funds are spent appropriately and deliver public services that represent value for the taxpayer. Fraud against the welfare system negatively impacts public services and taxpayers as it draws funds away from those who need them most. Within DWP, tackling fraud and error is everybody’s business, from Work Coaches in our Jobcentres through to Service Centre colleagues and as such, separating out the resource and costs spent on preventing and detecting fraud amongst these varying job roles is not feasible.

The DWP maintains measures to ensure access to essential services remains available during disruptions to internet connectivity. The Department has contingency plans designed to manage such situations.

These plans provide for continuity of service and offer support through alternative methods if digital platforms are temporarily inaccessible. The DWP regularly reviews and updates its business continuity procedures to reduce disruption and maintain claimant and service user access, regardless of technical issues.

A reply was sent to Martin Wrigley MP by the Minister of State for Social Security and Disability on 22 October 2025.

The Collaboration Committees established in July 2025 are made up of a diverse group of members, including people with lived experience of DWP services, disabled people's organisations, charities, healthcare professionals, academics, support providers, and employer representatives. At least 50% of each committee is comprised of individuals with lived experience.

To maintain trust and ensure inclusive participation, it was agreed with participants that we are not publishing personal or organisational information about committee members.

The Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 and associated regulations provide a framework for securing the health, safety and welfare of those working in the motorsports industry. Employers and the self-employed are required to comply with this law. A further duty is placed on them by Regulation 3 of The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, which requires every employer to make a suitable and sufficient risk assessment of the risks to those employees and non-employees in relation to risks arising from conduct of their undertaking and share the significant findings.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) holds the national policy lead for occupational health and safety in the leisure industry, including recreational motorsports, however, local authorities (LAs) are primarily responsible for enforcing health and safety law at individual events. HSE regularly liaises with colleagues from the Department for Culture Media and Sport (DCMS) who also have an interest in this topic.

HSE and DCMS attend the LA motorsports forum which meets quarterly online. A number of the motorsports authorising bodies have presented to this group to raise awareness of key topics. HSE and the forum have produced a best practice aide-memoire for LA regulatory visits. This document is under final LA consultation before moving to publication shortly.

HSE seeks to promote safety at events by making practical advice and guidance available for organisers of motorsport events. The HSE publication ‘Managing health and safety at motorsports events’ describes the main risks at motorsport events and some of the steps that can safeguard the health and safety of employees, participants, and spectators. This guidance is made freely available by HSE at https://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/priced/hsg112.pdf

No changes have been made to Access to Work policy, and we will announce any changes prior to them being implemented. We will be reviewing all aspects of the Scheme now that the consultation has closed and the collaboration committees have been completed.

The honourable member has previously raised this broad issue and I refer her to the answer given on 8 July 63814

The causes of homelessness are multi-faceted and often complex; they interact dynamically making it very difficult to isolate the relative importance of individual factors. We do however work closely with other departments, including MHCLG, to ensure the impacts of Local Housing Allowance (LHA) on homelessness are considered.

The Secretary of State considers LHA rates annually at Autumn Budget. Decisions on LHA will be taken in the round considering a range of factors such as rental data, the Government’s missions, its goals on housing and the challenging fiscal context.

LHA rates were restored to the 30th percentile of local market rents from April 2024 for one year, costing £1.2bn in 2024/25 and £7bn over 5 years.

Discretionary Housing Payments (DHPs) can be paid by local authorities to those entitled to Housing Benefit or the housing element of Universal Credit who face a shortfall in meeting their housing costs. DHPs include a ring-fenced pot for the most rural areas

The previous Minister for Pensions met with representatives from WASPI on 5th September 2024 to hear their experiences directly, the first Minister to do so in eight years.

Skills is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.

The government provides a range of support to help employers and training providers, including colleges, to offer apprenticeships.

Government pays 100% of apprentice training costs for employers who do not pay the levy when they take on apprentices aged 16-21, and apprentices aged 22-24 who have an Education, Health and Care Plan or have been, or are, in local authority care. For all other apprentices, government pays 95% of training costs for employers that don’t pay the levy.

The government pays £1,000 to both employers and providers for apprentices aged 16-18, and for apprentices aged 19-24 who have an Education, Health and Care Plan or have been, or are, in local authority care.

In August, the government launched the first new foundation apprenticeships which are underpinned by an employer incentive payment of £2,000. This will be paid in three instalments, the first two spread across the foundation apprenticeship, with the final payment made when an apprentice progresses onto their next apprenticeship.

In addition, the government continues to simplify the apprenticeship system to make it easier for employers and providers to focus on delivering high-quality training. This includes reforms to the apprenticeship payment system which will cut red tape by stopping the need for providers to log the same data multiple times, and the introduction of a one click employer onboarding process which allows providers to complete the setup for an employer, who can then approve it in a single step.

We recognise the importance of considering the needs of local labour markets in addressing barriers to recruitment. As our Get Britain Working White Paper set out, areas with higher levels of deprivation often have lower levels of educational attainment and there are more working-age adults living with major illness in the most deprived areas (14.6%), which is more than double the rate in the least deprived areas (6.3%).

The Get Britain Working White Paper set out our ambitions to transform employment support and tackle economic inactivity. As part of this, local areas in England are producing Local Get Britain Working Plans to develop a system-wide approach to identifying and addressing local labour market challenges. Further, Trailblazers to test how locally-led responses to tackling economic inactivity and young people not in education, employment and training are being delivered across England and Wales.

Furthermore, our supported employment programme, Connect to Work, has been designed alongside Local Authorities and is being delivered by local areas in England and Wales to help more disabled people, those with health conditions and people with complex barriers to employment help to find sustainable work.

The UK Government will respect devolution settlements and work closely with the Devolved Governments, including the Northern Ireland Executive, to share best practice about how our reforms to reduce economic inactivity are working.