Asked by: Baroness Wilcox of Newport (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask His Majesty's Government what recent assessment they have made of the effectiveness of Jobcentre Plus in helping people get back into work.
Answered by Baroness Sherlock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The last Parliament saw the biggest increase in economic inactivity in nearly 40 years. The employment rate remains 1.4%pts lower than before the pandemic. Only one in six people escape low pay over the course of a decade.
The UK is the only G7 country not to have a higher employment rate than pre-COVID. We are reforming employment support, bringing together Jobcentre Plus and the National Careers Service. The new jobs and careers service will transform our ability to support more people into work and help those on low pay to increase their earnings, which will in turn be vital to supporting our wider economic growth mission.
We will set out our plans in more detail through the forthcoming White Paper to Get Britain Working.
Asked by: Baroness Wilcox of Newport (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what modelling they have conducted on the impact of ending the £20 uplift for Universal Credit on (1) homelessness, (2) poverty, and (3) food bank usage; and what the modelling predicted the impact would be for each issue.
Answered by Baroness Stedman-Scott - Opposition Whip (Lords)
It is not possible to produce a robust estimate of the impact of removing the £20 uplift on poverty or related issues. This is due to the uncertainty around the speed and distribution of the economic recovery.
The Chancellor announced a temporary six-month extension to the £20 per week uplift at the Budget on 3 March to support households affected by the economic shock of Covid-19. Universal Credit has provided a vital safety net for six million people during the pandemic, and the temporary uplift was part of a COVID support package worth a total of £407 billion in 2020-21 and 2021-22.
The latest poverty figures (2019/20) demonstrate that absolute poverty rates (both before and after housing costs) for working-age adults in working families have fallen since 2009/10. In 2019/20, 8% of working age adults in working families were in absolute poverty (before housing costs), compared to 9% in 2009/10.
There have been significant positive developments in the public health situation since the uplift was first introduced. With the success of the vaccine rollout and record job vacancies, it is right that our focus is on helping people back into work. This approach is based on clear evidence about the importance of employment, particularly where it is full-time, in substantially reducing the risks of poverty.
Through our Plan for Jobs, we are targeting tailored support schemes of people of all ages to help them prepare for, get into and progress in work. Our Plan is working, as we see record numbers of job vacancies and numbers of employees on payrolls back at pre-pandemic levels.
However, we recognise that some people may require extra support over the winter as we enter the final stages of recovery, which is why vulnerable households across the country will now be able to access a new £500 million support fund to help them with essentials. The Household Support Fund will provide £421 million to help vulnerable people in England and allocations to individual local authorities are set out below. The Barnett Formula will apply in the usual way, with the devolved administrations receiving almost £80 million (£41m for the Scottish Government, £25m for the Welsh Government and £14m for the NI Executive), for a total of £500 million.
Asked by: Baroness Wilcox of Newport (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of how much poverty will rise in the worst-case scenario from any modelling they have conducted on the impact of ending the £20 uplift for Universal Credit.
Answered by Baroness Stedman-Scott - Opposition Whip (Lords)
It is not possible to produce a robust estimate of the impact of removing the Universal Credit uplift on poverty or related issues. This is particularly the case at the moment given the uncertainty around the speed of the economic recovery, and how this will be distributed across the population.
The latest poverty figures (2019/20) demonstrate that absolute poverty rates (both before and after housing costs) for working-age adults in working families have fallen since 2009/10. In 2019/20, 8% of working age adults in working families were in absolute poverty (before housing costs), compared to 9% in 2009/10.
The Chancellor announced a temporary six-month extension to the £20 per week uplift at the Budget on 3 March to support households affected by the economic shock of Covid-19. Universal Credit has provided a vital safety net for six million people during the pandemic, and the temporary uplift was part of a COVID support package worth a total of £407 billion in 2020-21 and 2021-22.
There have been significant positive developments in the public health situation since the uplift was first introduced. With the success of the vaccine rollout and record job vacancies, it is right that our focus is on helping people back into work.
Through our Plan for Jobs, we are targeting tailored support schemes of people of all ages to help them prepare for, get into and progress in work. These include: Kickstart, delivering tens of thousands of six-month work placements for Universal Credit claimants aged 16-24 at risk of unemployment; Restart, which provides 12 months’ intensive employment support to Universal Credit claimants who are unemployed for a year; and JETS, which provides light touch employment support for people who are claiming either Universal Credit or New Style Jobseekers Allowance, for up to 6 months, helping participants effectively re-engage with the labour market and focus their job search. We have also recruited an additional 13,500 work coaches to provide more intensive support to find a job. In total, our Plan for Jobs interventions will support more than two million people.
This Government is wholly committed to supporting those on low incomes, and continues to do so through many measures, including by increasing the living wage, and by spending over £111 billion on welfare support for people of working age in 2021/22.
This year, we are also investing up to £220m in the Holiday Activities and Food programme, which has been expanded to every Local Authority across England. Participating children will benefit from a range of support, including a healthy and nutritious meal as well as fun and engaging activities covering the Easter, summer and Christmas holidays in 2021. We also increased the value of Healthy Start Food Vouchers from £3.10 to £4.25 in April, which helps eligible low income households buy basic foods like milk, fruit and vitamins.
Asked by: Baroness Wilcox of Newport (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of how much homelessness will rise in the worst-case scenario from any modelling they have conducted on the impact of ending the £20 uplift for Universal Credit.
Answered by Baroness Stedman-Scott - Opposition Whip (Lords)
No impact assessments have been made.
Discretionary Housing Payments provide critical support to vulnerable claimants, including those who are at risk of homelessness, that need help with their housing costs.
For 2021-22 the Government has made available £140m in Discretionary Housing Payments funding for local authorities in England and Wales. In 2020-21 we boosted investment in the Local Housing Allowance by almost £1 billion and have maintained rates in cash terms for 2021-22. In addition, earlier this year we extended the exemptions from the shared accommodation rate of Local Housing Allowance for care leavers and those who have spent at least three months in a homeless hostel. From 31st May 2021 the care leavers exemption applies up to age 25 and the homeless hostel exemption applies up to age 35.
The Chancellor announced a temporary six-month extension to the £20 per week uplift at the Budget on 3 March to support households affected by the economic shock of Covid-19. Universal Credit has provided a vital safety net for six million people during the pandemic, and the temporary uplift was part of a COVID support package worth a total of £407 billion in 2020-21 and 2021-22.
There have been significant positive developments in the public health situation since the uplift was first introduced. With the success of the vaccine rollout and record job vacancies, it is right that our focus is on helping people back into work.
Through our Plan for Jobs, we are targeting tailored support schemes of people of all ages to help them prepare for, get into and progress in work. These include: Kickstart, delivering tens of thousands of six-month work placements for Universal Credit claimants aged 16-24 at risk of unemployment; Restart, which provides 12 months’ intensive employment support to Universal Credit claimants who are unemployed for a year; and JETS, which provides light touch employment support for people who are claiming either Universal Credit or New Style Jobseekers Allowance, for up to 6 months, helping participants effectively re-engage with the labour market and focus their job search. We have also recruited an additional 13,500 work coaches to provide more intensive support to find a job. In total, our Plan for Jobs interventions will support more than two million people.
Asked by: Baroness Wilcox of Newport (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of how much food bank usage will rise in the worst-case scenario from any modelling they have conducted on the impact of ending the £20 uplift for Universal Credit.
Answered by Baroness Stedman-Scott - Opposition Whip (Lords)
No assessment has been made. Foodbanks are independent, charitable organisations and the Department for Work and Pensions does not have any role in their operation. There is no consistent and accurate measure of food bank usage at a constituency or national level.
The Chancellor announced a temporary six-month extension to the Universal Credit uplift at the Budget on 3 March to support households affected by the economic shock of Covid-19. Universal Credit has provided a vital safety net for six million people during the pandemic, and the temporary uplift was part of a COVID support package worth a total of £407billion in 2020-21 and 2021-22.
There have been significant positive developments in the public health situation since the uplift was first introduced with the success of the vaccine rollout. Now the economy is reopening and as we continue to progress with our recovery our focus is on helping people back into work.
Through our Plan for Jobs, we are targeting tailored support schemes of people of all ages to help them prepare for, get into and progress in work. These include: Kickstart, delivering tens of thousands of six-month work placements for Universal Credit claimants aged 16-24 at risk of unemployment; Restart, which provides 12 months’ intensive employment support to Universal Credit claimants who are unemployed for a year; and JETS, which provides light touch employment support for people who are claiming either Universal Credit or New Style Jobseekers Allowance, for up to 6 months, helping participants effectively re-engage with the labour market and focus their job search. We have also recruited an additional 13,500 work coaches to provide more intensive support to find a job. In total, our Plan for Jobs interventions will support more than two million people.
This Government is wholly committed to supporting those on low incomes, and continues to do so through many measures, including by increasing the living wage, and by spending over £111 billion on welfare support for people of working age in 2021/22.
This year, we are also investing up to £220m in the Holiday Activities and Food programme, which has been expanded to every Local Authority across England. Participating children will benefit from a range of support, including a healthy and nutritious meal as well as fun and engaging activities covering the Easter, summer and Christmas holidays in 2021. We also increased the value of Healthy Start Food Vouchers from £3.10 to £4.25 in April, which helps eligible low income households buy basic foods like milk, fruit and vitamins.
Asked by: Baroness Wilcox of Newport (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many jobs have been created by the Kickstart Scheme in (1) England, and (2) each English region.
Answered by Baroness Stedman-Scott - Opposition Whip (Lords)
We are pleased to say that, as of the 8th September, over 69,000 young people have started Kickstart jobs. Over 188,000 jobs have been made available for young people to apply for through the Kickstart Scheme with over 281,000 jobs approved for funding by the Scheme.
In England, over 163,000 jobs have been made available for young people to apply for as well as over 59,000 starts. The table below lists the number of Kickstart jobs which have been made available and started by young people to date by English region. The figures used are correct as of the 8th September and these figures have been rounded according to departmental standards.
Although care is taken when processing and analysing Kickstart applications, referrals and starts, the data collected might be subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large-scale recording system, which has been developed quickly.
The management information presented here has not been subjected to the usual standard of quality assurance associated with official statistics, but is provided in the interests of transparency. Work is ongoing to improve the quality of information available for the programme.
Location | Jobs Made Available | Total Jobs Started |
East Midlands | 11,900 | 4,170 |
East of England | 14,900 | 4,870 |
London | 38,400 | 15,170 |
North East | 7,500 | 3,170 |
North West | 24,000 | 8,830 |
South East | 21,700 | 7,460 |
South West | 14,000 | 4,660 |
West Midlands | 16,900 | 6,150 |
Yorkshire and The Humber | 14,600 | 5,250 |
*These numbers are rounded and so may not match provided totals. Jobs Made Available include 1,000 non-grant funded vacancies and Total Starts include around 900 starts to non-grant funded jobs |
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Asked by: Baroness Wilcox of Newport (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many Universal Credit claimants are (1) black, (2) Asian, (3) other ethnic minority, (4) white, (5) male, and (6) female.
Answered by Baroness Stedman-Scott - Opposition Whip (Lords)
From the latest provisional statistics published on Stat-Xplore, of the 6.01 million people on Universal Credit on 13 May 2021, 2.85 million are male and 3.16 million are female.
Universal Credit claimants have the opportunity to complete a survey containing diversity questions, including regarding their ethnicity, however answering these questions is not compulsory and the data available does not reach the threshold to be published.
Asked by: Baroness Wilcox of Newport (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how much money in total they have paid to employers through a Kickstart Scheme grant.
Answered by Baroness Stedman-Scott - Opposition Whip (Lords)
Information relating to Kickstart grants will be published by the Cabinet Office on the Government website in due course, as is standard practice for all Government general grants. This information is normally published about a year after the financial year end and includes grant value and recipients.
Asked by: Baroness Wilcox of Newport (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they contract any company (1) to run part of, or (2) to approve applications for, the Kickstart Scheme; if so, what are the names of those companies; what are their roles and responsibilities; and how much are the contracts worth.
Answered by Baroness Stedman-Scott - Opposition Whip (Lords)
No companies are contracted to run part of, or approve applications for, the Departments’ Kickstart Scheme.
Asked by: Baroness Wilcox of Newport (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the name of (1) each individual employer, and (2) each employer which is part of a Kickstart gateway, which has had applications approved through the Kickstart Scheme; and how many jobs has each named employer made available through the Scheme.
Answered by Baroness Stedman-Scott - Opposition Whip (Lords)
Organisations in receipt of a Kickstart grant will have their details published on the Government website in due course, as is standard practice for all organisations in receipt of a Government grant. This information has not been published yet as organisations are still applying and being approved for Kickstart funding.
For applications approved between the start of the scheme in September 2020 through to June 2021, there have been, on average, 14 Kickstart jobs available for young people to apply to per Kickstart employer (this includes individual employers and those that have applied through a Kickstart gateway).
Although care is taken when processing and analysing Kickstart applications, referrals and starts, the data collected might be subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large-scale recording system which has been developed quickly. The management information presented here has not been subjected to the usual standard of quality assurance associated with official statistics, but is provided in the interests of transparency. Work is ongoing to improve the quality of information available for the programme.