Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask His Majesty's Government which organisations or charities constitute the collaboration committee relating to the Access to Work programme; and what are the role and remit of that committee, and what changes it has agreed in relation to entitlement to Access to Work.

Answered by Baroness Sherlock - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

Collaboration Committees bring together groups of disabled people, organisations that advocate for disability rights and other experts for specific work areas, including Access to Work, to collaborate and provide discussion, challenge, and recommendations.

Each committee is between 10-15 people to ensure there is space for everyone to talk. In addition, at least 50% of each committee are individuals with lived experience. Recommendations are still being drafted in conjunction with the Collaboration Committee who are providing insight to inform the design of the support we offer.

No changes have been made to Access to Work policy. Following the close of the Pathways to Work Green Paper consultation at the end of June, we are considering all responses to the consultation and will set out our plans in due course.

Question

To ask the Leader of the House when she expects a Written Answer to be given to the question asked by Lord Blunkett on 17 September (HL10619) regarding the transfer of Skills England from the Department for Education to the Department for Work and Pensions.

Answered by Baroness Smith of Basildon - Leader of the House of Lords and Lord Privy Seal

The question was answered by the Department for Work and Pensions on the 27th October 2025. I apologise for the delay and have reminded the department of the need to meet the response target of 10 working days.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Statement by the Prime Minister on 16 September (HCWS930), whether they plan to introduce legislation to repeal the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education (Transfer of Functions etc) Act 2025 to reflect the move of Skills England from the Department for Education to the Department for Work and Pensions.

Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

A workforce with world-class skills is central to this Government’s Plan for Change. Skills England is delivering on its vision to create better skills for better jobs, enabling growth and opportunity across the country. This includes supporting the development of the Government’s Industrial Strategy, working with businesses in priority sectors to develop sector packages and publishing its first three reports, which provide robust evidence to help government and partners make informed decisions on skills.

The Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education (Transfer of Functions etc.) Act 2025 was vital in establishing Skills England and there are no plans to repeal it.

The transfer of responsibilities, including Skills England, from the Department for Education to the Department for Work and Pensions will strengthen the Government’s approach to adult employment and training. These departments will continue to work closely together and I will serve as a joint Minister for Skills.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what guidance they have given to the leadership of Barnsley College in respect of the proposed merger with the Northern College on (1) retaining the ethos and mission of the Northern College, (2) having a senior leader of the Northern College sufficiently incorporated into the Barnsley College leadership team, and (3) governance arrangements which respect the history and special identity of the Northern College.

Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

The department has worked with Northern College over a number of years following the college entering Formal Intervention in April 2021. The proposed merger with Barnsley College has seen a continuation of this work alongside both Northern College and Barnsley College’s Corporation Boards to progress the merger proposals. Negotiations are progressing as planned between the parties with a key aim of sustaining the Northern College ethos and mission at the heart of these plans. Future organisational structures are currently being worked through between the two Boards with a meeting planned at Northern College later this month, where Barnsley College’s Corporation Board Chair and College CEO will join the Northern College Board to discuss the post-merger vision for learning delivery at Northern College. It will be for both College Boards to agree who from the current Northern College Board joins the Barnsley College Corporation Board from 1 March 2026 to provide assurance that the history and special identity of Northern College continues.