Asked by: Duncan Baker (Conservative - North Norfolk)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many starts by region have been recorded for the youth offer as of 01 March 2024.
Answered by Mims Davies - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Youth Offer launched on the 20 September 2020 and provides support for 16–24-year-olds who are on Universal Credit to help them move into employment. It includes three elements:
As of 01 March 2024, there have been 1,123,000 starts on the Youth Offer.
Starts by strand nationally:
Starts between dates | Youth Employment Programme | Youth Hub | Youth Employability Coach | Youth Offer |
21/09/2020 – 31/03/2021 | 206,700 |
|
| 206,700 |
01/04/2021 – 31/03/2022 | 259,300 | 14,800 | 21,700 | 295,800 |
01/04/2021 – 31/03/2023 | 272,700 | 15,100 | 18,300 | 306,200 |
01/04/2023 – 29/02/2024 | 282,800 | 13,000 | 18,500 | 314,300 |
Total Starts | 1,021,500 | 43,000 | 58,500 | 1,123,000 |
Starts by strand and region:
Region | Youth Employment Programme | Youth Hub | Youth Employability Coach | Youth Offer |
East Midlands | 69,000 | 1,000 | 2,500 | 72,500 |
East of England | 78,400 | 400 | 3,800 | 82,500 |
London | 157,800 | 3,100 | 5,900 | 166,800 |
North East | 51,100 | 2,800 | 3,300 | 57,200 |
North West | 131,500 | 10,700 | 9,600 | 151,800 |
Scotland | 85,300 | 3,000 | 7,900 | 96,200 |
South East | 107,000 | 3,700 | 3,800 | 114,600 |
South West | 64,700 | 700 | 4,100 | 69,500 |
Wales | 51,500 | 300 | 2,200 | 54,000 |
West Midlands | 108,900 | 8,900 | 7,800 | 125,600 |
Yorkshire and The Humber | 96,400 | 8,200 | 7,300 | 112,000 |
Unknown | 19,800 | 200 | 400 | 20,400 |
Total | 1,021,500 | 43,000 | 58,500 | 1,123,000 |
Notes:
Asked by: Duncan Baker (Conservative - North Norfolk)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many sector-based work academies have taken place in total and in each (a) country and (b) region of the UK since the programme began.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Sector-based work academies were launched in August 2011 in England and January 2012 in Scotland. Regular statistical releases on sector-based work academies, covering participation by those on legacy unemployment benefits, began in 2011 and ended in 2017. These statistics can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/employment-schemes-work-experience-sector-based-work-academy-and-skills-conditionality-starts-to-november-2017
The scheme was relaunched as Sector-based Work Academy Programmes (SWAPs) in July 2020 as part of the Government’s Plan for Jobs. Due to data limitations, we are unable to provide a geographical breakdown for SWAPs that took place before the start of the 2021/22 financial year.
Data for the financial years 2021/22, 2022/23 and 2023/24 to date shows that, as of 28 January 2024, there were a total of 266,330 starts to a Sector-based Work Academy Programme. The breakdowns of these starts are provided in the attached tables. Final start figures for 2023/24 will be available early next financial year.
Notes on the data:
Attached are tables listing the number of SWAP starts to date by Country, Region, Local Authority, Sector and Age band. The figures used are correct as of 28 January 2024 and these figures have been rounded according to departmental standards.
These figures reflect the number of starts by claimants in receipt of Universal Credit (UC), Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA), Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) or Income Support (IS).
It is important to note that the information provided shows the current home location of the person who has started a SWAP. For starts by those in receipt of JSA, ESA or IS, due to data limitations a location cannot be assigned to these starts and as such they are categorised as unknown within the figures. SWAPs are run in England and Scotland, where a person’s current home location is outside of this they have also been categorised as unknown.
Although care is taken when processing and recording SWAP starts, the data collected might be subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any clerical recording system, but is provided in the interests of transparency.
Asked by: Duncan Baker (Conservative - North Norfolk)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people aged (a) 16 and over and (b) 16 to 64 were (i) in employment and (ii) unemployed between February and April 2010.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Employment, unemployment and economic inactivity data for various age groups is published and available at:
Asked by: Duncan Baker (Conservative - North Norfolk)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people aged 16 to 64 were economically inactive in the period between February and April 2010; and how many people aged 16 to 24 were (a) in employment and (b) unemployed in that period.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Employment, unemployment and economic inactivity data for various age groups is published and available at:
Asked by: Duncan Baker (Conservative - North Norfolk)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the total rate of employment was for people aged 16 and over in the period between February and April 2010; and what the total rate of unemployment was for people aged 16 to 64 in that period.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Employment, unemployment and economic inactivity data for various age groups is published and available at:
Asked by: Duncan Baker (Conservative - North Norfolk)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when the mandatory offer of support to people in the light touch conditionality regime will begin.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
We are committed to ensuring that people in work look for more and better work. That’s not only good for the country and the economy, it is good for someone to move off benefits– improving life prospects, mental and physical health, and providing new skills.
At Spring Budget we announced the AET rise to the equivalent of 18 hours at the National Living Wage. This will bring the lower earners who would have been impacted by the mandatory offer into a higher level of conditionality.
Claimants earning above the Administrative Earnings Threshold in the Light Touch Group currently have access to a voluntary In Work Progression offer. This will now become mandatory in 2024.
Asked by: Duncan Baker (Conservative - North Norfolk)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of requiring that housing benefit is paid directly to landlords.
Answered by Mims Davies - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Housing Benefit regulations have powers which allow local authorities to make payments of Housing Benefit direct to the landlord if it appears to be in the interest of the claimant and their family. Serious rent arrears, for example arrears equivalent of six weeks’ rent, may indicate it is in the claimant’s best interests to arrange direct payment.
When deciding whether to make direct payments local authorities must consider the individual circumstances of each case.
There are currently no plans to review this policy.
Asked by: Duncan Baker (Conservative - North Norfolk)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department has made an estimate of the cost to the public purse of removing the two children limit for support provided through (a) the Child Tax Credit and (b) Universal Credit.
Answered by Guy Opperman - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
The latest available estimate was made in 2019, which can be found here Written questions and answers - Written questions, answers and statements - UK Parliament
Asked by: Duncan Baker (Conservative - North Norfolk)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of his Department’s efforts to increase the number of pensioners claiming Pension Credit before 19 May 2023.
Answered by Laura Trott - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
The Department issued a range of communications, including via social media, in the two weeks up to 19 May to highlight the latest date that eligible pensioners could still qualify for an additional cost of living payment if they made a successful backdated Pension Credit claim.
Internal management information shows that the DWP received around 21,000 claims in those two weeks, up 171% compared to the corresponding weeks in 2022. This data is based on internal management information which has not been subjected to the usual standard of quality assurance associated with official statistics. They are provided here in the interests of transparency.
There is a strong indication that our campaign is having a positive effect with the number of claims approximately 75% higher in the year May 2022-23 than over the same period the year before.
The campaign continues with the Pension Credit Week of Action taking place between 12 and 16 June where DWP will be joining forces with charities, broadcasters and a whole range of partners to raise awareness of Pension Credit and encourage eligible pensioners to make a claim.
Asked by: Duncan Baker (Conservative - North Norfolk)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of his Department’s steps to increase Pension Credit claims in December 2022.
Answered by Laura Trott - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
We undertook a further burst of communications activity in December which included press, radio and social media. This highlighted that successful Pension Credit applications made by 18 December would mean qualification for a £324 Cost of Living Payment – thanks to Pension Credit backdating rules. To promote this activity, I held an event at Portcullis House on 7 December. Around 40 MPs attended to show their support and help promote the message in their constituencies.
Internal management information shows that during the week commencing 12 December, DWP received over 7,200 claims. This is 177% higher compared to the same week the year before.
Since the beginning of the Pension Credit awareness campaign in April 2022, weekly Pension Credit claims volumes increased by an average of 73% compared to the year average before the campaign began (April 2021 to March 2022).
A range of other factors are also likely to have impacted claim volumes and it is not therefore possible to attribute the increase to the campaign alone.
This data is based on internal management information which has not been subjected to the usual standard of quality assurance associated with official statistics. They are provided here in the interests of transparency.