Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how the new jobs and careers service will work with employers to help tackle ageism in (a) recruitment and (b) the workplace.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

The Government acknowledges the key role employers play in helping older individuals to remain in or re-enter the workforce, and the importance of embracing policies conductive to this support. The 2010 Equality Act provides strong protection against direct and indirect age discrimination in employment, rendering it unlawful for employers to discriminate against employees or job applicants based on age.

We know that work helps everyone, including older people, play active and fulfilling roles in society while building financial security for retirement. That is why we are reforming employment support to ensure it helps everyone who needs it. This includes creating a Jobs and Careers service that will enable everyone, regardless of age, to access support to find good, meaningful work, and help them progress in work or increase their earnings.

We have asked Sir Charlie Mayfield to lead an independent “Keep Britain Working” review as a part of the plan to Get Britain Working again. In recognition of employer's vital role, his review is considering recommendations to support and enable employers to promote healthy and inclusive workplaces, support more people to stay in or return to work from periods of sickness absence, and recruit and retain more disabled people and people with health conditions. This includes the perspectives of older people themselves, as well as engaging with the Centre for Ageing Better.

My Department also continues to engage with employers to ensure their recruitment practises attract and support the retention of older people. This includes making businesses aware of good practice and encouraging employers to sign the Age-Friendly employer pledge.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that people in their (a) 50s and (b) 60s are included in the design of its new digital employment support offer.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

As part of our reforms announced in the Get Britain Working, we set out our plans to reform Jobcentre Plus and create a new service across Great Britain. We secured £55m at the Autumn Budget to take forward the first steps of building, testing and trialling the new service in 2025/26, including the development of a modern digital offer where people can access support through the channels that best meet their needs.

The new service must work for everyone, and we are committed to working with all users, including older individuals, on the new service, and organisations representing their needs, throughout the design process.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of including an increase in employment among people aged 50–59 and 60–66 as a distinct intermediate outcome metric in the Get Britain Working framework.

Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

A key outcome in our Get Britain Working outcome metrics framework is our ambition to raise the country’s employment rate to 80%. To achieve this ambition, we will need to improve employment across a range of groups of the population, including people aged 50 and over.

The outcomes framework intermediate outcome metrics monitor progress of the effect of policies announced in the Get Britain Working White Paper that provide extra support for specific groups of people - for example young people; people with health conditions and disabled people.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to ensure improved service from the Child Maintenance Service.

Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

As more customers apply to the Child Maintenance Service (CMS) the demand for our service is increasing. To allow us to meet this demand and provide an efficient service we continuously look at the resources we have and where we should focus our efforts to get the greatest value for money and deliver the best service to our customers.

We review our overall resource supply regularly and take appropriate steps to ensure that staffing levels meet current demands. We have an ongoing recruitment campaign for 2025 which will ensure CMS is resourced to meet current and future forecasted demand.

Through extensive modernisation to both telephony and digital channels, and by promoting self-service online, the CMS are ensuring customers have greater choice of how and when they contact us. Our service improvements allow customers to use the most appropriate and efficient contact method to quickly resolve their queries and reduce demand on our services.

Improvements to our digital service allow us to process simple actions automatically, speeding up the time taken to make a change. Through efficient call routing, we have freed up resources to deliver a more responsive service and allow caseworkers more time to better assist customers who need to reach out to us via telephone. We have improved all forms of communication, including greater use of SMS and email as well as improving letter content. Furthermore, we have taken timely action to further train, support and redeploy resource within CMS to where it is needed most.

The CMS continually reviews the service it provides by regularly gathering feedback from customers. The Customer Experience Survey is a way in which the Department interacts with customers to understand their experience. Through regular insight used to inform ways to improve our service and the ongoing review of resources, the CMS strives to ensure we have the capability to deliver the best service which is accessible to all parents within our growing caseload.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether she plans to increase resourcing for the Child Maintenance Service.

Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

As more customers apply to the Child Maintenance Service (CMS) the demand for our service is increasing. To allow us to meet this demand and provide an efficient service we continuously look at the resources we have and where we should focus our efforts to get the greatest value for money and deliver the best service to our customers.

We review our overall resource supply regularly and take appropriate steps to ensure that staffing levels meet current demands. We have an ongoing recruitment campaign for 2025 which will ensure CMS is resourced to meet current and future forecasted demand.

Through extensive modernisation to both telephony and digital channels, and by promoting self-service online, the CMS are ensuring customers have greater choice of how and when they contact us. Our service improvements allow customers to use the most appropriate and efficient contact method to quickly resolve their queries and reduce demand on our services.

Improvements to our digital service allow us to process simple actions automatically, speeding up the time taken to make a change. Through efficient call routing, we have freed up resources to deliver a more responsive service and allow caseworkers more time to better assist customers who need to reach out to us via telephone. We have improved all forms of communication, including greater use of SMS and email as well as improving letter content. Furthermore, we have taken timely action to further train, support and redeploy resource within CMS to where it is needed most.

The CMS continually reviews the service it provides by regularly gathering feedback from customers. The Customer Experience Survey is a way in which the Department interacts with customers to understand their experience. Through regular insight used to inform ways to improve our service and the ongoing review of resources, the CMS strives to ensure we have the capability to deliver the best service which is accessible to all parents within our growing caseload.

Found: ) Dr Scott Arthur (Labour; Edinburgh South West) Catherine Atkinson (Labour; Derby North) Mrs Elsie Blundell

Found: ) Dr Scott Arthur (Labour; Edinburgh South West) Catherine Atkinson (Labour; Derby North) Mrs Elsie Blundell

Found: Watch the meeting Members present: Ruth Cadbury (Chair); Steff Aquarone; Catherine Atkinson; Mrs Elsie Blundell

Found: Watch the meeting Members present: Ruth Cadbury (Chair); Steff Aquarone; Catherine Atkinson; Mrs Elsie Blundell

Found: Dinenage Luke Myer Catherine Fookes Jas Athwal Sarah Smith Maya Ellis Chris Bloore Mrs Elsie Blundell

Found: Abtisam Mohamed Tom Hayes Adam Jogee Tracy Gilbert Sarah Hall Maya Ellis Chris Bloore Mrs Elsie Blundell

Found: Baxter Jonathan Hinder Dr Scott Arthur Maureen Burke Adam Jogee Ben Lake Natalie Fleet Mrs Elsie Blundell

Found: Baxter Jonathan Hinder Dr Scott Arthur Maureen Burke Adam Jogee Ben Lake Natalie Fleet Mrs Elsie Blundell

Found: Baxter Jonathan Hinder Dr Scott Arthur Maureen Burke Adam Jogee Ben Lake Natalie Fleet Mrs Elsie Blundell

Micromobility APPG
Tuesday 10th June 2025

Found: Date: 01/04/2025 Time: 15:30-16:00 Attendees: Alex Mayer MP (Chair) Earl Howe Elsie Blundell

Women in Parliament APPG
Wednesday 11th June 2025

Found: Grey-Thompson, Cross bench House of Lords - Officer Harriett Baldwin MP, Conservative Elsie Blundell

Small Modular Reactors APPG
Wednesday 11th June 2025

Found: MP Andrew Snowden MP Lee Pitcher MP Susan Murray MP George Freeman MP Jonathan Hinder MP Elsie Blundell

Small Modular Reactors APPG
Wednesday 11th June 2025

Found: Apologies: Josh McAlister MP, George Freeman MP, Elsie Blundell MP, Lord Browne of Layton, Lord Nasby

Freight and Logistics APPG
Wednesday 11th June 2025

Found: Halewood Dr Allison Gardner MP – Stoke-on-Trent South Dr Ben Spencer MP – Runnymede and Weybridge Elsie Blundell

Global Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights APPG
Wednesday 11th June 2025

Found: plans to take to tackle violence against women and girls – Christine Jardine MP, Alison Hume MP, Elsie Blundell

Submit Evidence (by 1 Aug 2025)

The Transport Committee is carrying out an inquiry into the Government’s proposal for a revised National Policy Statement for Ports (NPSP).