Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment he has made of levels of employment in the (a) software and (b) computer industries.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
No assessment has been made of the levels of employment in (a) software and (b) computer industries.
However, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) does publish employment by industry which includes the Information & Communication industrial sector here: EMP13: Employment by industry - Office for National Statistics and EMP14: Employees and self-employed by industry - Office for National Statistics.
The ONS also publishes employment estimates from Pay As You Earn Real Time Information by industry here: Earnings and employment from Pay As You Earn Real Time Information, seasonally adjusted - Office for National Statistics.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to support families with food poverty in winter 2025-26.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The UK Government is committed to tackling poverty and ending mass dependence on emergency food parcels.
Universal Credit is claimed by more than 8.2 million people across the UK and we are committed to reviewing it to make sure it is doing the job we want it to, to make work pay and tackle poverty. We have already introduced the Fair Repayment Rate, reducing the Universal Credit overall deductions cap from 25% to 15% of a customer’s standard allowance. In addition, we will increase the Universal Credit Standard Allowance from April 2026, estimated to be worth £725 annually by 2029/30 in cash terms. In Northern Ireland, all DWP policy is wholly transferred, and decisions about policy and delivery are the responsibility of the Assembly.
The UK Government has also taken further action to support low-income households including through the increase in the National Living Wage to £12.21 an hour from April 2025, boosting the pay of 3 million workers. It has also announced further measures to support families in a number of other areas where policy in Northern Ireland is transferred including, for example, our expansion of Free School Meals and Breakfast Clubs in England and additional investment in the Holiday Activities and Food Programme in England.
To further support struggling families, we provided £742 million to extend the Household Support Fund (HSF) in England until 31 March 2026, enabling local authorities to continue to provide vulnerable households with immediate crisis support towards the cost of essentials, such as energy, water and food. The Devolved Governments receive consequential funding through the Barnett formula to be spent at their discretion.
Good work can significantly reduce the chances of families falling into poverty. Our Get Britain Working White Paper, backed by an initial £240 million investment in 2025/26, will target and tackle economic inactivity and unemployment and join up employment, health and skills support to meet the needs of local communities. In Northern Ireland, these are transferred matters. Ministers and officials continue to work closely with their counterparts in the Northern Ireland Executive, with a view to maintaining parity on social security matters and sharing best practice in the development of employment support.
The UK Government will publish a UK-wide Child Poverty Strategy this Autumn that will look at all available levers to give every child the best start in life, building on work already across all four nations. The Four Nations Ministerial Group on Child Poverty gave Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland an opportunity to contribute to the development of the strategy and ensure that it complements their own initiatives.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to promote more positive mental wellbeing in the workplace.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Good work is generally good for health and wellbeing, so we want everyone to get work and get on in work, whoever they are and wherever they live. In our March Green Paper, we set out our Pathways to Work Guarantee, backed by £1 billion a year of new additional funding by 2030. We will build towards a guaranteed offer of personalised work, health and skills support for all disabled people and those with health conditions on out of work benefits.
In recognition of employer’s vital role in addressing health-related economic activity we appointed Sir Charlie Mayfield to lead the Keep Britain Working independent review, which was published on 5 November. In partnership with DBT and DHSC colleagues we are immediately launching Vanguards to test new employer-led approaches to support individuals to stay in work, putting his key recommendations into action from day one, including working with Northern Ireland and the other Devolved Governments. In the review, Sir Charlie has recommended that mental health in young people should be a potential priority area as a deep dive for the Vanguards.
Additionally, the DWP and DHSC Joint Work and Health Directorate has developed a digital information service for employers, continues to oversee the Disability Confident Scheme, and continues to increase access to Occupational Health.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what discussions he has had with his counterpart in Northern Ireland on getting more people into work.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
This Government is committed to supporting growth across the United Kingdom, including through our long-term ambition to reach an 80% employment rate.
Through our Get Britain Working Strategy, we are reforming employment, health, and skills support to tackle economic levels, support people into good work, and create an inclusive labour market based on the unique needs of local communities, in which everybody can participate and progress in work.
In Northern Ireland, health, skills, careers, and all aspects of employment support are transferred matters. Ministers and officials continue to work closely with their counterparts in the Northern Ireland Executive, with a view to maintaining parity on social security matters and sharing best practice in the development of employment support.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department is taking to help support unemployed young people into work.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
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.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
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 help improve safety at motorsport events.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
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
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what proportion of people on the top level of incapacity benefit have joined a coaching scheme to help get them back into work.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The information requested is not held centrally and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.
There are several schemes for individuals in the Universal Credit Limited Capability for Work and Related Activity group (UC LCWRA) or Employment Support Allowance Support Group which may use some coaching to support individuals back to work. Examples include Additional Work Coach Support, Work and Health Programme, WorkWell, Connect to Work and Employment Advisers in NHS Talking Therapies. However, these schemes are personalised to the needs of the individual and therefore coaching is only one of many ways to help get them back to work.
The published report “The impact of additional Jobcentre Plus support on the employment outcomes of disabled people” March 2025 includes some of the most recent relevant analysis on employment support for those on UC LCWRA.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she plans to take to help tackle inequalities experienced by young disabled people at work.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The DWP supports young people aged 16-24 to achieve financial security by helping them to move into, stay and succeed in work. Support is delivered nationally and locally, tailored to individual needs, and includes personalised help from Work Coaches in Jobcentres and communities, working with partners such as The King’s Trust, Local Authorities, and the National Careers Service/Career Wales.
Our plan to Get Britain Working includes a new Youth Guarantee for all young people aged 18-21 (including young people with health conditions or disabled young people) to ensure that they can access quality training opportunities, an apprenticeship or help to find work. Eight Youth Guarantee Trailblazers were launched earlier this year, and the insights gained will inform the future design and delivery of the Youth Guarantee.
For young people with complex needs, specialist Youth Employability Coaches (YECs) offer dedicated intensive support in Jobcentres and communities. This includes help with CV, interview preparation, skill development, and accessing opportunities such as Supported Internships, Sector-Based Work Academy Programmes, apprenticeships or traineeships. Support typically lasts six months, with flexibility to extend, and includes six weeks follow on support after young people enter work, education or training. YECs also work closely with Disability Employment Advisers and specialist partner organisations, to provide joined-up, holistic support.
Additional support is also available to help people with health conditions and disabilities of all ages. The WorkWell pilot, currently running in 15 areas across England, provides integrated work and health support to help people get into, stay in, and progress at work. Services include work and health assessments, coaching, physiotherapy, mental health support, and advice on workplace adjustments.
An Access to Work grant can also support people with a health condition or disability, by funding the purchase of specialist equipment, providing a tailored plan to help stay in work or funding access to sessions with a mental health professional. It also covers in-work support for young disabled people undertaking Supported Internships, helping them build confidence, develop skills, and move into paid employment.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to help reduce inequalities for young disabled people in the labour market.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
As set out in the Get Britain Working White Paper, we will launch a new Youth Guarantee for all young people aged 18-21 in England to ensure that they can access quality training opportunities, an apprenticeship or help to find work.
The Government recognises that health conditions and disabilities can present significant barriers to work for many young people. A range of existing programmes already provide targeted support:
However, we recognise that the current benefit system categorises too many young people as unable to work, often leaving them without meaningful engagement or support. For most disabled young people and young people with a health condition working at some point in the near future must be a credible ambition.
That is why the Pathways to Work Green Paper sets out reform options for a joined-up work, health and skills approach and to reform the employment journey for young people, including those with disabilities. The consultation closed on 30 June, and we are now carefully reviewing all responses as we develop the new support offer and our expectations of engagement.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to support young disabled people into further (a) training and (b) education.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Our plan to Get Britain Working includes a new Youth Guarantee for all young people aged 18-21 in England to ensure that they can access quality training opportunities, an apprenticeship or help to find work. Eight Youth Trailblazers across England are currently piloting this at a local level.
The Government recognises that health conditions and disabilities can present significant barriers to work for many young people. A range of existing programmes already provide targeted support: