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 employment by increasing skills levels in the engineering, construction and trades based sectors.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Department for Work and Pensions is committed to supporting employment and addressing skills shortages in engineering, construction and trade-based sectors that are critical to delivering economic growth, homes and infrastructure.
The Government has announced a £600 million package to strengthen construction skills and training, helping to increase workforce capacity and create more opportunities for people to enter and progress in skilled construction careers.
Alongside this investment, Skills England is leading the Skills for Work programme, a strategic review of occupational standards and the apprenticeships and technical qualifications that underpin them, to ensure skills provision continues to meet the needs of employers and the wider economy. Recent developments include the introduction of the Level 2 General Builder apprenticeship, new Level 2 and Level 3 Plumbing apprenticeships, and a new apprenticeship unit in Permanent Modular Building Assembly to support upskilling within the sector. Key engineering apprenticeships have also been updated, apprenticeship assessment arrangements streamlined, and construction training aligned with evolving industry competence frameworks and the requirements of the Building Safety Act.
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 assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of measures to reduce child poverty in Northern Ireland; and what steps he is taking with the Northern Ireland Executive to improve household incomes, reduce child material deprivation and ensure that eligible families receive the financial support available to them.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
Reducing child poverty requires coordinated action across UK government, devolved governments, and regional and local government where different policy levers sit. Devolved governments have set out their own approaches, reflecting different policy choices and contexts. These are complemented by the UK-wide Strategy and contribute to the shared evidence base on what works.
This approach recognises the devolved context, where devolved governments hold responsibilities and have their own strategies and priorities for tackling child poverty, and focuses on alignment and shared learning. We will continue to work with devolved governments including the Northern Ireland Executive, including through the Four Nations Group on Child Poverty.
The Department assesses the effectiveness of its measures to reduce child poverty through the monitoring and evaluation arrangements set out in the Child Poverty Strategy Monitoring and Evaluation Baseline Report: Our Children, Our Future: Tackling Child Poverty: Monitoring and Evaluation - Baseline Report - GOV.UK.
Our UK wide Child Poverty Strategy sets out immediate action to reduce child poverty while delivering the foundations for long-term change. This includes removing the Universal Credit two-child limit, which the Northern Ireland Executive has also chosen to mirror, and across the UK is expected to lift 450,000 children out of relative poverty in the final year of this Parliament.
Taken alongside other measures, the strategy will lift 550,000 children out of poverty in 2029/30. The measures in the Strategy are expected to lead to the largest reduction in child poverty over a Parliament since comparable records began
We worked closely with the Northern Ireland Executive during the development of the Child Poverty Strategy, and will continue to engage with the Northern Ireland Executive as part of its ongoing delivery.
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 ensure access to apprenticeships and provide good employment options for young men.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 20 October 2026 to Question UIN 33619.
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 comparative assessment his Department has made of government funding for electrical apprenticeship training between England and Northern Ireland, and whether he plans to take steps with the Northern Ireland Executive to identify opportunities to support greater consistency in training provision and outcomes.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
Funding for apprenticeships and skills is a devolved matter. This government is committed to engaging with the devolved governments on skills policy, including on the development of the growth and skills levy for England, to share best practice and support one another in boosting growth and spreading opportunity throughout the UK.
In England, we are transforming the apprenticeships levy into a new growth and skills levy, backed by over £1 billion of additional investment. This will support 50,000 more young people into apprenticeships, give employers, including in the electrical contracting industry, greater flexibility to develop the workforce they need, and support the industrial strategy.
To support businesses to take on apprentices, we have introduced a new apprenticeship hiring payment of £2,000 for non-levy paying employers (who are typically SMEs) when they take on 16–24-year-old apprentices as new employees. The government now also fully funds apprenticeship training for all eligible under 25s at employers of all sizes.
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 the Minister for Skills has had with the Northern Ireland Executive and representatives of the electrical contracting industry about ensuring adequate funding for Level 3 electrical apprenticeships and addressing projected skills shortages across the United Kingdom.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
Funding for apprenticeships and skills is a devolved matter. This government is committed to engaging with the devolved governments on skills policy, including on the development of the growth and skills levy for England, to share best practice and support one another in boosting growth and spreading opportunity throughout the UK.
In England, we are transforming the apprenticeships levy into a new growth and skills levy, backed by over £1 billion of additional investment. This will support 50,000 more young people into apprenticeships, give employers, including in the electrical contracting industry, greater flexibility to develop the workforce they need, and support the industrial strategy.
To support businesses to take on apprentices, we have introduced a new apprenticeship hiring payment of £2,000 for non-levy paying employers (who are typically SMEs) when they take on 16–24-year-old apprentices as new employees. The government now also fully funds apprenticeship training for all eligible under 25s at employers of all sizes.
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 assessment he has made of the potential impact of the removal of the triple lock on pensioners in relative poverty in Northern Ireland.
Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
Pension policy is a transferred (devolved) matter in Northern Ireland and is the responsibility of the Northern Ireland Executive. The Department for Communities (DfC) is responsible for policy and delivery.
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, if he will ensure access to apprenticeships and help provide good employment options for young men.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
Apprenticeships and employment support are both fully transferred to the Northern Ireland Executive, with funding devolved in the usual way. This response therefore provides information on apprenticeships in England only, and on Youth Guarantee measures across England, Scotland, and Wales.
This Government will not leave an entire generation of young people behind. The government is investing an additional £2.5 billion by 2029 into the Youth Guarantee and the Growth and Skills Levy, supporting almost one million young people and creating up to 500,000 opportunities to earn and learn.
This includes an expanded network of Youth Hubs, earlier intensive support in Jobcentres through a new Youth Guarantee Gateway, additional work experience and training opportunities, a £3,000 Youth Jobs Grant and a fully funded six-month job for long-term unemployed 18–24-year-olds.
We are also expanding apprenticeship opportunities for young people, including by fully funding apprenticeships for eligible young people aged under 25 and introducing a £2,000 hiring payment for non-levy paying employers (who are typically SMEs) that recruit apprentices aged under 25 from October. We have also introduced foundation apprenticeships to provide entry level opportunities in sectors, such as construction, hospitality and retail.
Alongside this, the Government is investing £240 million to pilot enhanced apprenticeship brokerage services across all 14 Mayoral Strategic Authorities (MSAs). The programme will help more young people aged 16-24, particularly those who are not in education, employment or training (NEET), to access apprenticeship opportunities while supporting employers to recruit local talent.
The government also facilitates and funds the Apprenticeship Ambassador Network (AAN) which comprises 3,000 employers and apprentices who volunteer to promote the benefits of apprenticeships, including in schools and colleges.
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 small businesses with insurance costs associated with training apprentices.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
Apprenticeships are a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.
The government provides £1,000 to both employers, of all sizes, and training providers when they take on apprentices aged under 19, or 19-to-24-year-old apprentices who have an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHC) or have been, or are, in care.
Additionally, we are transforming the Apprenticeships Levy into a new Growth and Skills Levy in England, backed by £1 billion of additional investment, which will support 50,000 more young people into apprenticeships, give employers greater flexibility to develop the workforce they need, and support the industrial strategy.
We are providing considerable financial support to employers, particularly smaller employers who play such a vital role in creating apprenticeship opportunities for young people.
We are introducing a new apprenticeship hiring payment of £2,000 for non-levy paying employers (typically SMEs) that take on 16–24-year-old apprentices as new employees. Employers hiring apprentices aged 18-24 who have been on Universal Credit for over six months are also eligible for the new £3,000 Youth Jobs Grant since June 2026.
These payments can be added together where the employer and/or apprentice are eligible. Employers can choose how they spend these payments, including to offset any additional insurance costs associated with training apprentices.
The government also now fully funds apprenticeship training for all eligible under 25s at employers of all sizes, as we prioritise funding toward young people.
Furthermore, employers are not required to pay anything towards employees’ National Insurance for all apprentices aged up to age 25 (when the employee’s wage is below £50,270 a year).
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, how many claimants are awaiting reassessment for Personal Independence Payment.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government) (Equalities)
The total number of cases outstanding at all stages of the Personal Independence Payment Award Review (PIP) process, at the end of May 2026 is 300,000.
Please note this data is derived from unpublished management information, which was collected for internal Departmental use only, and has not been quality assured to National Statistics or Official Statistics publication standard and represents England and Wales only. The figure has been rounded to the nearest 10,000 cases.
All claims remain in payment whilst award reviews are in progress and award increases identified during a planned review will be backdated as appropriate. Should customers report a change of circumstance and trigger an unplanned review, their claim will be prioritised alongside new claims.
We are committed to ensuring people can access financial support through PIP in a timely manner. Reducing customer journey times for our claimants is a priority for the Department and we are working constantly to make improvements to our service.
We know PIP can be improved, which is why we launched the Timms Review, which is being co-produced with disabled people and their organisations to ensure the benefit is fair and fit for the future. The Review aims to report to the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions in Autumn 2026 and we have committed to reporting its outcomes to Parliament.
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 improve accessibility for disabled people in public services.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government) (Equalities)
We are continuously working across government, engaging with stakeholders and listening to the views of disabled people to improve accessibility in public services.
For example, following the publication of our BSL Advisory Board’s report ‘Locked out’ last November, which highlights the barriers faced by the Deaf community in relation to their experience of health and social care services, we are working with them to address the key recommendations from that report.
We are also exploring ways to improve the accessibility of government communications, so that all disabled people can be made aware of changes to existing government policies and are able to contribute to the development of new policies.
The Disability Confident scheme supports employers, including many public sector bodies, to adopt more inclusive and accessible recruitment and workplace practices. The scheme provides guidance, tools and support to build confidence in attracting, recruiting and retaining disabled people, while ongoing work with stakeholders and wider reform activity is strengthening the scheme to ensure it better supports accessibility and inclusion, informed by the lived experience of disabled people and designed to drive continuous improvement across organisations.
Last year I also announced our plans for a UK Government Plan for Disability. The Plan will:
○ summarise work already underway across Government to champion the rights of disabled people, including by making public services more accessible;
○ develop a set of aspirations for Government to prioritise next in order to break down barriers for disabled people; and
○ set out a clear vision that will show what this Government is aiming to achieve for disabled people in the longer term.