Katherine Fletcher

For those already self-employed, the Department for Work and Pensions has temporarily removed the minimum income floor, and HM Treasury has introduced the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme.

For those wanting to start a new business, the DWP New Enterprise Allowance (NEA) programme offers dedicated, specialised support to those entering into, or wanting to grow their business.

Since 2011, the NEA has supported over 54,000 women to set-up a new business.

The Individual Learning Account scheme ceased in 2001 and predates the Education and Skills Funding Agency and its predecessor the Learning and Skills Council. The National Audit Office reported in the Department for Education and Skills Resource Accounts in 2001/02 that the department estimated that £97 million had been subject to improper and fraudulent claims, out of a total scheme spend of £274 million. The cost of fraud and serious irregularities, based on estimates and extrapolations by the department, was estimated to be up to £67 million. In addition, the department estimated that it made irregular payments of £30 million. It is the £67 million and £30 million figures that make up the total estimate of £97 million.

The Department for Education and Skills Resource Accounts in 2001/02 is available to view here: https://dera.ioe.ac.uk/4556/6/HC 316 02.03.pdf.

As of the end of April, we estimate that at least 283,300 unemployed Universal Credit claimants have moved into work during the Way to Work Campaign between 31 January and the end of April 2022. Furthermore, during March 2022 we have seen the highest number of into work movements on record for any March – over 99,800.

This total figure is composed of our into work measure to the end of March (over 192,600) and our internal management information for April (90,700). Figures are rounded to the nearest 100.

The management information presented here has not been subjected to the usual standard of quality assurance associated with official statistics but is provided in the interests of transparency and timeliness

The accident and emergency department at Chorley and South Ribble Hospital has been temporarily modified to facilitate the treatment of acutely ill COVID-19 patients on a single site, at the Royal Preston Hospital. This temporary change is to ensure the most efficient and safe use of the available resources.

It has been necessary to implement some other temporary service changes across England in response to COVID-19. These will be kept under review during the period of the pandemic and services will be reinstated at an appropriate future juncture.

The Plan for Jobs supports people to gain the skills needed to access high quality jobs. The Chancellor provided £111 million to triple traineeships, £17 million to expand sector-based work academies, and £32 million to boost the National Careers Service’s capacity.

At the Spending Review, the Government announced £95 million to fund free courses for adults in subjects with strong employment prospects and £43 million to provide 16,000 places on employer-led skills bootcamps.

At Budget, the Chancellor announced £126 million more for traineeships, and increased incentives for hiring apprentices to £3,000.

Our £3.6 billion Towns Fund will play a vital role in supporting our country’s economic recovery, investing in housing, skills, technology, culture and town centres, as we move beyond the immediate covid-19 response. We have recently provided accelerated funding to help towns respond to the immediate challenges of COVID-19, including £750,000 to Leyland.

We will be announcing the first cohort of Town Deals this Autumn, and hope to agree all deals by next Spring.