Asked by: Kirsty Blackman (Scottish National Party - Aberdeen North)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, which jobcentres in Scotland have seen work coach staffing numbers reduced (a) since 2018-19 and (b) in the year for which the most recent data is available.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Work Coach staffing numbers for 2018-19 are unavailable. We have therefore compared Work Coach staffing numbers between March 2020 and the latest position (February 2025).
The following Jobcentres in Scotland have seen reductions in Work Coach levels between the two periods of March 2020 and February 2025:
Airdrie Stirling Street
Forfar Service Road
Forres Tytler Street
Fraserburgh South Harbour Road
Glasgow Radnor House
Greenock Dalrymple Street
Leven Waggon Road
Paisley High Street
The following Jobcentres in Scotland have seen reductions in Work Coach levels between the two periods of March 2024 and February 2025:
Annan Murray Street
Ayr Wallacetoun House
Dumfries Irish Street
Forfar Service Road
Fraserburgh South Harbour Road
Glasgow Radnor House
Leven Waggon Road
Paisley High Street
Asked by: Kirsty Blackman (Scottish National Party - Aberdeen North)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the priorities are of the joint Work and Health Unit.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Department for Work and Pensions and Department of Health and Social Care Joint Work and Health Directorate (JWHD) (formerly Unit) was set up in 2015 in recognition of the significant link between work and health and to improve employment opportunities for disabled people and people with health conditions.
The goal of the JWHD is to open up opportunities to good work and to support a healthier, more productive and inclusive nation, by helping more disabled people and people with health conditions to: get appropriate work, get on in that work, and to return to work as quickly as possible if they leave it. This supports the Government priority of tackling economic inactivity, set out in the Get Britain Working White Paper.
The JWHD works to join up the health and employment systems, including the addition of employment support in existing care pathways, such as placing Employment Advisors in NHS Talking Therapy services and WorkWell, which is part of the plan to Get Britain Working and enables local areas to lead, design and deliver work and health support that meets the needs of their communities.
It is also recognised that employers play an important role in addressing health and disability. To build on this, JWHD is facilitating “Keep Britain Working”, an independent review of the role of UK employers in reducing health-related inactivity and to promote healthy and inclusive workplaces. The lead reviewer, Sir Charlie Mayfield, is expected to bring forward recommendations in Autumn 2025. Additionally, the JWHD has developed a digital information service for employers, and continues to oversee the Disability Confident Scheme.
Asked by: Kirsty Blackman (Scottish National Party - Aberdeen North)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions,what the initial results are of the work undertaken in the eight trailblazer areas set out in the Get Britain Working White Paper; and what are the key performance indicators for this work.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
As announced in the Get Britain Working White Paper, Trailblazers to test more localised delivery of the Youth Guarantee and support for people who are economically inactive are due to launch starting from April 2025. We are working closely with the Trailblazer delivery areas to develop their plans, which includes evaluation and performance information ahead of rollout.
Asked by: Kirsty Blackman (Scottish National Party - Aberdeen North)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether her Department records the number of enquiries received from (a) hon. Members and (b) Members of Devolved (i) Parliaments and (ii) Assemblies on a quarterly basis.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The department receives and responds to enquiries from Members of Parliament and Members of devolved Parliaments or Assemblies but does not collate, report or produce statistics on this.
Asked by: Kirsty Blackman (Scottish National Party - Aberdeen North)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many written representations on compensation for women affected by changes to the state pension age she has received from Labour (a) hon. Members representing Scottish constituencies and (b) Members of the Scottish Parliament since 5 July 2024.
Answered by Emma Reynolds - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Department does not keep this information centrally and therefore it is not readily available. Providing the information that the Department does hold would incur disproportionate costs.
Asked by: Kirsty Blackman (Scottish National Party - Aberdeen North)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will make an estimate of the number of women born in the 1950s affected by State Pension age changes in each constituency in (a) Scotland and (b) Northern Ireland.
Answered by Emma Reynolds - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
In Scotland, as of the 2022 census there were the following numbers of 1950s-born women in each Scottish constituency:
Constituency | Females aged 63 to 72 in 2022 |
East Renfrewshire | 6,086 |
Na h-Eileanan an Iar | 1,914 |
Midlothian | 5,569 |
North Ayrshire and Arran | 6,866 |
Orkney and Shetland | 2,901 |
Aberdeen North | 6,079 |
Aberdeen South | 5,144 |
Aberdeenshire North and Moray East | 6,279 |
Airdrie and Shotts | 5,342 |
Alloa and Grangemouth | 5,716 |
Angus and Perthshire Glens | 7,146 |
Arbroath and Broughty Ferry | 6,507 |
Argyll, Bute and South Lochaber | 7,029 |
Bathgate and Linlithgow | 5,286 |
Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross | 6,977 |
Coatbridge and Bellshill | 5,540 |
Cowdenbeath and Kirkcaldy | 5,976 |
Cumbernauld and Kirkintilloch | 5,585 |
Dumfries and Galloway | 7,212 |
Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale | 6,432 |
Dundee Central | 5,094 |
Dunfermline and Dollar | 5,543 |
East Kilbride and Strathaven | 5,921 |
Edinburgh East and Musselburgh | 4,895 |
Edinburgh North and Leith | 4,363 |
Edinburgh South | 5,203 |
Edinburgh South West | 4,699 |
Edinburgh West | 5,847 |
Falkirk | 5,732 |
Glasgow East | 4,516 |
Glasgow North | 3,995 |
Glasgow North East | 4,823 |
Glasgow South | 4,754 |
Glasgow South West | 4,648 |
Glasgow West | 4,880 |
Glenrothes and Mid Fife | 5,958 |
Gordon and Buchan | 5,696 |
Hamilton and Clyde Valley | 5,982 |
Inverclyde and Renfrewshire West | 6,209 |
Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire | 6,686 |
Livingston | 5,600 |
Lothian East | 6,023 |
Mid Dunbartonshire | 6,639 |
Moray West, Nairn and Strathspey | 6,736 |
Motherwell, Wishaw and Carluke | 5,589 |
North East Fife | 6,248 |
Paisley and Renfrewshire North | 5,749 |
Paisley and Renfrewshire South | 5,439 |
Perth and Kinross-shire | 6,664 |
Rutherglen | 6,004 |
Stirling and Strathallan | 5,965 |
West Dunbartonshire | 5,905 |
Ayr, Carrick and Cumnock | 6,619 |
Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk | 7,240 |
Central Ayrshire | 6,245 |
Kilmarnock and Loudoun | 6,100 |
West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine | 6,004 |
The relevant Scottish census data is available here in table UV102a, broken down by United Kingdom Parliamentary Constituency 2024: SuperWEB2(tm) - Table View.
In Northern Ireland, as of the 2021 census there were the following numbers of 1950s-born women in each Northern Irish constituency:
Constituency | Females aged 62 to 71 in 2021 |
Belfast East | 4,825 |
Belfast North | 5,116 |
Belfast South and Mid Down | 5,343 |
Belfast West | 5,081 |
East Antrim | 5,633 |
East Londonderry | 5,771 |
Fermanagh and South Tyrone | 5,701 |
Foyle | 5,087 |
Lagan Valley | 5,528 |
Mid Ulster | 4,845 |
Newry and Armagh | 5,439 |
North Antrim | 5,656 |
North Down | 6,181 |
South Antrim | 5,286 |
South Down | 5,441 |
Strangford | 5,917 |
Upper Bann | 5,796 |
West Tyrone | 5,234 |
The relevant Northern Irish census data is available in this table: Get data for Single year of age and sex (MS-A09) | NISRA Flexible Table Builder
Asked by: Kirsty Blackman (Scottish National Party - Aberdeen North)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many concerns relating to offshore employment (a) met the criteria for follow-up and (b) were investigated in the first six months of 2022.
Answered by Mims Davies - Shadow Minister (Women)
In the first six months of 2022:
Asked by: Kirsty Blackman (Scottish National Party - Aberdeen North)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether the report by MMI Engineering Ltd for the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) entitled Study and development of a methodology for the estimation of the risk and harm to persons from wind turbines, RR968, published in 2013, is the most recent HSE study on the methodology for the estimation of the risk and harm to people from wind turbines.
Answered by Mims Davies - Shadow Minister (Women)
The Health and Safety Executive’s (HSE) research report ‘RR968’ remains one of a range of studies, guidance and industry data used to assist in the evaluation of risk to people from wind turbines and operations.
Further, HSE continues to support industry in the development of industry specific guidance for this rapidly developing sector.
Asked by: Kirsty Blackman (Scottish National Party - Aberdeen North)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of offshore renewable incidents (a) met the Health and Safety Executive's (HSE) Incident Selection Criteria and (b) were investigated by HSE in the first six months of 2022.
Answered by Mims Davies - Shadow Minister (Women)
In the first six months of 2022:
Asked by: Kirsty Blackman (Scottish National Party - Aberdeen North)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many dangerous occurrences relating to the offshore renewables industry were reported to the Health and Safety Executive between January and June 2022.
Answered by Mims Davies - Shadow Minister (Women)
In the first six months of 2022: