Oral Answers to Questions

Steve Darling Excerpts

Monday 12th October 2026 Commons Chamber

[Mr Speaker]

I call the Liberal Democrat spokesperson.

[Steve Darling (Torbay) (LD)]

The Government recently announced funding for apprenticeships through areas where there are elected mayors. However, almost half of England does not have an elected mayor. Will the Secretary of State acknowledge that young people in communities such as Torbay, and across Devon and Cornwall, will feel that the Government have turned their backs on them?

[Pat McFadden]

The hon. Member is right to say that the devolution map in England is uneven. I urge him to wait for the White Paper later this year, when we will have more to say about that. However, we believe that locally delivered services in employment support can break down the departmental barriers that have too often dogged getting the right help to people at the right time. People are human beings, not departmental clients, and it is time we treated them as such. Delivering more services locally can help us do that.

--- Later in debate ---

[Mr Speaker]

I call the Liberal Democrat spokesperson.

[Steve Darling (Torbay) (LD)]

Whether it is processing access to work claims or reassessing sickness benefits, the Department for Work and Pensions has a culture of dither and delay when processing such matters. Can the Secretary of State advise us when the Department will get a grip on this?

[The Minister for Social Security and Disability (Sir Stephen Timms)]

We are getting a grip. The hon. Gentleman will be pleased to know that we are recruiting 500 extra staff to process access to work applications. Those staff are being recruited and trained at the moment and as a result of that, we will eliminate the access to work backlog that we inherited from the previous Government by September next year.