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 enable more small business to take advantage of the Kickstart scheme.

From 3 February we will remove the 30 job minimum requirement for applications to the Kickstart Scheme. This will make the scheme accessible to even more employers, giving them choice about whether to apply directly or via one of over 600 approved Kickstart Gateways. We continue to engage with employers to maintain the high interest in the scheme with over 120,000 jobs approved to date.

For many employers Kickstart gateways will still play an important role. They can offer help with the necessary wrap around support for the young person, training and applications or can provide a route into the scheme for organisations without a PAYE system.

Sole traders and those without a PAYE system can continue to apply through the Gateway set up in partnership between FSB and AWV.