Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Social Security Advisory Committee’s Occasional Paper 27 entitled The influence of the social security system on educational and vocational decision-making at age 16, what steps he is taking to support 16- and 17-year-old apprentices experiencing loss of income after starting apprenticeships due to exclusion from family benefit calculations; and if he will implement the Committee’s recommendation to close the transitional payment gap between benefit recalculation and receipt of the apprentice’s first wage.

The Government is determined to reverse the 40% drop in young people starting apprenticeships, and so we welcome the Social Security Advisory Committee’s insight into this important area. We are carefully considering the report's recommendations and will respond in due course.