Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate he has made of the number of Kickstart scheme gateways that have closed down since that scheme began.
We have made no estimate of the number of Gateways who have closed since the scheme began.
Gateways have brought diversity of employment opportunities and volumes of jobs to the Kickstart Scheme and have provided robust employability support for Kickstart participants. More than 900 Gateways have helped us to deliver the Kickstart Scheme.
Gateways are subject to financial checks by the DWP and any concerns regarding a Gateway are investigated. Some Gateways came on board to support a specific group of employers to offer Kickstart jobs. Once the final young person completed their Kickstart job with those employers and the final grant payment is made the department doesn’t necessarily have any further engagement with that Gateway. Other Gateways have had a more rolling approach to adding employers and jobs to their portfolios.