Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of extending the Kickstart scheme to candidates who were aged 16-24 at the time that the business applied for the creation of the placement.

Once an employer has had their Kickstart application approved by the Department of Work and Pensions and the grant agreement is in place it is advertised via Jobcentre Plus for referrals of eligible young people aged 16-24 at this point.

A Kickstart job does not necessarily start right away, it can commence at any point within the lifetime of the scheme. There are a number of reasons why jobs may commence later, such as, for example, public health restrictions currently in place. We are pleased that despite Covid-19 restrictions, young people have continued to start in Kickstart jobs since November.