Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to ensure that funding for supported employment provision in integrated settlements for devolved authorities is spent in line with the delivery plans for that funding.

Government has committed to give areas the tools and powers they need to deliver growth, which includes offering integrated settlements. Integrated settlements will give Mayoral Combined Authorities who have shown exemplary management of public money the ability to plan long-term and make the strategic policy decisions necessary to deliver growth. The integrated settlement will be monitored and governed using a single accountability framework and a single outcomes framework to ensure funding included in the settlement can be accounted for. Delivery will be monitored via a programme board which will track outcomes negotiated between Authorities and the Government.

Local outcome delivery will be the responsibility of the MCAs. The oversight of the approach to securing value for money and upholding governance structures is the responsibility of the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government. The Department for Work and Pensions are responsible for signing off on the outcomes and targets for Connect to Work funding, as well as signing off mitigations where performance expectations are not met.