Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department plans to take to assess the impact of the Universal Support programme on employment outcomes.

Universal Support aims to match long-term sick, disabled and disadvantaged participants with suitable vacancies, based on their preferences, strengths, and any lessons from previous work experience. The programme will fund up to £4,000 per participant on relevant support such as training and practical help for employers to make appropriate adjustments e.g to recruitment approaches, to ensure participants can succeed in their roles.

In the Autumn Statement, the government announced it will increase the annual number of placements available on Universal Support to 100,000 in England and Wales, doubling its commitment made in the Spring Budget 2023.

As we continue developing Universal Support, which is expected to launch in late 2024, we are also developing evaluation plans which will take into consideration assessment and impact of the programme on employment outcomes.