Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of recent trends in levels of economic inactivity in Stirling and Strathallan constituency.

• The Government has made clear that we consider the current rate of inactivity to be unacceptably high. With nearly 2.8 million people out of work due to long-term sickness and the last Parliament seeing the biggest increase in economic inactivity in forty years, our inactivity rate is above pre-pandemic levels at 21.9% for May-July 2024 and, unlike most major economies, our overall employment rate has failed to recover to its pre-pandemic level. In Stirling and Strathallan constituency the estimated economic inactivity level amongst 16-64 year olds stood at 11,700 from April 2023-March 2024.

• This is why we have set an ambition to get to an 80% employment rate, alongside raising living standards and tackling insecurity at work. We have announced our intention to publish a White Paper which will set out the Government’s planned changes to tackle economic inactivity, support people into good work and help them to progress.

• The White Paper will set out fundamental reforms including:

o A new public employment and careers service to help get more people into work, and on in their work.

o New, bespoke joined-up work, health and skills plans for the economically inactive, with input from mayors, local councils, the NHS, businesses, colleges and the voluntary sector to deliver real employment opportunities for local people

o A youth guarantee for all people aged 18 to 21 to ensure that they can access quality training opportunities, an apprenticeship or employment support