Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent progress he has made on delivering the Work and Health Programme.

The Work and Health Programme provides support primarily to help inactive and unemployed disabled people and disadvantaged groups who are motivated to work and expect to find work within 12 months. Participants receive up to 15 months pre-employment support and up to six months light touch in-work support.

As of May 2022, the programme has delivered personalised support for 220,000 inactive and unemployed people, including 170,000 disabled people. 88,000 participants have achieved first earnings from employment and 53,000 participants have achieved a job outcome. In the most recent three months to May 2022, both measures exceeded pre-pandemic levels. Over three quarters of starts, first earnings and job outcomes on the programme are disabled people.

We are extending referrals to the programme from November 2022 to September 2024, providing additional support for around 100,000 people; we expect most of these to be disabled people.