Question to the Department for Education:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the report by London First Central Government's Role in Helping London Drive Recovery, published in May; and what plans they have to introduce a London Careers Service to provide tailored and flexible support to (1) young Londoners transitioning from education to employment, and (2) adults who have been displaced as a result of the pandemic.

We are investing over £100 million in the 2021/22 financial year to help young people and adults access high quality careers provision through The Careers and Enterprise Company and the National Careers Service. This includes additional funding of £32 million announced as part of the government's Plan for Jobs for the National Careers Service up to March 2022. This additional investment will support delivery of individual careers advice to help 269,000 more people (over 500,000 people in total), whose jobs or learning have been affected by the COVID-19 outbreak.

Through the Careers Hubs programme, The Careers and Enterprise Company is putting in place a national programme of support and coordination that will help all schools and colleges to deliver the Gatsby benchmarks of Good Career Guidance. Careers Hubs have played a vital role supporting young people to transition from school to the next phase of their lives, by delivering local careers events and developing resources.

We have no plans to delegate the careers budget for young people or adults at this time. We will continue to work with local and combined authorities to ensure that local priorities are fed into the provision of careers advice, so that it is employer-led, integrated, and meets local needs.