Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of potentially expanding the new Youth Guarantee to include 16 to 17-year-olds and 21 to 24-year-olds.

The Youth Guarantee will initially provide support to 18–21-year-olds to ensure young people not accessing higher or further education have a clear pathway to access quality support.

Across the UK, 18 to 21-year-olds have lower employment rates compared to 22 to 24-year-olds, even when taking into consideration their increased participation in full-time education.

DWP provides extensive support at a national and local level for 16–17-year-olds and 22–24-year-olds. This includes flexible provision driven by local need, nationwide employment programmes and support delivered by work coaches based in our Jobcentres and in local communities working alongside partners. These young people will also be able to access tailored support through the DWP Youth Offer, which includes the Youth Employment Programme, Youth Employability Coaches and access to Youth Hubs across Great Britain.

We will continue to monitor the need to expand the Youth Guarantee during the delivery phase and through future evaluation.