Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many VALOUR support centres for veterans he plans to locate in (a) Fylde and (b) Lancashire.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
The detailed structures and processes that will underpin VALOUR are in development and further announcements, including on development funding, will be announced in due course. The first VALOUR pilot was launched on 26 June 2025, in partnership with Greater Manchester, Liverpool City Region, West Yorkshire, and South Yorkshire, and will help to develop a blueprint as VALOUR is rolled out across the country next year.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to reduce unemployment in 18-21 year olds.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
As part of our plan to Get Britain Working, we are launching a new Youth Guarantee for all young people aged 18-21 in England to ensure that they can access quality training opportunities, an apprenticeship or help to find work. The Department for Work and Pensions and the Department for Education are working closely with the eight Mayoral Strategic Authorities in England, which began mobilising the Youth Guarantee Trailblazers in April 2025. The eight areas delivering Trailblazers are: the West of England, Tees Valley, East Midlands, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, Liverpool City Region, West Midlands and two areas within the Greater London Authority. The trailblazers will run for 12 months, and we will use the learning to inform the future design and development of the Youth Guarantee as it rolls-out across the rest of England.
This is part of a broader package of reforms, including introduction of a new jobs and careers service to help get more people into work, the development of work, health and skills plans for the economically inactive, and the launch of Skills England to open up new opportunities for young people. We will work in partnership with organisations and businesses at the national and local level to offer exciting and engaging opportunities to young people. This could include work experience, training courses or employability programmes.
In addition, DWP continues to provide young people aged 16-24 with labour market support through an extensive range of interventions at a national and local level. 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.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Reform UK - Romford)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to help reduce youth unemployment.
Answered by Alison McGovern - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)
As part of our plan to Get Britain Working, we are launching a new Youth Guarantee for all young people aged 18-21 in England to ensure that they can access quality training opportunities, an apprenticeship or help to find work. The Department for Work and Pensions and the Department for Education are working closely with the eight Mayoral Strategic Authorities in England, which began mobilising the Youth Guarantee Trailblazers in April 2025. The eight areas delivering Trailblazers are: the West of England, Tees Valley, East Midlands, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, Liverpool City Region, West Midlands and two areas within the Greater London Authority. The trailblazers will run for 12 months, and we will use the learning to inform the future design and development of the Youth Guarantee as it rolls-out across the rest of England.
This is part of a broader package of reforms, including introduction of a new jobs and careers service to help get more people into work, the development of work, health and skills plans for the economically inactive, and the launch of Skills England to open up new opportunities for young people. We will work in partnership with organisations and businesses at the national and local level to offer exciting and engaging opportunities to young people. This could include work experience, training courses or employability programmes.
In addition, DWP continues to provide young people aged 16-24 with labour market support through an extensive range of interventions at a national and local level. 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.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps he is taking to encourage people to sign up to the Reserve Forces in (a) Fylde and (b) Lancashire.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
The three Services routinely undertake Reserve recruitment activity nationally and in the Northwest of England.
The Royal Navy has recently commissioned a nationwide Maritime Reserve recruitment campaign which will go live next month. Both the Royal Navy Reserve and Royal Marines Reserve are located at HMS Eaglet in the City of Liverpool and routinely undertake engagement activities; these may include Fylde and Lancashire in the future.
The Army is increasing recruitment into the Army Reserves, including a digital and physical marketing campaign; a renewed focus on training and upskilling courses and improved financial incentives. For the former, this includes a two-week recruiting surge in the region commencing 4 July 2025, involving 17 recruiters from four counties, which includes stands in town centres and shopping centres in Blackburn and Blackpool among other local cities and towns in the Northwest. They will also have a presence at festivals and at shows such as Blackpool Music Festival; Blackpool Prom; Barrow Festival of Transport; Festival of Works (Lakes College) and Silloth Show; and at employer events such as ‘Breakfast with the Lions’ in Accrington and ‘Brunch with the Lions’ in Barrow Bridge.
The RAF Reserves recruiting initiatives include support to a team building day at BAe Systems in Blackburn, and providing resource to the Reserve Forces and Cadets Association-led Exercise NORTHERN EXPOSURE. This showcases Reserves opportunities to employers, offering personal development opportunities and military insight. The North Region Support Wing also has a dedicated recruiter post, based in Liverpool, which provides support to Reserve recruiting processing and engagement in the Northwest.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what progress her Department has made on implementing Investment Zones in the North West.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
Investment Zones in England reflect the unique strengths and opportunities in each place and day-to-day delivery is led by accountable Mayoral Combine Authorities (MCAs). There are two Investment Zones in the North West, both of which entered delivery in April 2024. Good progress has been made by the accountable MCAs to mobilise the programmes, with a range of projects approved and launched over 2024/25.
In Greater Manchester, growth of the region’s advanced materials manufacturing clusters is being accelerated through the use of grant funding support for research and innovation, to grow the knowledge economy and to unlock laboratory and manufacturing space.
In the Liverpool City Region, growth of the region’s life sciences clusters is being accelerated through the use of both tax reliefs and grant funding to lever private investment and develop new world-class research, innovation and manufacturing facilities and capabilities.
Asked by: Kevin Hollinrake (Conservative - Thirsk and Malton)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with reference to her comments to the Convention of the North in Preston on 28 February 2025, on what evidential basis she said that the whole of the North will have elected mayors by May 2026.
Answered by Jim McMahon
Earlier this month, inaugural mayoral elections were held in Greater Lincolnshire and Hull & East Yorkshire. They now join the rest of Yorkshire, the North East, Tees Valley, Liverpool City and Greater Manchester as mayoral combined authorities.
Continuing our ambition to see the benefits of devolution extended across the North, the Deputy Prime Minister announced six places on the Devolution Priority Programme with a fast-track ticket to drive real change in their area – including Cumbria, and Cheshire and Warrington – which are receiving the full backing of government.
Finally, we are continuing to work with Lancashire Combined County Authority to deepen their existing devolution agreement and, dependant on their ongoing governance review, we will explore a path towards mayoral devolution for the region.
Clearly it is for local leaders to organise and secure consensus in each of these areas, but as has always been the case, the government stands ready to work as partners in achieving this.
Asked by: Elsie Blundell (Labour - Heywood and Middleton North)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what steps she is taking with the Greater Manchester Combined Authority to improve connections between the Greater Manchester City Region and (a) Yorkshire, (b) the Liverpool City Region and (c) North Wales.
Answered by Darren Jones - Minister for Intergovernmental Relations
The Government has already demonstrated its commitment to improving Northern transport infrastructure. At and since the Budget last Autumn, further commitment and funding has been provided for key transport programmes in the North, including the Transpennine Route Upgrade, an £11 billion programme that will transform rail connectivity from Manchester through to York.
Through City Region Sustainable Transport Settlements (CRSTS) Round 1 (2022/23–2026/27), the Government has also provided Greater Manchester Combined Authority with £1 billion to invest in local transport priorities.
Future investment priorities for Northern transport infrastructure will be considered in the round as part of the Spending Review.
Asked by: Lord Storey (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many government-funded projects they are currently supporting in the City of Liverpool.
Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
MHCLG are supporting regeneration projects across the City of Liverpool through £31m awarded as part of the Liverpool Strategic Futures Advisory Panel. The city has also received £30m of Cultural Levelling Up funding for Tate Liverpool and National Museums Liverpool.
The city is a key part of the Liverpool City Region and stands to benefit from funding secured through the region’s UKSPF allocation, devolution deal, Freeport and Investment Zone. This includes investment in new lab and office space in Paddington Village to support the city’s academic and life science strengths as well as training to support residents into high value jobs.
Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government, what assessment they have made of the rising number of people aged 16 to 24 currently not in education, employment or training; and what steps they are taking to increase the number of young people entering education or employment.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The government is determined to break down barriers to opportunity for all our young people and transform their life chances.
Almost one in seven 16 to 24 year-olds in England and the UK are not in education, employment or training (NEET). This number is too high, and the department is taking the action needed to tackle this issue.
In the ‘Get Britain Working’ white paper, the government set out its commitment to establish a Youth Guarantee of support to access training, an apprenticeship, or to find work for all 18 to 21 year-olds. £45 million has been allocated to Youth Guarantee Trailblazers to develop the Youth Guarantee. The Department for Education and the Department for Work and Pensions will be working with strategic authorities in initially eight areas, including Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, East Midlands, Liverpool City Region, West of England, West Midlands, Tees Valley and two London areas.
The Youth Guarantee builds on entitlements that young people have to participate in education and training up to age 18. Local authorities have statutory duties to support young people into education and training, including identifying and helping those who are currently NEET. The department has also recently published guidance to help local authorities identify young people at an increased risk of becoming NEET, based on characteristics such as a learning difficulty or disability, or poor school attendance so they can be given extra support.
In addition, new foundation apprenticeships will give more young people a foot in the door at the start of their working lives. They will help bridge the gap between employers with skills shortages and those young people not currently engaging with apprenticeships through the existing routes and offers. The first foundation apprenticeships will be available in the construction sector from August, and to support these opportunities, employers will receive £2,000 for every construction foundation apprentice they take on and retain in the industry.
The Department for Education will also offer two weeks’ worth of work experience for every young person and better careers advice at school, and has also created a new body, Skills England, to deliver national, regional and local skills needs.
Asked by: David Baines (Labour - St Helens North)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what proportion of Personal Independence Payment recipients are in work in (a) St Helens North constituency, (b) St Helens Local Authority, (c) the Liverpool City Region and (d) nationally.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The proportion of working age Personal Independence Payment (PIP) claimants who are in work can be found in the table below.
Table 1: Working age Personal Independence Payment (PIP) claimants who are in work
| Percentage in work |
St Helens North Parliamentary Constituency | 20% |
St Helens Local Authority | 20% |
Liverpool City Region | 19% |
England and Wales | 20% |
Notes: