Asked by: Edward Morello (Liberal Democrat - West Dorset)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he has made an assessment on the potential impact of increasing employer co-investment to 25 per cent on the number of apprentices taken on by levy-paying employers.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
As we introduce new products, such as apprenticeship units and foundation apprenticeships, we are also simplifying the Growth and Skills Levy, improving its transparency and making it more efficient.
Currently, levy-paying employer accounts can show large unspent balances (currently totalling around £6.5 billion) which far exceed our annual apprenticeship budget. This has led to an incorrect understanding that there are significant unspent funds available to spend. However, over the last four years, on average, 98% of the English apprenticeships budget has been spent.
The 10% government top-up is one cause of this problem and removing it, alongside reducing the expiry period to 12 months, means we can simplify the system and ensure levy balances are more closely aligned to the annual levy paid by employers. Existing funding will remain within accounts, with the changes applying only to new funds entering accounts.
We are also changing the government’s co-investment rate from 95% to 75% for levy-paying employers once they have exhausted all their funds. Levy-paying employers will still be able to benefit from a very generous government contribution once their funds are exhausted, but it is right that employers who utilise all their levy funds contribute more to apprenticeship training and assessment. This will support greater employer investment in skills overall and ensure funding is available to roll out further flexibility for business and increase opportunities for young people.
We will carefully monitor the impact of these changes once they take effect.
Asked by: Edward Morello (Liberal Democrat - West Dorset)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department has made with Cabinet colleagues of the potential impact of removing the 10 per cent levy top-up on the affordability of apprenticeship training for small and medium-sized levy-paying employers.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
As we introduce new products, such as apprenticeship units and foundation apprenticeships, we are also simplifying the Growth and Skills Levy, improving its transparency and making it more efficient.
Currently, levy-paying employer accounts can show large unspent balances (currently totalling around £6.5 billion) which far exceed our annual apprenticeship budget. This has led to an incorrect understanding that there are significant unspent funds available to spend. However, over the last four years, on average, 98% of the English apprenticeships budget has been spent.
The 10% government top-up is one cause of this problem and removing it, alongside reducing the expiry period to 12 months, means we can simplify the system and ensure levy balances are more closely aligned to the annual levy paid by employers. Existing funding will remain within accounts, with the changes applying only to new funds entering accounts.
We are also changing the government’s co-investment rate from 95% to 75% for levy-paying employers once they have exhausted all their funds. Levy-paying employers will still be able to benefit from a very generous government contribution once their funds are exhausted, but it is right that employers who utilise all their levy funds contribute more to apprenticeship training and assessment. This will support greater employer investment in skills overall and ensure funding is available to roll out further flexibility for business and increase opportunities for young people.
We will carefully monitor the impact of these changes once they take effect.
Asked by: Edward Morello (Liberal Democrat - West Dorset)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate his Department has made of the additional per-apprentice cost to employers delivering (a) apprenticeship in engineering and (b) other high-cost apprenticeships following the changes to apprenticeship funding in August 2025.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
As we introduce new products, such as apprenticeship units and foundation apprenticeships, we are also simplifying the Growth and Skills Levy, improving its transparency and making it more efficient.
Currently, levy-paying employer accounts can show large unspent balances (currently totalling around £6.5 billion) which far exceed our annual apprenticeship budget. This has led to an incorrect understanding that there are significant unspent funds available to spend. However, over the last four years, on average, 98% of the English apprenticeships budget has been spent.
The 10% government top-up is one cause of this problem and removing it, alongside reducing the expiry period to 12 months, means we can simplify the system and ensure levy balances are more closely aligned to the annual levy paid by employers. Existing funding will remain within accounts, with the changes applying only to new funds entering accounts.
We are also changing the government’s co-investment rate from 95% to 75% for levy-paying employers once they have exhausted all their funds. Levy-paying employers will still be able to benefit from a very generous government contribution once their funds are exhausted, but it is right that employers who utilise all their levy funds contribute more to apprenticeship training and assessment. This will support greater employer investment in skills overall and ensure funding is available to roll out further flexibility for business and increase opportunities for young people.
We will carefully monitor the impact of these changes once they take effect.
Asked by: Susan Murray (Liberal Democrat - Mid Dunbartonshire)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what outcome measures will be used to assess the first phase of the Job Guarantee rollout, and when the Department plans to publish the results.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
As a part of our recent publication on the Jobs Guarantee, the department has published a draft Grant Funding Agreement (GFA) which outlines expected outcome measures that will be used to assess grants administered under phase one of the scheme.
Schedule 4, Part B of this draft GFA outlines the expected outputs and outcomes that may be assessed in Phase One of the scheme. Final outputs and outcomes will form part of final grant funding agreements made with successful grant applicants.
We will monitor performance throughout the first phase to inform the delivery of the national roll out later in 2026.
Asked by: Max Wilkinson (Liberal Democrat - Cheltenham)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether the Child Maintenance Service's arrears department is (i) office based and (ii) staffed through home working; how many people work for that team; what their response time is; and whether that response time is in line with their service level agreement.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Child Maintenance Service (CMS) arrears department operates using a combination of office‑based and hybrid working arrangements. CMS currently offers the opportunity to work a minimum of 60% of time in the office with 40% at home, although staff can choose to work more time in the office if they wish. Some choose to work in the office full time. The only exceptions to this are individual requirements as part of a reasonable adjustment. Hybrid working is not a contractual right and is therefore subject to change. There are currently 771 employees working in the arrears team.
CMS monitors the performance of the arrears function. Caseworker response times remain consistent across both office‑based and home‑working arrangements and continue to operate fully within the Service Level Agreement for the arrears function.
Asked by: Rupert Lowe (Independent - Great Yarmouth)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many civil servants employed by their Department work in roles primarily focused on (a) transgender policy, (b) diversity, (c) equity and (d) inclusion; and at what annual salary cost.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
Dedicated EDI staff help DWP comply with equality legislation, making sure that vulnerable customers are supported. Proactive EDI initiatives can help prevent issues related to discrimination or exclusion, reducing grievances and costly disputes.
As of December 2025, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) employed 84,373.2 paid full-time equivalent (FTE) staff. There are no roles within the Department that are primarily focused on transgender policy.
Roles considered to be primarily focused on Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) are as follows:
This constitutes a total of 14.16 FTE staff, which represents approximately 0.02% of the Department’s total Paid FTE workforce as being EDI focused.
The annual expenditure associated with the salaries for staff whose roles are primarily focused on Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (based on People & Capability Annual Average Salary and including employer pension and NI contributions) amounts to approximately £1,121,565.
Asked by: Adam Dance (Liberal Democrat - Yeovil)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the discontinuation of the Skills Bootcamps programme on (a) upskilling and (b) retraining individuals in Somerset for 2026-27 financial year.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Skills Bootcamp programme has not been discontinued.
We continue to support the delivery of Skills Bootcamps, in order to benefit more adults, employers, and the economy, and funding remains available for Skills Bootcamps in Somerset in the 2026-27 financial year.
We are giving local areas greater control of the delivery of Skills Bootcamps in line with our commitment to devolution, supporting areas to use Skills Bootcamps to more closely meet the needs of their local employers and economy.
A new funding model for local areas from 2026-27 will ensure the distribution of funding remains fit for purpose and sustainable as the programme matures.
Asked by: Adam Dance (Liberal Democrat - Yeovil)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the discontinuation of the Skills Bootcamps programme on (a) AI and (b) automation training in Somerset for 2026-27 financial year.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Skills Bootcamp programme has not been discontinued.
We continue to support the delivery of Skills Bootcamps, in order to benefit more adults, employers, and the economy, and funding remains available for Skills Bootcamps in Somerset in the 2026-27 financial year.
We are giving local areas greater control of the delivery of Skills Bootcamps in line with our commitment to devolution, supporting areas to use Skills Bootcamps to more closely meet the needs of their local employers and economy.
A new funding model for local areas from 2026-27 will ensure the distribution of funding remains fit for purpose and sustainable as the programme matures.
Asked by: Helen Whately (Conservative - Faversham and Mid Kent)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what career coaching, career transition, and redeployment support services are available to staff in his Department through centrally provided civil service programmes.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The table below shows the career and redeployment support options available to DWP employees.
The information is based on DWP’s use of the centrally provided Civil Service Learning Frameworks service. The data covers the period from January 2023 to December 2025.
Intervention Title |
APM Chartered Project Professional Coaching (excluding Accreditation Fees) |
Coaching Skills |
Coaching skills for managers |
Coaching skills for managers (for programmes only) |
ILM Level 5 Certificate in Effective Coaching & Mentoring - Includes assessment |
Performance Coaching Skills for Managers in the Government Analytical Service |
Performance Development in Digital, Data and Technology Multi-Disciplinary Teams Using Coaching Models |
Crossing Thresholds - Module 1 - Career goal-setting and planning |
5 must-see TED talks for career professionals |
Analytical Community Career conversations |
Career Conversations |
How to build your career in the Civil Service |
How to build your career in the UK Civil Service |
Navigating Your Career |
The 3 questions every manager struggles with making career development plans |
The 4 questions every manager struggles with making career development plans |
Why you will fail to have a great career |
Coaching and Mentoring |
Coaching ethics reflection questions |
Coaching ethics reflection questions |
Coaching Skills (Blended) |
Coaching skills for managers (Blended) |
Coaching skills for Managers (for DEFRA only) |
Diploma in Coaching Supervision - Professional Accreditation (Including assessment) |
Executive Coach coaching - Bespoke |
Executive Coach coaching - Package 2 |
Executive Coach coaching - Package 3 |
Executive Coach coaching - Package 4 |
Executive Coach coaching - Package 5 |
ILM Level 5 Certificate in Effective Coaching and Mentoring |
ILM Level 5 Certificate in Effective Coaching and Mentoring (includes assignments) |
ILM Level 5 Certificate in Effective Coaching and Mentoring (includes exam) |
Premier Executive Coach coaching - Bespoke |
Premier Executive Coach coaching - Package 2 |
Premier Executive Coach coaching - Package 3 |
Premier Executive Coach coaching - Package 4 |
Senior Executive Coach coaching - Bespoke |
Senior Executive Coach coaching - Package 2 |
Senior Executive Coach coaching - Package 3 |
Senior Executive Coach coaching - Package 4 |
Senior Executive Coach coaching - Package 5 |
Asked by: Helen Whately (Conservative - Faversham and Mid Kent)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to verify the ongoing residency of non-UK national claimants who have been absent from the UK for more than a month.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Department uses the Habitual Residence Test (HRT) for income-related benefits, such as Universal Credit, to assess whether someone has a legal right to be here and whether they are factually resident in the UK. For an individual to be factually habitually resident they must have been present in the UK for an appreciable period, usually between one and three months, and have a settled intention to remain.