Asked by: Baroness Nargund (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask His Majesty's Government what support they plan to provide for young women entering the workforce in relation to the rise of artificial intelligence, lack of job security, and skills confidence.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
With over one million young people not in education, employment and training, this Government will not leave an entire generation of young people behind. The Government is investing an additional £2.5 billion over the next three years into the Youth Guarantee and the Growth and Skills Levy.
This investment will support almost one million young people and create up to 500,000 opportunities to earn and learn, including through expanded network of Youth Hubs, earlier intensive support in Jobs Centres through a new Youth Guarantee Gateway, additional work experience and training opportunities, a £3,000 Youth Jobs Grant and £2,000 apprenticeship hiring payment for employers, and a fully funded six month job for long-term unemployed 18–24-year-olds.
We also recognise the crisis of participation that Alan Milburn has so clearly laid out in his interim report. We will use this interim report to continue to build our reforms and look forward to final recommendations in the Autumn.
AI has potentially transformative benefits for the economy and wider society, and the Government is doing all it can to ensure that the United Kingdom is at the forefront of this technological transition. That’s why the government is taking action now to shape this transition in a way that benefits workers, including young women, and the economy. This includes:
Asked by: Baroness Nargund (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether their ongoing pension reviews will assess the pension gender gap for women living with a terminal diagnosis.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Government recognises that disparities exist between the private pension wealth of men and women.
The Pensions Commission will explore steps to improve pension outcomes, especially for groups at the greatest risk of under saving, including women. The Commission published their interim report on 19 May 2026, setting out key challenges facing the pension system and where it will focus its work, and will publish their final report early next year.
For those living with terminal illness, the Government believes it is compassionate and appropriate to allow access to private pension savings. Individuals with a life expectancy of less than 12 months may take a serious ill-health lump sum at any age, subject to medical evidence and scheme rules. This is tax-free below age 75 up to an allowance of £1.073 million, and otherwise taxed as income.
While the current rules intend to provide flexibility while keeping in place important safeguards to avoid risk of error and misuse, the Government recognises that the permissive nature of these rules means individuals may experience different hurdles to access depending on their scheme. The government wishes to ensure a fair and compassionate approach and will therefore be considering this issue in further detail.