Asked by: Bridget Phillipson (Labour - Houghton and Sunderland South)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate she has made of the annual cost to businesses of paying statutory sick pay at its current rate of £95.85 a week.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson
The estimated cost to employers of SSP is £1.5 billion a year. This is based on survey data from 2011. Data is not available on the total amount of SSP currently paid each year.
Asked by: Bridget Phillipson (Labour - Houghton and Sunderland South)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Chancellor of the Exchequer's oral contribution, Official Report, 11 March 2020 col 280, what the evidential basis was for the Government's commitment to reimburse businesses with fewer than 250 employees for statutory sick pay costs in relation to employees being off work for covid-19-related reasons for up to a fortnight as potentially providing over £2 billion for up to two million businesses; and if she will place the modelling used to underpin that estimate in the Library.
Answered by Justin Tomlinson
The government recognises that small and medium enterprises (SMEs) may need financial support where they incur additional costs of paying Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) due to increased absences relating to Covid-19. Under the Statutory Sick Pay Rebate Scheme, SMEs can reclaim up to two weeks of SSP per employee paid for sickness absences relating to Covid-19.
A range of costings were carried out in March 2020 based on the situation at the time. This was prior to the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme being developed.
We will continue to revise costings based on outturn data from initial claims and the latest information about the Covid-19 outbreak.
Asked by: Bridget Phillipson (Labour - Houghton and Sunderland South)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will publish any modelling his Department has undertaken on the potential effect of the Kickstart scheme on unemployment rates among people aged (a) 25 to 29; (b) 30 to 39; (c) 40 to 49; (d) 50 to 59 and (e) 60 or over.
Answered by Mims Davies - Shadow Minister (Women)
Jobs available to young people, aged 16-24, will be new jobs - with the funding conditional on the employer demonstrating that these jobs are additional.
Initially we shall target young people at risk of long-term unemployment, with scope to extend the scheme dependent on the number of additional jobs of the right quality that are created.
Many factors influence unemployment rates. We anticipate that Kickstart will have a positive effect on employment prospects of individuals participating in the scheme [but this has not been modelled].
Asked by: Bridget Phillipson (Labour - Houghton and Sunderland South)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how her Department plans to promote the take-up of the Kickstart Scheme in the private sector.
Answered by Mims Davies - Shadow Minister (Women)
We will engage with a wide range of private sector employers, as well as those in the public and third sector, both to promote interest in the scheme and to explore how we enable employers from all sectors to take part. DWP and HM Treasury Ministers and officials have plans to meet a wide range of businesses and employer organisations.
Asked by: Bridget Phillipson (Labour - Houghton and Sunderland South)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether the Kickstart Scheme will be targeted at regions with higher levels of youth unemployment.
Answered by Mims Davies - Shadow Minister (Women)
Kickstart is a national scheme which will support young people across Britain. We want to support as many people as possible through this scheme, starting with young people at risk of long-term unemployment. We will call on public, private and voluntary sector organisations across the country to create placements, we will cover the cost, and ensure that those who will benefit most are first in line.
More details about the scheme will be published in due course.
Asked by: Bridget Phillipson (Labour - Houghton and Sunderland South)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will commit to a peer-reviewed evaluation of the Kickstart Scheme after its implementation.
Answered by Mims Davies - Shadow Minister (Women)
The government will be monitoring and evaluating the Kickstart scheme throughout its implementation.
Asked by: Bridget Phillipson (Labour - Houghton and Sunderland South)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to work with (a) other Departments and (b) local authorities to deliver the Kickstart scheme; and how bids from employers wishing to take part in the scheme will be assessed.
Answered by Mims Davies - Shadow Minister (Women)
DWP will continue to work closely with a range of other government departments including DCMS, BEIS and MHCLG to develop and deliver the Kickstart Scheme.
We know that mayoralties and all local authorities have an important role in the economic recovery. DWP will continue to work with them, and skills advisory panels, to make best use of their expertise and ensure the Kickstart Scheme meets their areas’ economic needs.
Details on how bids will be assessed are yet to be finalised. We aim to make the process as straightforward as possible to allow the widest range of organisations to take part, whilst ensuring value for money. More information will be available in due course.
Asked by: Bridget Phillipson (Labour - Houghton and Sunderland South)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what conditions will be placed on employers seeking to hire people under the Kickstart scheme.
Answered by Mims Davies - Shadow Minister (Women)
It is an employer's duty to protect the health, safety and welfare of their employees including young people who will be employed through the Kickstart scheme.
Further details about the Kickstart Scheme will be set out in due course.
Asked by: Bridget Phillipson (Labour - Houghton and Sunderland South)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what discussions he has had on the delivery of the Kickstart scheme with (a) the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government; (b) Jobcentre Plus Regional Offices and (c) local authorities.
Answered by Mims Davies - Shadow Minister (Women)
DWP is implementing the Kickstart Scheme. We will continue to work closely with a wide range of government departments including MHCLG, to develop and deliver the Scheme as part of the wider package announced in the Chancellor’s Summer Statement.
With MHCLG we are setting up joint design groups to optimise the effectiveness of the scheme at a local and regional level. I have already discussed the Kickstart Scheme with the M9 Mayors and we have engaged extensively with the Jobcentre network.
We are keen to develop an effective and comprehensive economic response that works nationally and locally. Our Job Centre Plus partnership managers and employer advisors already work closely with key local partners, such as Mayoral Combined Authorities and Local Enterprise Partnerships.
Asked by: Bridget Phillipson (Labour - Houghton and Sunderland South)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he will take to monitor the Kickstart scheme to ensure people employed under that scheme start new rather than previously existing jobs.
Answered by Mims Davies - Shadow Minister (Women)
Kickstart jobs will be new jobs - with the funding conditional on the employer demonstrating that these jobs are additional. Further details about the Kickstart Scheme monitoring and evaluation processes will be set out in due course.