Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 5 January 2026 to Question 96708, what practical support is given to people receiving a) £40,000 - £49,999, b) £50,000 - £59,999, c) £60,000 - £69,999 and d) above £70,000.payments under the Access to Work scheme.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

The support that a customer will receive from Access to Work is dependent upon their needs and circumstances at the time they make an application and will be tailored to the individual. This flexibility helps customers to receive support that is most appropriate for them. Types of support include specialist equipment, physical adaptations to premises, help with the cost of travelling to work and support workers.

89.4% of customers receive awards below £10,000, with support being capped at £69,260 per year.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many of the 55,000 Jobs Guarantee placements will go to each of the six specified regions.

Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

For long-term unemployed 18–21-year-olds on Universal Credit, the Jobs Guarantee scheme will provide six months of paid employment. This will reach around 55,000 young people over the next three years.

We know young people need support quickly and that is why we will begin delivery of the Jobs Guarantee in six areas from spring 2026 in: Birmingham & Solihull, East Midlands, Greater Manchester, Hertfordshire & Essex, Central & East Scotland, Southwest & Southeast Wales. We will deliver over 1000 job starts in the first six months in these regions. This will be followed by national roll-out of the Jobs Guarantee across Great Britain.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, will he provide an estimate for the number of people who will take up apprenticeship training at small and medium-sized businesses under the Government’s new scheme for under-25s.

Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

To meet this government’s ambition to support 50,000 more young people into apprenticeships, including at small and medium-sized enterprises, we are taking a range of action backed by an additional £725m of investment announced by my right hon. Friend the Chancellor at Autumn Budget.

We are expanding foundation apprenticeships into sectors that traditionally recruit young people, launching a £140 million pilot to better connect young people to local apprenticeship opportunities and fully funding SME apprenticeship training for eligible 16–24-year-olds from August 2026.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many small and medium-sized businesses he has engaged with as part of the Government’s new scheme for under-25s.

Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

Public and private sector employers, the third sector, and education and training providers are integral to the success of the Youth Guarantee, including Small and Medium sized businesses who have a key role to play.

We have started engaging with stakeholders through various forums and this will continue over the coming year. The government will set out details of Youth Guarantee employers and partners in due course.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if the Department will provide a list of employers who will provide the additional work experience placements and additional bespoke training opportunities announced on December 8 2025.

Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

We will be working closely with Youth Guarantee supporters and partners across the country to deliver jobs, apprenticeships, work experience and training places. The government will set out details of Youth Guarantee employers and partners in due course.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, will claimants who reject a placement under the Youth Guarantee scheme retain access to benefits.

Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

The Youth Guarantee is part of a new social contract with young people opportunity matched by responsibility. Young people who can work will be expected to engage with the support offered. If the support is declined without good reasons, existing benefit sanction rules will apply.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people does the Department estimate will be eligible for the Youth Guarantee at the beginning of the scheme, and for each quarter until the end of this Parliament.

Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

We are investing £820 million over the next 3 years in our Youth Guarantee to overhaul support and give a generation of young people a brighter future. Different aspects of the Youth Guarantee have different eligibility criteria.

Young People claiming benefits and on DWP’s Youth Offer may be eligible for the new Youth Guarantee Gateway, the Jobs Guarantee, Work Experience placements and SWAPs. Nearly 900,000 will be eligible for (and will receive) the Youth Guarantee Gateway, which consists of a dedicated session, followed by four weeks of additional intensive support with a Work Coach. The Jobs Guarantee will guarantee a six-month paid work placement to eligible young people aged 18 to 21 who have been on Universal Credit and looking for work for 18 months. We estimate that 55,000 people will be eligible for the Jobs Guarantee between launch and March 2029.

Other aspects of the Youth Guarantee are open to all those who need them. For instance, we are expanding Youth Hubs for 16 to 24-year-olds to more than 360 locations across Great Britain so that all young people – including those not receiving benefits – can access opportunities and comprehensive support in their local area. Each Youth Hub unites employment services from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) with place-based support from local partners, helping young people move into work. As part of this expansion, we have introduced a core blueprint for minimum service standards, marking a major step forward in making employment support more accessible and seamlessly integrated with other essential services such as health, housing, and wellbeing tailored to local needs and partnerships.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of proposed changes to the benefits system on family planning.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

The Department has not made such an assessment.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if his Department will list the employers which have been engaged with the Youth Guarantee scheme.

Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

Public and private sector employers, the third sector, and education and training providers are integral to the success of the Youth Guarantee. Many employers recognise that investing in young people and training their workforce drives both business success and economic growth.

We will be working closely with Youth Guarantee supporters and partners across the country to deliver jobs, apprenticeships, work experience and training places.

Employers will also benefit from a tailored DWP support service to help fill vacancies with Jobcentre candidates, including job description support, faster recruitment, vacancy promotion, use of Jobcentre space for interviews, access to the free Find a Job site, and expert advice from a dedicated Recruitment Manager.

Regarding the Jobs Guarantee for long-term unemployed young people, at this initial stage we will be delivering through partner organisations. We have started engaging with stakeholders through various forums and this will continue over the coming year.

The government will set out details of Youth Guarantee employers and partners in due course.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many (a) private sector, (b) public sector and (c) third sector organisations have signed up to the Youth Guarantee scheme.

Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

Public and private sector employers, the third sector, and education and training providers are integral to the success of the Youth Guarantee. Many employers recognise that investing in young people and training their workforce drives both business success and economic growth.

We will be working closely with Youth Guarantee supporters and partners across the country to deliver jobs, apprenticeships, work experience and training places.

Employers will also benefit from a tailored DWP support service to help fill vacancies with Jobcentre candidates, including job description support, faster recruitment, vacancy promotion, use of Jobcentre space for interviews, access to the free Find a Job site, and expert advice from a dedicated Recruitment Manager.

Regarding the Jobs Guarantee for long-term unemployed young people, at this initial stage we will be delivering through partner organisations. We have started engaging with stakeholders through various forums and this will continue over the coming year.

The government will set out details of Youth Guarantee employers and partners in due course.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many providers of (a) apprenticeships, (b) training and (c) education have signed up to the Youth Guarantee scheme.

Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

Public and private sector employers, the third sector, and education and training providers are integral to the success of the Youth Guarantee. Many employers recognise that investing in young people and training their workforce drives both business success and economic growth.

We will be working closely with Youth Guarantee supporters and partners across the country to deliver jobs, apprenticeships, work experience and training places.

Employers will also benefit from a tailored DWP support service to help fill vacancies with Jobcentre candidates, including job description support, faster recruitment, vacancy promotion, use of Jobcentre space for interviews, access to the free Find a Job site, and expert advice from a dedicated Recruitment Manager.

Regarding the Jobs Guarantee for long-term unemployed young people, at this initial stage we will be delivering through partner organisations. We have started engaging with stakeholders through various forums and this will continue over the coming year.

The government will set out details of Youth Guarantee employers and partners in due course.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 5 January 2025 to Question 96708 on Access to Work Programme, what the salary bands are of people on the Access to Work scheme who are receiving payments per customer of (a) £40,000 - £49,999, (b) £50,000 - £59,999, (c) £60,000 - £69,999 and (d) above £70,000.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

The Department for Work and Pensions does not hold information on the salaries of Access to Work recipients. Access to Work eligibility is not linked to salary, so this information is not routinely collected by the Department.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he has used international examples of reforms to (a) sickness and (b) disability benefits to help inform his policies.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

The Department uses a range of evidence, including international examples, when developing policy. For instance, the Pathways to Work Green Paper included a range of international systems that were considered when developing the proposals.

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 number of positions funded under the Youth Guarantee that would anyway have been created by the private sector.

Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

The Jobs Guarantee will help young people to move closer to and into sustained employment. The Jobs Guarantee is aimed at young people who face multiple barriers to work, with the scheme targeting those who are 18-21 years old who have been on Universal Credit and looking for work for 18 months.

We will provide more detail in the coming weeks on how the scheme will be delivered. The scheme will enable young people to access suitable vacancies, with additional, tailored support provided to help young people start roles and succeed throughout their employment.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of jobs under the Youth Guarantee will be fully funded by his Department; and for how long those jobs will be fully funded.

Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

As part of the Youth Guarantee, we are breaking the cycle of unemployment by guaranteeing paid work for every eligible 18–21-year old who has been on Universal Credit, looking for work, for 18 months. All Jobs Guarantee scheme jobs will be fully funded by the Department and will provide six months of paid employment. This will reach around 55,000 young people over the next three years.

This will help young people take that crucial first step into sustained employment, supporting the government’s long-term ambition to increase the employment rate.