Asked by: Kieran Mullan (Conservative - Bexhill and Battle)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to support progression out of low pay.
Answered by Mims Davies - Shadow Minister (Women)
From April 2022 onwards, the Government will be enhancing its support to working claimants across Great Britain. Approximately 1.7 million working Universal Credit claimants across every Jobcentre, will be able to access Work Coach support to address any skills or wider barriers to progression. We will also appoint specialist Progression Champions who will make connections between employers, local authorities, and skills providers.
Asked by: Kieran Mullan (Conservative - Bexhill and Battle)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps work coaches are taking to get people who have been out of work for an extended period back into work.
Answered by Mims Davies - Shadow Minister (Women)
DWP offers significant support to unemployed people across Great Britain to access employment opportunities through our network of Jobcentres. Our Work Coaches engage with claimants on the basis of their individual need to provide support on finding a job, help with retraining or skills advice, job applications and access to the new vacancies, as well as signposting to our Jobhelp website.
Through our Plan for Jobs, the Department is providing broad ranging support for all jobseekers. Currently, support includes the Kickstart Scheme, Sector Based Work Academy Programmes (SWAP), Job Entry Targeted Support and Restart. The Restart Scheme supports individuals who have been unemployed for at least 9 months and through regular, personalised support, providers work with participants to identify the best way to support them into sustained employment.
In addition, the Work and Heath Programme, and Intensive Personalised Employment Support, is available to support to support disabled people and people with long term health conditions, to enter and stay in work.
Asked by: Kieran Mullan (Conservative - Bexhill and Battle)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking help people who lost their jobs during the covid-19 outbreak back into work.
Answered by Mims Davies - Shadow Minister (Women)
The Department for Work and Pensions is committed to supporting everyone who has been affected by the unprecedented impact of COVID-19. We want everyone who is able to work to find a job, progress in work and thrive in the labour market.
Throughout the pandemic the UK Government has provided over £400 billion to support the economy, including funding for the Plan for Jobs. The Kickstart scheme to date has provided over 130,000 young people with Kickstart jobs, with many of these securing permanent employment. Alongside this, the Restart Scheme offers a fresh start to those who have been unemployed for over 9 months. The scheme breaks down employment barriers that could potentially prevent jobseekers from finding work.
Way to Work is a new concerted national drive to help half a million people currently out of work into jobs by the end of June 2022, supporting them to take their next step to building a more secure and prosperous future. While we have more people on company payrolls than before the pandemic, latest figures show there are around 1.2 million vacancies across the economy, including many in key sectors.
Asked by: Kieran Mullan (Conservative - Bexhill and Battle)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people have been auto-enrolled in workplace pensions in Crewe and Nantwich constituency since 2012.
Answered by Guy Opperman
Since 2012, 13,000 eligible jobholders have been automatically enrolled into a workplace pension and 1,720 employers have declared compliance in the Crewe and Nantwich constituency.
This data is published by The Pensions Regulator each month:
https://www.thepensionsregulator.gov.uk/en/document-library/research-and-analysis/data-requests
Asked by: Kieran Mullan (Conservative - Bexhill and Battle)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the Plan For Jobs in supporting people into work.
Answered by Mims Davies - Shadow Minister (Women)
Throughout the pandemic the UK Government has provided historic levels of support to the economy – a total of over £400 billion. This includes key DWP Plan for Jobs programmes such as Restart and Kickstart alongside other measures to boost work searches, skills and apprenticeships. In addition, the Government supported people to remain in work through the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (furlough) and the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme.
Plan for Jobs has:
DWP is monitoring and evaluating the Kickstart scheme throughout and after its implementation and will continue to evaluate the longer-term outcomes for Kickstart participants after they have completed their six-month jobs. Our Kickstart evaluation includes large scale surveys to capture the views and experiences of Kickstart participants and of employers and gateway organisations. The evaluation is considering how experiences and outcomes from the scheme vary and examine how participants’ and employers’ characteristics, local context and local approaches to delivery affect experiences. Qualitative case-studies will provide a detailed understanding of how different aspects of the scheme interact and we will draw on available data and insights. We will publish the findings of the evaluation once complete.
A comprehensive, multi-strand evaluation will be undertaken to provide a robust and timely analysis of Restart delivery and impact. It will be split into four strands: targeted qualitative research during the implementation phase; a longitudinal cohort survey and qualitative research; provider research, including locally-focused case studies and finally an impact assessment including cost-benefit analysis the evaluation will assess overall programme impact and participant outcomes, as well as providing evidence on wider participant experience.
An evaluation of how DWP’s plan for jobs policies worked together is being undertaken. This will include case studies of different areas and their delivery of plan for jobs policies, and a tracking survey of a sample of plan for jobs participants and non-participants. This research will run through 2022 into 2023.
DWP have also recently launched 'Way to Work’, a concerted drive across the UK to help half a million people currently out of work into jobs in the next five months. We will be bringing employers into jobcentres and matching them up with claimants. This is good news for employers who need to fill vacancies and for our claimants.
Asked by: Kieran Mullan (Conservative - Bexhill and Battle)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment he has made of the progress of the Kickstart Scheme.
Answered by Mims Davies - Shadow Minister (Women)
As of the 31st January 2022, over 130,000 Kickstart jobs have been started by young people and over 235,000 jobs have been made available for young people to apply to through the scheme.
The Department for Work and Pensions will be monitoring and evaluating the Kickstart scheme throughout and after its implementation and will continue to evaluate the longer-term outcomes for Kickstart participants after they have completed their six-month jobs.
Jobs made available and starts quoted here include some unfunded Kickstart jobs.
Although care is taken when processing and analysing Kickstart applications, referrals and starts, the data collected might be subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large-scale recording system, which has been developed quickly.
The management information presented here has not been subjected to the usual standard of quality assurance associated with official statistics but is provided in the interests of transparency. Work is ongoing to improve the quality of information available for the programme.
Asked by: Kieran Mullan (Conservative - Bexhill and Battle)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking following COP26 to help ensure that pension funds contribute to delivering net zero.
Answered by Guy Opperman
Building on our existing climate governance and disclosure requirements, the Department consulted (from 21 October 2021 to 6 Jan 2022) on measures requiring schemes to set out how their investments are aligned with the Paris Agreement goal of limiting global average temperature increases to 1.5˚C above pre-industrial levels. We have also consulted on guidance for trustees to strengthen stewardship and voting practices which will be key to ensuring high-carbon assets transition to net zero.
We are also working across government to develop a Sustainability Disclosure Requirements regime which will create a framework for the disclosure of pension scheme’s net zero transition plans and will also help tackle ‘greenwashing’.