Asked by: Shaun Davies (Labour - Telford)
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 implications for his policies of the lack of publicly-funded provision for lip-reading classes for people with hearing loss.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave on 18 March 2026 to Question UIN 118960.
Asked by: Shaun Davies (Labour - Telford)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department has considered the potential merits of making funding available to provide lip-reading courses for people with hearing loss.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Adult Skills Fund (ASF) fully funds or co-funds education and skills training for eligible adults aged 19 and above from pre-entry to level 3, to help them gain the skills they need for work, an apprenticeship or further learning. As well as qualification based provision, this can fund Tailored Learning. Tailored Learning is non-qualification based provision that is locally developed, to meet the needs of learners. Lip-reading provision can be delivered as part of Tailored Learning and recorded as an aim on the Individualised Learner Record.
As of August 2025, 68% of the ASF is devolved to 12 Strategic Authorities (SAs) and the Greater London Authority. These authorities are responsible for the provision of ASF-funded adult education for their residents and allocation of the ASF to learning providers. It is up to these authorities whether they fund lip-reading courses. The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is responsible for the remaining ASF in non-devolved areas.
There are other forms of available funding for those with hearing loss. For those in work, or who are about to start work, Access to Work provides grant funding to disabled people, and people with a health condition. The grant supports workplace adjustments that go beyond what would normally be expected from an employer through their duty to provide reasonable adjustments as outlined in the Equality Act 2010. Support via Access to Work could include specialist equipment, physical adaptations to premises, or help with the cost of a support worker.
Asked by: Shaun Davies (Labour - Telford)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department has considered the potential merits of extending the 18-month limit on the Bereavement Support Payment.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
Bereavement Support Payment (BSP) aims to provide support during the acute period following a bereavement by way of an initial lump sum followed by up to 18 monthly instalments with a higher amount paid for those with children. Where longer-term financial support is needed, benefits such as Universal Credit have been specifically designed to provide assistance with ongoing living costs. The Government keeps the eligibility of all benefits under review.
Asked by: Shaun Davies (Labour - Telford)
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 adequacy of the Bereavement Support Payment in supporting widowed families.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
Bereavement Support Payment (BSP) aims to provide support during the acute period following a bereavement by way of an initial lump sum followed by up to 18 monthly instalments with a higher amount paid for those with children. Where longer-term financial support is needed, benefits such as Universal Credit have been specifically designed to provide assistance with ongoing living costs. The Government keeps the eligibility of all benefits under review.
Asked by: Shaun Davies (Labour - Telford)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 23 February 2026 to Question 111895, what plans his Department has to engage with the private sector on delivery options for the digital element of the new Jobs and Careers Service.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Department is preparing to undertake a market engagement exercise to understand the range of products and services that could support and enhance the Jobs and Career Service. These opportunities will be published on Find a Tender in due course.
Asked by: Shaun Davies (Labour - Telford)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 23 February 2026 to Question 111898, what the evaluated costs are for delivering and operating the digital elements of the Jobs and Careers Service in-house compared with using private-sector technology.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
I refer the Hon. member to the answer I gave on 10th December to PQ 96593.
Asked by: Shaun Davies (Labour - Telford)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 23 February 2026 to Question 111895, what delivery options his Department is considering for the digital elements of the Jobs and Careers Service.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Department is considering a wide range of delivery options for the Jobs and Careers Service.
Currently several elements of the Jobs and Careers new digital service have already been assessed and the decision taken to build some of these elements in house. For other digital elements, the Department is preparing to undertake a market engagement exercise to understand the range of digital products and services that could support and enhance the Jobs and Career Service. The outcome of this engagement will help inform the future delivery strategy for the Jobs and Career Service.
Asked by: Shaun Davies (Labour - Telford)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 24 February 2026 to Question 111896, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the 2028 delivery date for the Jobs and Careers Service on mobilisation of the UK workforce between now and 2028.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
We have interpreted ‘mobilisation of the UK workforce’ to mean moving economically inactive or unemployed individuals into employment.
We are aiming for a fully operational, nationwide, transformed service from 2028/29, with ongoing improvement thereafter. We already provide support to help people into employment through our current Jobcentre offer which will continue and improve as we transition to the new Jobs and Careers Service. We have developed an enhanced employer offer and employer strategy and grown the Sector-based Work Academy Programmes (SWAPs) in priority sectors. We have also announced the integration of the careers service in England from October this year, which will provide a more joined up service for customers. In April 2025, we launched our first Pathfinder in Wakefield in April 2025 which is testing elements of the new service including new ways of delivering employment support.
We are also supporting people into employment through wider initiatives including the 17 youth and inactivity trailblazers, NHS Health and Growth Accelerators, Connect to Work programme and the Pathways to Work guarantee. In addition, the national rollout of the Youth Guarantee Gateway will start in April 2026 and follow a phased implementation to ensure adequate provision and infrastructure are in place to meet demand.
Asked by: Shaun Davies (Labour - Telford)
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 2028 delivery date for the Jobs and Careers Service on workforce mobilisation between now and 2028.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
We have interpreted your question as relating to DWP workforce.
As part of the Jobs and Careers Service Programme the department will develop a plan to support the transition to the new organisation. As the design is still evolving so are our plans relating to the workforce. At present we continue to anticipate workforce needs in line with our existing processes and remain flexible as the design continues to take shape.
Asked by: Shaun Davies (Labour - Telford)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the in-house design and development of the replacement for his Department's Find a Job digital service, what information his Department holds on the number of civil servants and external contractors involved in the service; the number of hours civil servants and external contractors have spent working on the service; and what estimate he has made of the level of spending on external contractors required to deliver and operate the service.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The information requested is not held centrally and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.