Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what discussions she has had with Cabinet colleagues on setting and monitoring cross-Government objectives on supporting young unemployed people during the current economic situation.

My Department works closely with a range of partners including local authorities, key stakeholders and colleagues in other Government Departments - including the Department for Education, Department for Media, Culture and Sport and HMT - to set common objectives on how we deal with the future challenges around youth employment and monitor how we are providing support.

From September 2020 we started the implementation of the new DWP Youth Offer for all 18 to 24 year olds. This includes the introduction of our Youth Employment Programme, during which young people will be referred to the most appropriate support. We have also implemented DWP Youth Hubs and DWP Youth Employability Coaches.

We have launched the Kickstart Scheme, dedicated to helping those young people at risk of long term unemployment develop their skills and experience through thousands of 6-month job placements.

We will continue to monitor our policies and processes to ensure young unemployed people are effectively supported during this unprecedented time.