Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on the progress of the Kickstart scheme.

Ministers and officials in Her Majesty’s Treasury continue to work closely with colleagues in the Department for Work and Pensions on the development and progress of the Kickstart scheme.

As of 11 November, the scheme has received 4,359 applications from employers and gateway organisations across Great Britain and 19,672 job placements have been created for young people at risk of long-term unemployment. The roles cover a range of different sectors, including construction, arts and entertainment, health social work, manufacturing, retail, transport and the public and voluntary sector.

The first Kickstart participants have started in their roles and we expect hundreds of thousands more jobs to be created over the next year.