Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of using the Restart scheme to provide support for people unemployed for more than 12 months.

The Restart scheme is contracted to provide support for long-term unemployed people for up to 12 months.

First referrals to the Restart Scheme began in July 2021 with an initial focus on those who had been on Universal Credit in the Intensive Work Search (IWS) Regime for between 12 and 18 months.

In early 2022, the scheme expanded to Universal Credit claimants in IWS for 9 months with no upper limit and to claimants who are in receipt of Income Based Jobseekers Allowance.