Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to increase skills and employment support for people receiving sickness benefit in (a) Newcastle-under-Lyme constituency and (b) Staffordshire.

In the Newcastle-under-Lyme constituency, we have a range of specialist initiatives to support individuals to stay in work and get back into work, including those that join up employment and health systems such as Employment Advice in Talking Therapies programme, which combines the expertise of therapists and employment advisers to give those with mental health conditions the support they need to find work tailored to them.

Measures also include support from Work Coaches and Disability Employment Advisers (DEAs) in the Newcastle-under-Lyme Jobcentre and Access to Work grants. Our Work Coaches in the constituency collaborate closely with DEAs to ensure a coordinated package of support. Together, they connect customers with suitable opportunities, including work experience placements and vacancies with Disability Confident employers. For those who are job-ready, we offer a weekly Job Club within the Jobcentre, supported by our Health Team, DEAs, and local partners such as Support Staffordshire.

Our national, voluntary Supported Employment Programme, Connect to Work, is supporting disabled people, people with health conditions and people with complex barriers to employment across England and Wales. In the Newcastle-under-Lyme constituency, Connect to Work is being delivered through Staffordshire County Council, working in partnership with Stoke on Trent City Council. Staffordshire County Council has been awarded grant funding of up to £19 million, to support around 5,250 people by March 2030. You can direct interested constituents to the local Connect to Work website here: Connect to Work.