Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 16 September 2021 to Question 48341 on Employment Schemes, what the evidential basis is for the assertion that work coaches are helping people already in work into better paid work.

Universal Credit is based on a strong system of support and an agreed relationship where both sides endeavour to do the best they can to achieve positive work outcomes and prevent a slide into welfare dependency. Our evidence shows that Work Coach support is effective at reducing the amount of time claimants spend on benefit and that Work Coaches can help working claimants overcome barriers to taking on more or better work.