Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department plans to take to measure the effectiveness of early-intervention employment support for people at risk of leaving work due to ill health.

Evaluation is a key driver in delivering DWP’s priority outcomes and ensuring alignment with the Government’s Plan for Change. As set out in the DWP Evidence and Evaluation Strategy, ongoing evaluation of new and existing initiatives assesses whether they are achieving intended results and informs future policy design.

All early intervention employment and health programmes are accompanied by robust evaluation strategies as per HM Treasury guidance. For example, for the WorkWell pilots there is a published feasibility study that outlines approaches to estimating the impact of the programme.

On completion of the evaluation, externally commissioned evaluation reports are published. For example, the evaluation of the Work Choice programme - a voluntary scheme supporting disabled people facing employment barriers or at risk of job loss showed - published in April 2025 found that, eight years after referral, participants had a payrolled employment rate 11 percentage points higher than the comparison group. This meant the programme delivered strong value for money, returning £1.67 to the Exchequer for every £1 spent.