Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the number of 16 and 17 year olds who will have their job placements funded by the Kickstart Scheme; and what eligibility restrictions apply, if any, to 16 and 17 year olds who have job placements funded by the scheme.

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) Kickstart Scheme is making £2 billion available to eligible employers and gateway organisations. As of September 2020 the number of 16-17 year olds on UC was 10,394 and we plan to support those who will benefit into Kickstart job placements.

The Kickstart Scheme provides funding to create new job placements for 16 to 24 year olds on Universal Credit who are at risk of long term unemployment. Guidance on eligibility has been published on the gov.uk/kickstart website.