Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many supported internships there are; and what is the target number of supported internships during 2023.

In January 2022, local authorities reported that there were 2,477 young people with an Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan enrolled on a supported internship.

In February 2022, the department announced that we are investing up to £18 million over the next three years to build capacity in the Supported Internships programme. We will aim to double the number of Supported Internships to around 4,500 per year by 2025 to give more young people with an EHC plan the skills to secure and sustain paid employment.

In the Spring Budget 2023, my right hon. Friend the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced up to £3 million to pilot extending Supported Internships to young people with learning difficulties and disabilities without EHC plans, to support more young people into employment.