Asked by: Helen Whately (Conservative - Faversham and Mid Kent)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate his Department has made of the number of positions funded under the Youth Guarantee that would anyway have been created by the private sector.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Jobs Guarantee will help young people to move closer to and into sustained employment. The Jobs Guarantee is aimed at young people who face multiple barriers to work, with the scheme targeting those who are 18-21 years old who have been on Universal Credit and looking for work for 18 months.
We will provide more detail in the coming weeks on how the scheme will be delivered. The scheme will enable young people to access suitable vacancies, with additional, tailored support provided to help young people start roles and succeed throughout their employment.
Asked by: Helen Whately (Conservative - Faversham and Mid Kent)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many and what proportion of jobs under the Youth Guarantee will be fully funded by his Department; and for how long those jobs will be fully funded.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
As part of the Youth Guarantee, we are breaking the cycle of unemployment by guaranteeing paid work for every eligible 18–21-year old who has been on Universal Credit, looking for work, for 18 months. All Jobs Guarantee scheme jobs will be fully funded by the Department and will provide six months of paid employment. This will reach around 55,000 young people over the next three years.
This will help young people take that crucial first step into sustained employment, supporting the government’s long-term ambition to increase the employment rate.
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much their Department has spent on (a) advertising and (b) marketing in each of the last three years.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
As one of the largest government departments, our campaigns aim to give people straightforward information about policies and services that make a real difference in their daily lives. We focus on helping some of the UK’s most vulnerable households by showing them what support is available and how to access it. For example, letting pensioners know they could get extra money to help with living costs and explaining how to apply, guiding people through the steps to switch from older benefits to Universal Credit so they don’t miss out on payments, and sharing advice on how to access jobs and skills support.
Advertising is essential to reach the right people with these messages. We choose media channels that give the best value for money and have the biggest impact for taxpayer.
Total spend with our buying and planning agencies for the last three financial years is as follows: (amounts are rounded to nearest £0.1m):
Year | Spend |
2024-2025 | £8,500,000 |
2023-2024 | £8,700,000 |
2022-2023 | £5,200,000 |
Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the rise in the UK unemployment rate to 5.1 per cent between August and October 2025; and what steps they are taking to support employment opportunities for young people.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The UK’s unemployment rate is now 5.1%.
But since the start of 2025 363,000 more people are in employment – outweighing the increase in unemployment over the same period (280,000).
At the end of the last Government the UK was the only country with economic inactivity higher - rather than lower - than before the COVID-19 pandemic. Since then, we have seen a significant fall in economic inactivity as people reengage with the labour market. Our economic inactivity rate (21.0%) has fallen to its joint lowest level in over five years (and was last lower in January to March 2020).
The Government’s number one mission is to grow the economy and raise living standards across the UK. However, almost one million young people across the UK are currently not in education, employment, or training (NEET). That is why our manifesto set out the ambition to transform young people’s prospects by ensuring every one of them has the chance to earn or learn through a Youth Guarantee.
We have already taken the first steps towards delivering a Youth Guarantee, to ensure that all 16–24-year-olds in Great Britain can access support to find work, training, or an apprenticeship. We have launched Youth Guarantee Trailblazers in England, announced funding to almost double our Youth Hubs across Great Britain, and we recently launched an Independent Report into Young People and Work, to identify potential areas for reform to better support young people with health conditions and disabilities.
We are now going further through an expansion of the Youth Guarantee. This expansion is backed by a £820 million investment over the Spending Review period to reach almost 900,000 young people, including through Youth Hubs in every area in Great Britain and a new Youth Guarantee Gateway, offering a dedicated session and follow-up support to 16-24–year-olds on Universal Credit. This investment will also create around 300,000 more opportunities to gain workplace experience and training and provide guaranteed jobs to around 55,000 young people aged 18-21.
Taken together, these measures show the Government’s commitment to backing young people, transforming lives, driving the economy and ensuring background is no barrier to success. Delivered in partnership with local government and devolved authorities, they will ensure no young person falls through the cracks.
Asked by: Helen Whately (Conservative - Faversham and Mid Kent)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions,how many households include (a) one, (b) two and (c) three or more people in receipt of Carer’s Element in the latest period for which data is available.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
There is a maximum of two claimants on a Universal Credit (UC) claim therefore there cannot be 3 or more claimants on the UC claim being attributed with the carer’s element.
a) In August 2025, 1,045,000 UC households had the UC carer's element of £201.68 for one claimant.
b) In August 2025, 37,000 UC households had the UC carer's element of two lots of £201.68 – one attributed to each claimant on a joint claim.
Notes:
Asked by: Wendy Chamberlain (Liberal Democrat - North East Fife)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a fund to support children and young people with cancer with the costs of travelling to specialist treatment centres through the development of the National Cancer Plan for England.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is committed to putting patients first and providing speedy and high-quality care, irrespective of where patients are treated in United Kingdom. The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) works collaboratively with the Devolved Governments to drive forward its objective of supporting people, including children and young people with cancer, to lead more independent, healthier lives for longer.
DHSC knows that the cost of travel is an important issue for many young cancer patients and their families in England.
The National Health Service in England runs the Healthcare Travel Costs Scheme (HTCS) to provide financial assistance for travel to a hospital or other NHS premises for specialist NHS treatment or diagnostics tests, when referred by a doctor or other primary healthcare professional. Patients who do not qualify for the HTCS and who are on a low income may be able to claim the costs from the Department for Work and Pensions through Universal Credit or a Personal Independence Payment. There are also several charities in the UK who provide support, including financial support, for patients with cancer.
On 4 February 2025, DHSC relaunched the Children and Young People Cancer Taskforce to identify tangible ways to improve outcomes and experiences for young cancer patients in England. The taskforce will ensure that the unique needs of children and young people with cancer are carefully considered as part of the National Cancer Plan, which will include further details on how we will improve experience and outcomes for children and young people with cancer in England.
Asked by: Steff Aquarone (Liberal Democrat - North Norfolk)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate his Department has made of the cost incurred by children and young people from North Norfolk for attending their cancer treatment in the nearest specialist treatment centre in Cambridge; how many of them are not receiving support for their travel costs; and whether he will introduce a Young Cancer Patient Travel Fund to support with these costs.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) knows that the cost of travel is an important issue for many young cancer patients and their families in England.
The Healthcare Travel Costs Scheme (HTCS) is designed to provide financial support for eligible patients to facilitate their journeys to and from National Health Service-funded secondary care. Eligibility for HTCS is set by DHSC and details are available at the following link:
https://www.nhs.uk/nhs-services/help-with-health-costs/healthcare-travel-costs-scheme-htcs/
Patients who do not qualify for the HTCS and who are on a low income may be able to claim the costs from the Department for Work and Pensions through Universal Credit or a Personal Independence Payment. There are also several charities in the United Kingdom who provide support, including financial support, for patients with cancer.
NHS England does not collect national patient-level data on uptake of the HTCS. This data is held by the organisation paying for the claim, often the hospital trust or integrated care board. Therefore, DHSC has not made a formal assessment of the cost incurred by children and young people from North Norfolk for attending their cancer treatment in the nearest specialist treatment centre in Cambridge and how many of them are not receiving support for their travel costs.
On 4 February 2025, DHSC relaunched the Children and Young People Cancer Taskforce to identify tangible ways to improve outcomes and experiences for young cancer patients. The taskforce will ensure that the unique needs of children and young people with cancer are carefully considered as part of the National Cancer Plan, which will include further details on how we will improve experience and outcomes for children and young people with cancer in England.
Asked by: Wendy Chamberlain (Liberal Democrat - North East Fife)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure equity of access to cancer treatment and care for children and young people with cancer from Scotland who may receive some or all of their care in England; and what recent discussions he has had with the Scottish Government on this matter.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is committed to putting patients first and providing speedy and high-quality care, irrespective of where patients are treated in United Kingdom. The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) works collaboratively with the Devolved Governments to drive forward its objective of supporting people, including children and young people with cancer, to lead more independent, healthier lives for longer.
DHSC knows that the cost of travel is an important issue for many young cancer patients and their families in England.
The National Health Service in England runs the Healthcare Travel Costs Scheme (HTCS) to provide financial assistance for travel to a hospital or other NHS premises for specialist NHS treatment or diagnostics tests, when referred by a doctor or other primary healthcare professional. Patients who do not qualify for the HTCS and who are on a low income may be able to claim the costs from the Department for Work and Pensions through Universal Credit or a Personal Independence Payment. There are also several charities in the UK who provide support, including financial support, for patients with cancer.
On 4 February 2025, DHSC relaunched the Children and Young People Cancer Taskforce to identify tangible ways to improve outcomes and experiences for young cancer patients in England. The taskforce will ensure that the unique needs of children and young people with cancer are carefully considered as part of the National Cancer Plan, which will include further details on how we will improve experience and outcomes for children and young people with cancer in England.
Asked by: Wendy Chamberlain (Liberal Democrat - North East Fife)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what data his Department holds on the number of children and young people with cancer from Scotland who have received some or all of their treatment in England within the last five years; and whether his Department provides support for travel costs for those patients.
Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Government is committed to putting patients first and providing speedy and high-quality care, irrespective of where patients are treated in United Kingdom. The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) works collaboratively with the Devolved Governments to drive forward its objective of supporting people, including children and young people with cancer, to lead more independent, healthier lives for longer.
DHSC knows that the cost of travel is an important issue for many young cancer patients and their families in England.
The National Health Service in England runs the Healthcare Travel Costs Scheme (HTCS) to provide financial assistance for travel to a hospital or other NHS premises for specialist NHS treatment or diagnostics tests, when referred by a doctor or other primary healthcare professional. Patients who do not qualify for the HTCS and who are on a low income may be able to claim the costs from the Department for Work and Pensions through Universal Credit or a Personal Independence Payment. There are also several charities in the UK who provide support, including financial support, for patients with cancer.
On 4 February 2025, DHSC relaunched the Children and Young People Cancer Taskforce to identify tangible ways to improve outcomes and experiences for young cancer patients in England. The taskforce will ensure that the unique needs of children and young people with cancer are carefully considered as part of the National Cancer Plan, which will include further details on how we will improve experience and outcomes for children and young people with cancer in England.
Asked by: Helen Whately (Conservative - Faversham and Mid Kent)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people does the Department estimate will be eligible for the Youth Guarantee at the beginning of the scheme, and for each quarter until the end of this Parliament.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
We are investing £820 million over the next 3 years in our Youth Guarantee to overhaul support and give a generation of young people a brighter future. Different aspects of the Youth Guarantee have different eligibility criteria.
Young People claiming benefits and on DWP’s Youth Offer may be eligible for the new Youth Guarantee Gateway, the Jobs Guarantee, Work Experience placements and SWAPs. Nearly 900,000 will be eligible for (and will receive) the Youth Guarantee Gateway, which consists of a dedicated session, followed by four weeks of additional intensive support with a Work Coach. The Jobs Guarantee will guarantee a six-month paid work placement to eligible young people aged 18 to 21 who have been on Universal Credit and looking for work for 18 months. We estimate that 55,000 people will be eligible for the Jobs Guarantee between launch and March 2029.
Other aspects of the Youth Guarantee are open to all those who need them. For instance, we are expanding Youth Hubs for 16 to 24-year-olds to more than 360 locations across Great Britain so that all young people – including those not receiving benefits – can access opportunities and comprehensive support in their local area. Each Youth Hub unites employment services from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) with place-based support from local partners, helping young people move into work. As part of this expansion, we have introduced a core blueprint for minimum service standards, marking a major step forward in making employment support more accessible and seamlessly integrated with other essential services such as health, housing, and wellbeing tailored to local needs and partnerships.