Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 9 March to Question 115912 on Department for Work and Pensions: Telephone Services, how many claimants have been put into housing arrears as a result of being migrated from ESA to Universal Credit.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Department does not hold the requested data. When someone transitions from Housing Benefit their first payment of Universal Credit will be made 5 weeks later. To help bridge this gap, an additional payment of two week’s Housing Benefit is made, resulting in a customer receiving two weeks more Housing Benefit than if they had not moved. The Department is committed to supporting customers moving from Employment and Support Allowance to Universal Credit and aims to make this transition as smooth as possible. To help achieve this, Transitional Protection has been designed to prevent customers from experiencing a cliff-edge in their benefit entitlement and is applied to customers who would otherwise have a lower entitlement on Universal Credit than they previously received on their legacy benefits.
Asked by: Ashley Fox (Conservative - Bridgwater)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department plans to prioritise Skills Bootcamp funding for areas with demand for engineering and technical skills.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
We are giving local areas greater control of the delivery of Skills Bootcamps in line with our commitment to devolution; supporting areas to use Skills Bootcamps to more closely meet the needs of their local employers and economies.
As part of this, a new funding model for local areas from 2026-27 will ensure the distribution of funding remains fit for purpose and sustainable as the programme matures.
Under devolution, local areas are the commissioners of Skills Bootcamps and can plan provision according to local skills priorities. They are responsible for decisions relating to the allocation of funding to individual providers in line with their preferred commissioning method.
We will continue to work with local areas on the implementation of the new funding methodology.
The latest published data on Skills Bootcamps completions and outcomes by sector is available here Evaluation of Skills Bootcamps - 2022 to 2023 (Wave 3) completions and outcomes report.
The department does not publish estimates of Skills Bootcamps starts.
The Engineering Construction Industry Training Board (ECITB), an arm’s length body of the Department for Work and Pensions, is also supporting training and skills development for the Hinkley Point C projects. This includes investing in training programmes to support young and adult learners into employment with EDF and its supply chain, such as the ECITB scholarship which is providing training to 16-18 years olds in welding and pipefitting.
The ECITB is also supporting the Hinkley Support Operative Bronze Programme (HSO). By the end of 2026, ECITB’s support for the HSO programme over the past three years is projected to total more than £1.25 million, enabling more than 1100 learners to complete the course.
The ECITB has invested in £460,000 in state-of-the-art training rigs and £300,000 to support the capital costs of Centres of Excellence for mechanical and electrical training in the Somerset area.
Asked by: Edward Morello (Liberal Democrat - West Dorset)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what consideration his Department has given to the potential merits of increasing incentive grants to offset higher employer contributions under the revised apprenticeship funding rules.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
As we introduce new products, such as apprenticeship units and foundation apprenticeships, we are also simplifying the Growth and Skills Levy, improving its transparency and making it more efficient.
From August, we are changing the employer’s co-investment rate from 5% to 25% for levy-paying employers once they have exhausted all their levy funds. Levy-paying employers will still be able to benefit from a very generous 75% government contribution once their funds are exhausted, but it is right that employers who utilise all their levy funds contribute more to apprenticeship training and assessment. This will support greater employer investment in skills overall and ensure funding is available to roll out further flexibility for business and increase opportunities for young people.
We have undertaken extensive engagement with businesses and other key stakeholders in the design of these reforms and will continue to work closely with key partners as we develop the detail of any planned changes
To support employers of all sizes to take on apprentices the government pays £1,000 to both employers and providers for apprentices aged 16-18, and for apprentices aged 19-24 who have an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) or have been, or are, in local authority care. On top of this, employers will receive additional payments of up to £2,000 for eligible foundation apprenticeships. Additionally, employers are not required to pay anything towards employees’ National Insurance for all apprentices aged up to age 25 (when the employee’s wage is below £50,270 a year).
The government is also supporting non-levy paying employers (essentially SMEs) meet the additional costs of taking on young people by introducing a new £2,000 incentive payment when they hire apprentices under the aged of 25 as new employees.
We will carefully monitor the impact of these changes once they take effect.
Asked by: Edward Morello (Liberal Democrat - West Dorset)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department has consulted levy-paying employers on the potential impact of the revised co-investment rates on future apprenticeship recruitment decisions.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
As we introduce new products, such as apprenticeship units and foundation apprenticeships, we are also simplifying the Growth and Skills Levy, improving its transparency and making it more efficient.
From August, we are changing the employer’s co-investment rate from 5% to 25% for levy-paying employers once they have exhausted all their levy funds. Levy-paying employers will still be able to benefit from a very generous 75% government contribution once their funds are exhausted, but it is right that employers who utilise all their levy funds contribute more to apprenticeship training and assessment. This will support greater employer investment in skills overall and ensure funding is available to roll out further flexibility for business and increase opportunities for young people.
We have undertaken extensive engagement with businesses and other key stakeholders in the design of these reforms and will continue to work closely with key partners as we develop the detail of any planned changes
To support employers of all sizes to take on apprentices the government pays £1,000 to both employers and providers for apprentices aged 16-18, and for apprentices aged 19-24 who have an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) or have been, or are, in local authority care. On top of this, employers will receive additional payments of up to £2,000 for eligible foundation apprenticeships. Additionally, employers are not required to pay anything towards employees’ National Insurance for all apprentices aged up to age 25 (when the employee’s wage is below £50,270 a year).
The government is also supporting non-levy paying employers (essentially SMEs) meet the additional costs of taking on young people by introducing a new £2,000 incentive payment when they hire apprentices under the aged of 25 as new employees.
We will carefully monitor the impact of these changes once they take effect.
Asked by: Adam Dance (Liberal Democrat - Yeovil)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of providing additional funding for leadership and management apprenticeships in Yeovil constituency.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The government is transforming the apprenticeships levy into a new growth and skills levy. This will deliver greater flexibility to employers, more opportunities for young people and support the industrial strategy across the country, including in the Yeovil constituency.
Over the past decade we’ve seen apprenticeship starts by those aged 16-24 fall by 40%. This Government wants to reverse that decline and support 50,000 more young people into apprenticeships.
We are therefore reviewing the existing apprenticeship offer, which has grown to more than 700 standards, an outlier by international standards, to ensure it better supports young people starting their careers.
From September 2026, we will withdraw funding from 16 existing apprenticeship standards. Three of these are generic leadership and management apprenticeships, which have grown significantly but are predominantly used as continuing professional development for established staff aged 25 and over. Nearly 90% of apprentices on these leadership and management standards were over 25 (compared to 50% across the programme as a whole); and 83% were long-term employees (compared to 43% across the programme as whole – which is a 10-year high).
These changes will create headroom to invest in opportunities for young people and new apprenticeship units and ensure more of our finite investment is targeted on national skills priorities.
Employers who value these apprenticeship standards can continue to use them on a privately funded basis.
Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what is the office attendance requirement for staff on hybrid working.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
Members of the Senior Civil Service (SCS) must spend more than 60% of their contracted hours in the office over each four-week period. For colleagues outside the SCS, the minimum office requirement is 60% of contracted hours over each four-week period. DWP’s customer-facing employees (e.g. in job centres) are office-based and must attend for 100%.
Asked by: Callum Anderson (Labour - Buckingham and Bletchley)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what monitoring arrangements are in place to evaluate whether the Jobs Guarantee achieves its target of providing six-month paid employment opportunities for all eligible 18–24-year-olds.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
We have previously set out our approach for monitoring arrangements and expected outputs for Phase One of the Jobs Guarantee in the response I gave on 9 February 2026 to Question UIN 109869.
For the national rollout of the Jobs Guarantee, the scheme will be available to all eligible 18–24-year-olds. We will use learning from Phase One to inform and establish appropriate outcome and performance monitoring arrangements. This will ensure we are delivering the scheme as intended for all eligible young people.
Asked by: Ian Sollom (Liberal Democrat - St Neots and Mid Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when is his estimated date for publishing publish funding rates, duration and assessment arrangements for each of the seven apprenticeship units due to launch in April 2026.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
Following the announcement we will be carrying out further testing with critical stakeholders to confirm details, including funding rates and delivery hours, are set at the right level. We want to ensure the final figures are robust and reflect sector needs.
The details will be made available on the Skills England website in April 2026.
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, what steps his Department is taking to help improve the availability of (a) apprenticeships and (b) training courses in the electronic device repair industry.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Level 3 Digital Device Repair Technician apprenticeship standard is available to support the electronic device repair industry, and other occupational standards are available to facilitate engineering and manufacturing skills more widely.
To improve the availability of apprenticeships, from the next academic year, the government will fully fund apprenticeship training costs for eligible people aged under 25 at non-levy paying employers. The department currently pays the full training costs for young apprentices aged 16 to 21 at non-levy paying employers and apprentices aged 22-24 who have an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) or have been, or are, in local authority care.
From October 2026, non-levy paying employers will also receive a £2,000 incentive payment when they take on, as new employees, apprentices under the aged of 25, to help them meet the additional costs of supporting a young person at the beginning of their career.
This is in addition to the £1,000 that the Government already pays to both employers (of all sizes) and providers for apprentices aged 16-18, and for apprentices aged 19-24 who have an EHCP or have been, or are, in local authority care. On top of this, employers will receive additional payments of up to £2,000 for foundation apprenticeships and employers are not required to pay anything towards employees’ National Insurance for all apprentices aged up to age 25 (when the employee’s wage is below £50,270 a year).
Asked by: Jess Brown-Fuller (Liberal Democrat - Chichester)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many women born in the 1950s living in the Chichester constituency are currently in receipt of Pension Credit.
Answered by Torsten Bell - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
The latest Pension Credit caseload statistics show that as of August 2025, there were 2,134 people in receipt of Pension Credit in Chichester.
The latest Pension Credit caseload statistics show that as of August 2025, there were 1,437 female recipients of Pension Credit in Chichester.
Using the latest Pension Credit caseload statistics, it is estimated that there were around 400 women born in the 1950s in receipt of Pension Credit in Chichester, as of August 2025.
This data is available via: DWP Stat-Xplore