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Diana R. Johnson
LAB✓ Current MP
🏛️ Kingston upon Hull North and Cottingham
📅 2014–2026
1,887 speeches on Hansard record
✅ Votes attended: 91.30% (#5 of 643 MPs)
🟢 Rebelled against party: 0.34%
📝 Topics: Blood: Contamination, Counter-terrorism, Railways: North of England
Written Answers
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Department for Work and Pensions
The latest data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) shows that 3.1 million days were lost due to headaches and migraines in 2024. This represents 2.1% of all days lost, the same percentage as in 2019. No assessment has been made of the potential impact of migraine on labour market…
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Good work is good for health, so we want everyone to get work and get on in work, whoever they are and wherever they live. In our Pathways to Work Green Paper we set out our Pathways to Work offer, backed by £1 billion a year of new funding by the end of the decade. Disabled people are a…
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The Government recognises the substantial economic and NHS burden of migraine, which costs the economy roughly £8.8 billion to £12 billion annually, driven heavily by lost productivity. Three million workdays are lost annually due to migraine and there are approximately 16,500 emergency…
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Support for vulnerable households affected by rising oil-heating costs will be treated as Crisis Payments under the Crisis and Resilience Fund. In line with scheme guidance published on 13 January 2026, local authorities have flexibility to determine eligibility for these payments. Local…
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The Government does not collect or hold information on the reasons for absence relating to the care of pets, including those linked to veterinary care and emergencies. Employers are responsible for managing wider categories of employee absence, including any time taken for caring responsibilities…
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As set out in our Child Poverty Strategy, this Government is committed to boosting family incomes, supporting single parents and reducing the earnings gap within couple households by transforming employment support and removing barriers to work. The Government recognises that high childcare costs…
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Support for vulnerable households affected by the rising cost of heating oil will be treated as crisis payments under the Crisis and Resilience Fund and as per guidance, local authorities have flexibility to determine eligibility for crisis payments.
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Sir Charlie Mayfield’s independent Keep Britain Working review report, published on 5 November 2025, aims to tackle health-related economic inactivity, with over one in five working-age adults out of the workforce, substantially because of health problems. While not the direct focus,…
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The Crisis and Resilience Fund will come into effect on 1 April in England. In most cases, local authorities will start making payments to households from 1 April. However, they can also provide payments now to specifically support households facing rising oil-heating costs.
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We are committed to providing disabled people who want to work with the right support to find employment, including part-time work and self-employment, that meets their specific circumstances and ambitions. In addition to Work Coach support, our Pathways to Work Advisers provide one-to-one…
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The additional £53 million announced by the government to be targeted at heating oil includes £3.8 million support for Wales, which is being provided to the Welsh Government. It is for the Welsh Government to determine how this funding is allocated and delivered, in line with its devolved…
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A total of 85 customers were referred by DWP to DVSA Test Centres across the six priority locations. From this number, 37 passed the assessment and have been offered roles. DVSA provided feedback on a further 26 who were unsuccessful but showed clear potential and stated it would like to support…
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In England, £27 million of funding will be delivered via the Crisis and Resilience Fund to support low-income households reliant on oil for heating. £842 million a year was already committed through the Crisis and Resilience Fund at Spending Review 2025, which all unitary and upper tier…
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Sanctions are only ever applied if a claimant has failed to undertake their agreed requirements without good reason. All requirements are set in discussion with the claimant and tailored to their capability and circumstances, making them realistic and achievable. Requirements are regularly reviewed…
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We know that individuals face different barriers to employment and as a result require different types of employment support to get into work. We have adopted a test and learn approach to many of the reforms across the employment support system, allowing us to build an evidence base to inform…
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Local authorities have flexibility to determine eligibility for heating‑oil support under the Crisis and Resilience Fund, applying their own discretion to identify the most vulnerable households facing immediate financial difficulties as a result of rising heating‑oil prices. Local…
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Musculoskeletal (MSK) problems were one of the leading causes of sickness absence in the UK in 2024. Early detection and prevention, including increasing access to employment advice, can support people with MSK conditions getting into and remaining in work. The Government is committed to supporting…
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The Government is committed to supporting disabled people and people with health conditions, including back pain and musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions, with their employment journey. We therefore have a range of specialist initiatives to support individuals to stay in work and get back into work,…
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The Pre-referral Quality Check is completed by a Jobcentre Team Leader, deputy, or colleague with the relevant experience. The Department has a variety of internal performance metrics in place to monitor the quality of our services. We regularly review referrals to ensure they are being delivered…
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Whilst a sanction typically results in a 100% reduction of the Universal Credit standard allowance rate for each day the sanction is in place (except for couples where this is halved), lower reduction rates apply in certain scenarios where it is reasonable due to the claimant’s circumstances,…
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The Crisis and Resilience Fund can be used to support households reliant on alternative fuel sources other than heating oil, such as LPG. Guidance to local authorities is clear that Crisis Payments can be used to support energy costs for any form of fuel used for domestic heating, cooking or…
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Good work is good for health, so we want everyone to get work and get on in work, whoever they are and wherever they live. In our Pathways to Work Green Paper we set out our Pathways to Work offer, backed by £1 billion a year of new funding by the end of the decade. Disabled people and people…
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Our plan to Make Work Pay is part of the mission to grow the economy, raise living standards across the country and create opportunities for all. This is why we committed in our manifesto to ending mass dependence on emergency food parcels. The Government recognises that the level of household food…
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Evaluation of the claimant commitment pathfinder will focus on how well the approach enables more tailored conditionality, clearer communication of expectations, and improved engagement between claimants and work coaches. It will also assess claimant understanding of their commitments and whether…
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The claimant commitment pathfinder is being developed using direct insight from Universal Credit claimants and work coaches. Through structured user research activity and ongoing feedback, we are assessing how the new approach operates in practice and whether it provides a clearer and improved…
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This Government is committed to growth, and a key pillar of this is ensuring that everyone, including graduates, have access to good, meaningful work. As part of our ongoing assessment of labour market trends, we note that job vacancies have declined from 1.3 million in 2022 to 726,000 as the…
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Work coaches must ensure all awards made under the Flexible Support Fund (FSF) are reasonable and represent good value for money in terms of improving employment prospects and reducing the time spent on benefits. Where a work coach identifies concerns that FSF funded equipment may have been…
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Yes, local authorities have discretion to design their own schemes within the published Crisis and Resilience Fund guidance and this can include supporting families eligible for free school meals during school holidays through Crisis Payments. This may or may not be through the blanket provision of…
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My Department has worked closely with local authorities and other stakeholders on the detailed design of the Fund. We published scheme guidance in January to enable local authorities to prepare for delivery. The guidance makes clear that the Crisis and Resilience Fund is classified as local welfare…
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DVSA identified priority locations that had 5 or more live vacancies and provided the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) with a list. Following their external recruitment drive in January 2026, DVSA advised DWP that some of the locations initially identified were no longer considered high…
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We are currently in the process of making referrals for these roles. Each location has the capacity to have 16 customers referred. Assessments will take place on 16 March (Slough & Southampton), 17 March (Tottenham & Bletchley) and 19 March (Bedford & Bromley).
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Employers have a statutory duty to pay Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) to employees who satisfy the qualifying criteria. They can offer occupational or discretionary sick pay to their employees at a higher rate than the statutory minimum, but may place limits on eligibility or duration. Employers are not…
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Work helps everyone play active and fulfilling roles in society while building financial security for retirement, and we recognise the wealth of skills and experience that older workers bring both to the workplace and the economy. The Department is committed to supporting people over the age of 50…
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I refer the Hon. member to the answer I gave to PQ 116522.
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This government will not leave an entire generation of young people behind. The government has announced a further £1 billion investment in young people, resulting in a total £2.5 billion over the next three years into the Youth Guarantee and additional investment…
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The Department provides funding to local authorities in England through the Household Support Fund, to provide crisis support to vulnerable households in the most need with the cost of essentials. Management Information on how local authorities have used this funding, including the number of awards…
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People with long-term health conditions will continue to be supported by the benefit system, including Personal Independence Payments (PIP), up to and beyond reaching State Pension age, and Universal Credit for those unable to work before reaching retirement. We recognise the wealth of skills and…
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Jobs Plus is a community-led model with strong potential to tackle inactivity and unemployment. The Department is testing the model in ten social housing neighbourhoods to generate evidence on place-based support. The pilots will be evaluated to assess their effectiveness in helping people enter…
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There is no specific budget for English Language Support. information on suppliers is available from https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/Attachment/20879758-e64d-4486-a2cd-c234340afe49
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The DWP encourages employers to provide feedback to unsuccessful job applicants wherever possible. This includes asking employers to adapt their recruitment processes so they can identify applicants and share outcome information with Employer Adviser teams, enabling Work Coaches to support…
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The Department for Work and Pensions has adopted a test and learn approach across many of its employment support pilot scheme areas. The Government has committed to publish a report this spring which sets out more detail on how we are delivering the new Jobs and Careers Service. To evaluate the…
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The DWP works closely with DESNZ on a range of clean energy and net zero workforce priorities including nuclear. This includes contributing labour market insight and employer engagement expertise to DESNZ’s work on the Clean Jobs Employer Handbook, which is being developed to help employers…
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DWP is working to make logistics a sector of choice for young people by promoting awareness and creating clear entry routes. We support Generation Logistics, an industry-led campaign to promote careers in the sector to young people and other underrepresented groups. Campaigns like Generation…
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There is clear guidance in place for work coaches to follow when making awards. Work coaches must explore all other potential sources of financial support before using the Flexible Support Fund (FSF), so that spend does not duplicate provision which is funded elsewhere by government, partners or…
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For the new jobs and careers service the Department considered a range of delivery options and enabling technologies to support service design and delivery, including the potential role of digital and data‑driven tools such as automation and artificial intelligence. The Department is…
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As part of the first Jobs and Careers Service Pathfinder, launched in Wakefield in April 2025, we have been testing personalised employment support, including through a new Get Britain Working Coaching Academy and changes to claimant commitment appointments. Evaluation is ongoing and will focus on…
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At the point of launch, the in-house replacement service will support equivalent functionality to the existing Find a Job service. After launch the service will go through regular test and learn iterations to introduce new innovations.
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The new service is designed to provide a parity of service from day one. We do not expect any negative impact on Jobseeker outcomes. The Department is continuously reviewing the readiness of the new service, and it remains on track. Over time the new service will be iterated in to provide a more…
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We do not hold information on the disposable income of households after essential expenditure including energy costs. Working-age benefits covered by the Secretary of State’s statutory review will be increased by 3.8% from April, in line with the increase in the consumer prices index in the…
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The Department is strengthening collaboration between Jobcentre Plus, local employers and community organisations to support young people into sustained employment. Through the development of the new Jobs and Careers Service, we are embedding a more locally responsive model of employment support.…
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The Department is considering a wide range of delivery options for the Jobs and Careers Service.Currently several elements of the Jobs and Careers new digital service have already been assessed and the decision taken to build some of these elements in house. For other digital elements, the…
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This Government is committed to championing the rights of, and helping, disabled people and people with health conditions. More people with health conditions will be supported to enter and stay in work through our Pathways to Work offer which includes the Connect to Work Supported Employment…
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The Department is preparing to undertake a market engagement exercise to understand the range of products and services that could support and enhance the Jobs and Career Service. These opportunities will be published on Find a Tender in due course.
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Since November 2024, employment is up by over 454,000, youth employment by 126,000, and the ethnic minority employment rate has risen to 69.9%. The UK’s employment rate has remained stable at 75% over the past year and we’ve seen other positive labour market trends. While unemployment…
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I refer the Hon. member to the answer I gave on 10th December to PQ 96593.
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Just under 18 million people in England were estimated to be affected by musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions in 2023 and improving their health and work outcomes will help deliver this government's mission to kickstart economic growth. MSK problems were one of the leading causes of sickness absence in…
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Just under 18 million people in England were estimated to be affected by musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions in 2023 and improving their health and work outcomes will help deliver this government's mission to kickstart economic growth. MSK problems were one of the leading causes of sickness absence in…
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We have interpreted ‘mobilisation of the UK workforce’ to mean moving economically inactive or unemployed individuals into employment.We are aiming for a fully operational, nationwide, transformed service from 2028/29, with ongoing improvement thereafter. We already provide support to…
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The Monitoring and Evaluation framework published alongside the Strategy set out that a baseline report will be published in Summer 2026 with annual reporting on progress thereafter and Government already has a statutory duty to publish poverty statistics annually. We have put these clear reporting…
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The Get Britain Working White Paper, published in autumn 2024, and Pathways to Work Green Paper, published in spring 2025, set out the Government’s plan on skills and employment support, including for those in receipt of sickness benefits. Our Pathways to Work guaranteed offer of personalised…
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The Sector-based Work Academy Programme (SWAP) is a Department for Work and Pensions initiative designed to help unemployed people move into work. It offers sector-specific training, work experience and a guaranteed job interview, supporting claimants to develop the skills and behaviours that…
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There has been no assessment made of the number of graduates who have graduated in the last five years and are claiming benefits.
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The Department has strong safeguards in place to ensure that equipment and technology funded through the Flexible Support Fund (FSF) are not sold or misused. Work coaches carefully assess each request to ensure it is reasonable, represents good value for money, and is necessary to support a…
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Trends in the percentage of individuals in relative and absolute low income both before and after housing costs can be found in the Households Below Average Income Official Statistics: Households below average income: for financial years ending 1995 to 2024 - GOV.UK Between the 2022/23 and 2023/24…
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My Department has worked closely with local authorities and other stakeholders on the detailed design of the Fund. We published scheme guidance in January, and final allocations have been confirmed to enable local authorities to prepare for delivery. We are collaborating with local authorities…
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The information requested is not available, due to small sample sizes on the survey used to estimate unemployment in constituencies. National level estimates of unemployment of more than 12 months duration are available in ONS Table UNEM01. There is published information on the number of years…
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Economic growth is this Government’s first mission; we are committed to creating good jobs, helping more people into work and raising living standards. DWP is tackling unemployment by reshaping our employment support offer to break down barriers related to skills, health and progression. For…
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Homelessness can act as a significant barrier to gaining and sustaining employment. DWP helps people experiencing homelessness to move towards work through tailored and place-based work coach support – a commitment outlined in the new cross-government National Plan to End Homelessness. This…
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DWP recognises the important role that the trade unions can play in a modern workplace, including the benefits that effective engagement between employers and unions can bring. Colleagues working on the Young People and Work Report continue to engage with trade union representatives. As part of the…
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I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave on 19 December 2025 to Question UIN 99275.
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Foodbanks are independent, charitable organisations and the Department for Work and Pensions does not have any role in their operation and therefore does not hold data on the number of foodbanks in operation. The Government recognises that the level of household food insecurity in the…
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WorkWell is a health and employment support service providing integrated holistic early help for people with disabilities and/or health conditions to address their health-related barriers to work. The WorkWell pilot phase launched in October 2024 in 15 areas in England and so far has supported…
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We have interpreted your question as relating to DWP workforce.As part of the Jobs and Careers Service Programme the department will develop a plan to support the transition to the new organisation. As the design is still evolving so are our plans relating to the workforce. At present we continue…
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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 employment support programmes assesses whether they are achieving intended results…
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Connect to Work is our voluntary, locally led Supported Employment programme that will help around 300,000 disabled people, people with health conditions and individuals with more complex barriers to employment by the end of the decade, across England and Wales. Mayors and Local Authorities have…
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Jobcentre Plus (JCP) actively promotes vacancies, including roles with the Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency (DVSA), by matching a claimant’s skills and circumstances to available roles. The DWP’s Strategic Relationship Team is working with the DVSA to test a new recruitment approach…
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The information requested is not held centrally and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.
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The Department is committed to ensuring the new Jobs and Careers Service is fit for thefuture and will leverage the right technology, including AI, to deliver improved outcomes for citizens. The Department is considering a wide range delivery options for the Jobs and Careers Service.
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The Government is reforming Jobcentre Plus and creating a new service across Great Britain to enable everyone to access support to find meaningful work and progress in employment. In England, this includes bringing together Jobcentre Plus with the National Careers Service into a unified jobs and…
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Work helps everyone play active and fulfilling roles in society while building financial security for retirement, and we recognise the wealth of skills and experience that older workers bring both to the workplace and the economy. We are committed to supporting workers over the age of 50 through a…
View full answer ↗
Good work is good for health, so we want everyone to get work and get on in work, whoever they are and wherever they live. Backed by £240 million investment, the Get Britain Working White Paper launched in November 2024 is driving forward approaches to tackling economic inactivity. Disabled…
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The department’s official statistics on food bank use are published via the annual Households Below Average Income (HBAI) statistics, Households below average income (HBAI) statistics - GOV.UK using data from the Family Resources Survey (FRS), Family Resources Survey - GOV.UK. They measure…
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This information is not held.
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Good work is good for health, so we want everyone to get work and get on in work, whoever they are and wherever they live. Backed by £240 million investment, the Get Britain Working White Paper launched in November 2024 is driving forward approaches to tackling economic inactivity. The…
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We do not capture data on the number of graduates entering graduate schemes or graduate-level employment. The latest published DfE data shows that the unemployment rate for graduates is lower than non-graduates. A link to this data can be found here.(opens in a new tab)
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Good work is good for health, so we want everyone to get work and get on in work, whoever they are and wherever they live. Backed by £240 million investment, the Get Britain Working White Paper launched in November 2024 is driving forward approaches to tackling economic inactivity. Disabled…
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Jobs Plus is a community-based model with strong potential to tackle inactivity and unemployment. The department is testing the model in ten social housing communities across England to generate evidence on place-based support. The pilots will be evaluated to assess their effectiveness in helping…
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The information requested is published and available at:https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/default.asp Guidance for users can be found at:https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/home/newuser.aspThe estimated youth unemployment rates can be found by selecting “Query data” on the NOMIS home page and selecting…
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Statistics on the number of pensioners living in absolute and relative poverty in the UK are published annually in the “Households Below Average Income” publication, the latest available being Households below average income: for financial years ending 1995 to 2024 - GOV.UK. The table…
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We’re delivering a modern deal for working parents through the Employment Rights Act. Improving access to flexible working to allow parents to fit work around their family life, and employers will be expected to agree flexible working requests unless there is a clear and reasonable reason why…
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The Department does not hold data on the number of pre-existing foodbanks that have been brought into official statistics. Statistics on food bank use are published annually in the Households Below Average Income statistics report and are only available from 2021/22 onwards. The most recent…
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The Employment Rights Act will support a reduction in economic inactivity by improving job security, job quality and working conditions, particularly for those in lower paid and insecure roles, who are concentrated in more deprived areas of the UK. Over 18 million employees are expected to benefit…
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The Government is committed to increasing opportunities for young people. That is why the Department for Work & Pensions is expanding Youth Hubs for 16–24 year olds to increase coverage to more than 360 locations across Great Britain, ensuring that every young person - including those not…
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We recognise that employers already have access to a wide range of guidance on supporting employees experiencing menopause, including resources produced by the British Standards Institution. While current government guidance does not specifically reference BS 30416: Menstruation, Menstrual Health…
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Good work is good for health, so we want everyone to get work and get on in work, whoever they are and wherever they live. Backed by £240 million investment, the Get Britain Working White Paper launched in November 2024 is driving forward approaches to…
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The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.
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A full summary Equalities Analysis was published alongside the Strategy and is available at: Child Poverty Strategy: Summary Equalities Analysis - GOV.UK.The impacts of policies contributing to the Child Poverty Strategy will be kept under review and monitored on an ongoing basis by departments…
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Foundation skills including English, maths, and digital skills are fundamental for full participation in work, education and society. The Jobcentre Plus’s network of over 600 local centres offers tailored, flexible support for UC claimants to build foundational skills through its Work Coaches…
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The Government is taking a range of steps to increase awareness among young people of the diverse and rewarding career opportunities available in British manufacturing. This forms part of our wider efforts to reduce the number of young people who are not in education, employment or training (NEET).…
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WorkWell will be rolled out across all of England backed by up to £259 million over the next three years. WorkWell gives funding to local Integrated Care Boards (ICBs) to lead, design and deliver integrated work and health support that meets the needs of working age disabled people and those…
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Graduate schemes are designed and operated by individual employers and are not overseen or monitored by DWP. As such, DWP does not hold a central assessment of the adequacy of these employer‑run schemes. Although we do not capture data on the adequacy of graduate schemes, the latest published…
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The Government has also been working closely with the Mayor of the West Midlands and local authority leaders on a new £75 million construction skills package over the next three years to help meet rising sector demand. Alongside this, the Secretary of State is supporting the continuation of…
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The Flexible Support Fund was introduced in April 2011. It provides discretionary support to help individuals move closer to employment. Work coaches must exercise their discretion in line with national and local guidance, ensuring that Flexible Support Fund (FSF) awards are reasonable, good value…
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The information requested is published and available at:https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/default.asp Guidance for users can be found at:https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/home/newuser.aspThe estimated participation rates can be found by selecting “Query data” on the NOMIS home page and selecting…
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Our Get Britain Working Labour Market Insights publication contains a range of analysis of how labour markets are performing in different types of labour market across the country - including former industrial areas - Get Britain Working: Labour Market Insights - GOV.UK. We are committed to…
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Jobs Plus is a community-based model with strong potential to tackle inactivity and unemployment. The department is testing the model in ten social housing communities across England. Jobs Plus and other place-based programmes such as the Get Britain Working Trailblazers, Work Well and Connect to…
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The DWP Food Poverty Conference took place at the Abbey Centre on 15 January 2026.Our aim was to bring together a range of local authorities, other government departments, charities and academics to share and discuss a range of good practice happening on the ground to respond to increasing need in…
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This Government is committed to championing the rights of, and helping, disabled people and those with long-term health conditions. Last week we announced the expansion of our groundbreaking programme WorkWell across England, up to 250,000 more people with health conditions will receive support to…
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Good work is good for health, so we want everyone to get work and get on in work, whoever they are and wherever they live. The Get Britain Working White Paper launched in November 2024 set out how we will drive forward approaches to tackling economic inactivity, backed by £240 million…
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We are committed to tackling poverty and ending mass dependence on emergency food parcels. We published the Good Food Cycle in July which identified ten priority outcomes needed to build a thriving food sector while tackling a range of food related challenges. Improving food price affordability and…
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DWP publishes annual official statistics to monitor employment outcomes for disabled people including those with ‘Musculoskeletal conditions’. These statistics show that working age (16 to 64) disabled people with ‘Musculoskeletal conditions’ are less likely to be in…
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Estimates of the total impact on low income poverty levels, and the number of children gaining, from the main changes included in the strategy for the United Kingdom as a whole are available here: Child Poverty Strategy: Impact on low income poverty levels and children gaining in the UK: December…
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The department does not hold the information requested.
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I refer the Hon. member to the answer I gave on 2 December to PQ 93871.
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We recognise that young people face additional barriers, with almost one million currently not in education, employment or training. At Budget 2025, the Government committed over £1.5 billion to improve youth participation, including £820 million for the Youth Guarantee and £725…
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For people who need specialist intensive support, DWP have agreed to fund Surrey County Council up to £9.8m to deliver the national Connect to Work programme across Surrey to around 2500 people to March 2030. This voluntary Supported Employment programme is for disabled people, people with…
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The Department does not hold this information. HMRC holds data on UK payrolled employment by age and industry and should be able to provide the information requested.
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We are bringing together a Vanguard Taskforce to steer the Keep Britain Working Vanguard Phase and are committed to listening to disabled people and those with long-term health conditions, these voices will be reflected in the outputs of the phase. This Taskforce will advise on the development of a…
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The Department does not hold this data. We recognise the distinct challenges faced by those subject to the No Recourse to Public Funds (NRPF) condition and have engaged with organisations who have made representations on behalf of children subject to NRPF and will continue to do so. As part of the…
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The UK's headline child poverty statistics are provided via the Households Below Average Income (HBAI) statistics publication: Households below average income (HBAI) statistics - GOV.UK. Children are defined as being in income-based poverty if the net income of their household is below 60% of…
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Just under 18 million people in England were estimated to be affected by musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions in 2023 and improving their health and work outcomes will help deliver this government's mission to kickstart economic growth. MSK problems were one of the leading causes of sickness absence in…
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My department has a range of initiatives to ensure adequate support for individuals with mental health conditions when they return to work, including Access to Work. The Access to Work grant provides personalised support and workplace assessments, travel to work, support workers, and specialist…
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DWP ensures that all Jobcentre Plus staff receive comprehensive training and have access to up-to-date, modern systems. This includes clear diary management tools, enabling staff to support customers as effectively as possible. Where additional expertise is needed, staff can draw on a network of…
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My Department has engaged with stakeholders on the design of the Fund through a structured process, including eligibility requirements. We are considering feedback received through this process, and we plan to publish guidance this month.
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This government recognises the importance of skills and training support given to people attending a Jobcentre, as there is well established evidence that individuals with higher levels of skills are more likely to be in employment or education (Employment by qualification level - GOV.UK Ethnicity…
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We estimate that removing the two-child limit alongside other measures in the Child Poverty Strategy, published on 5 December, will lift 550,000 children out of poverty across the whole of the UK, leading to the largest expected reduction in child poverty over a Parliament since comparable records…
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The government is investing over £1.5 billion in tackling youth unemployment and inactivity, including £820 million for the expanded Youth Guarantee and £725 million for the Growth and Skills Levy. This will provide young people aged 16–24 with greater support into work and…
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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…
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Estimates are available for the number of children and households that are expected to gain from the removal of two-child limit at constituency level here Poverty impacts of social security changes at Budget 2025 - GOV.UK. The Department does not hold data on the number of children in the North…
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We are strengthening our partnership with the voluntary, community and social enterprise sector (VCSE) with our Civil Society Covenant. We recognise that the VCSE sector has a strong record of supporting families and is the bedrock of our communities, showing what is possible.To help realise the…
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I refer the Hon. member to the answer given to Parliamentary Question 99406.
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We do not hold data on the expected uptake of family financial resilience programmes in the North East region, including the Hexham and Northumberland constituencies under the Child Poverty Strategy. The Strategy recognises the important role that financial resilience must play in supporting…
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Accurate information on the number of level 6 and 7 qualified careers advisers employed by the National Careers Service is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost. Following a Written Ministerial Statement made on 16th September 2025 (HCWS930), responsibility for…
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We are committed to continuing the delivery of high quality, impartial careers advice in the new Jobs and Careers Service through professionally qualified careers advisers and recognise that their expertise is essential to enabling the government’s mission to break down the barriers to…
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Currently, agency workers can sign up to work for multiple agencies and, once they have done some work under that contract, are eligible to receive Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) from each individual employer during periods of sickness absence. This will not change. Guidance on gov.uk already provides…
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There are no such plans. Details on the Department’s assessment and position on a number of benefit sanctions related matters, including the potential use of warnings, can be found in our recent response to the Work and Pensions Select Committee on Recommendation 4 of its report Get Britain…
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Through our Get Britain Working Strategy, we are reforming employment, health, and skills support to tackle economic inactivity, support people into good work, and create an inclusive, thriving labour market. This means recognising that no local labour market looks the same and our approach should…
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We want to see an enduring reduction in child poverty over this parliament as part of long-term, 10-year strategy for lasting change.The Monitoring and Evaluation Framework, published alongside the Strategy, sets out how we will track progress and evaluate success as part of our ongoing commitment…
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The Get Britain Working White Paper, published in autumn 2024, and Pathways to Work Green Paper, published in spring 2025, set out the Government’s plan on skills and employment support, including for those in receipt of sickness benefits. Our Pathways to Work Guarantee offer of personalised…
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The department has made no estimate of the proportion of claimants who move into work via Jobcentre support who remain in work for more than six months. The Department monitors Jobcentre performance through an internal performance framework aligned with the priorities set out in Get Britain Working…
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The Department does not hold data on the number of children in deep material poverty broken down by geographical region or constituency. Estimates are available for the number of children and households that are expected to gain from the removal of two-child limit at constituency level here Poverty…
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This Government is investing in young people’s futures. At the Budget, we announced more than £1.5 billion of investment over the next three years, funding £820 million for the Youth Guarantee to support young people to earn or learn, and an additional £725 million for the…
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This Government is investing in young people’s futures. At the Budget, we announced more than £1.5 billion of investment over the next three years, funding £820 million for the Youth Guarantee to support young people to earn or learn, and an additional £725 million for the…
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This Government is investing in all young people’s futures irrespective of where they live in Great Britain. At Budget, we announced more than £1.5 billion of investment over the next three years, funding £820 million for the Youth Guarantee to support young people to earn or learn,…
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Our Child Poverty Strategy fulfils our commitment to reducing poverty this Parliament and sets out our ambition to fundamentally fix the structural drivers of child poverty as part of a long-term, 10-year strategy for lasting change. From the beginning of our time in government we have acted on…
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A full summary Equalities Analysis was published alongside the Strategy and is available at: Child Poverty Strategy: Summary Equalities Analysis - GOV.UK. The impacts of policies contributing to the Child Poverty Strategy will be kept under review and monitored on an ongoing basis by departments…
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The Department does not hold data on the number of children in deep material poverty broken down by geographical region or constituency. Geographical analyses are usually presented as 3-year averages due to the volatility of single year estimates based on small sample sizes. We anticipate regional…
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We want to see an enduring reduction in child poverty over this parliament as part of long-term, 10-year strategy for lasting change.The Monitoring and Evaluation Framework, published alongside the Strategy, sets out how we will track progress and evaluate success as part of our ongoing commitment…
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A full summary Equalities Analysis was published alongside the Strategy and is available at: Child Poverty Strategy: Summary Equalities Analysis - GOV.UK.The impacts of policies contributing to the Child Poverty Strategy will be kept under review and monitored on an ongoing basis by departments…
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The Department monitors Jobcentre performance through an internal performance framework aligned with the priorities set out in Get Britain Working White Paper. The framework is designed for internal management purposes and the data is not published externally. The Department recently published data…
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The Monitoring and Evaluation framework published alongside the Strategy set out that a baseline report will be published in Summer 2026 with annual reporting on progress thereafter and Government already has a statutory duty to publish poverty statistics annually. We have put these clear reporting…
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My Department has engaged with stakeholders on the design of the Fund through a structured co-design process, including eligibility requirements. We are considering feedback received through this process, and we plan to publish guidance in January 2026.
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The Office for National Statistics publishes figures each month on the number of long-term unemployed people and what proportion of people who are unemployed are long-term unemployed in tab 9 of table A01 - A01: Summary of labour market statistics - Office for National Statistics
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This Government is investing in young people’s futures. At the Budget, we announced more than £1.5 billion of investment over the next three years, funding £820 million for the Youth Guarantee to support young people to earn or learn, and an additional £725 for the Growth and…
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Local agencies and local government are well placed to understand their local labour market, build connections with employers and coordinate services to increase employment and training opportunities. That is why we have asked all areas across England, including Berkshire, to develop local Get…
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We are testing changes to the Jobcentre Plus environment to make it more welcoming for customers. We are exploring how services can be delivered in community settings, including via vans, pop-ups and collaboration with partner services. We are introducing trauma-informed approaches across the DWP,…
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Every Jobcentre has access to a Disability Employment Adviser (DEA). We have over 700 FTE DEAs across our Jobcentre network. We regularly monitor the number of staff allocated to this role. DEAs are trained as Work Coaches, followed by additional role specific learning designed to support their…
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This Government is investing in young people’s futures. At the Budget, we announced more than £1.5 billion of investment over the next three years, funding £820 million for the Youth Guarantee to support young people to earn or learn, and an additional £725 million for the…
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Details of new statistics currently under development are also set out in the DWP Statistical Work Programme, available at: Statistical work programme - GOV.UK. This includes proposals for a new measure of low income for families in receipt of Universal Credit (UC) and new local area Official…
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We do not hold data on the expected uptake of family financial resilience programmes, and have not made any assessment of the number of children in households newly eligible for debt-prevention or money-management support in Buckingham and Bletchley constituency under the Child Poverty Strategy.The…
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The Department does not hold data on the number of children in the Poole constituency who will become newly eligible for support measures introduced under the Child Poverty Strategy. Estimates are available for the number of children and households that are expected to gain from the removal of…
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The information requested is published and available at:https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/default.asp Guidance for users can be found at:https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/home/newuser.aspThe estimated unemployment levels can be found by selecting “Query data” on the NOMIS home page and selecting…
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The information requested is published and available at:https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/default.asp Guidance for users can be found at:https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/home/newuser.aspThe estimated unemployment levels can be found by selecting “Query data” on the NOMIS home page and selecting…
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The Government is taking action to help young disabled people and young people with complex health needs move towards work. This is a diverse group, so it is key that the individual gets access to the right work and health support, in the right place, at the right time, for them. The Youth…
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Strengthening Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) is part of the Government’s commitment to implement our Plan to Make Work Pay. The Government conducted a Regulatory Impact Assessment here on the impact of the SSP measures, including the removal of the waiting period in the Employment Rights Bill.…
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The Monitoring and Evaluation Framework, published alongside the Strategy, sets out how we will track progress and evaluate success as part of our ongoing commitment to transparency, accountability and continued learning.We will use two complementary headline metrics, relative low income (after…
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The Department does not have an estimate of the projected number of children in the Buckingham and Bletchley constituency who will become newly eligible for support measures introduced under the Child Poverty Strategy or hold data on the proportion of low-income households in the Buckingham and…
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We are strengthening our partnership with the voluntary, community and social enterprise sector (VCSE) with our Civil Society Covenant. We recognise that the VCSE sector has a strong record of supporting families and is the bedrock of our communities. We are putting tackling child poverty at the…
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Foodbanks are independent organisations and remain in control of who they provide support to and how people can access that support. However, our Work Coaches are adept at providing holistic support to customers, and use their knowledge of local provision to signpost vulnerable customers to the…
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The Get Britain Working White Paper, published in November 2024, outlined plans to deliver fundamental reform of our health, employment and skills system to help support people across all areas of England to get into work. Government’s English Devolution White Paper sets the direction of…
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We recognise that as a department we come into contact with some claimants who have complex needs or are vulnerable. The department already has processes in place to support and safeguard people who use our services, and we will continue to provide this support as changes are taken forward. The…
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Good work is generally good for health and wellbeing, so we want everyone to get work and get on in work, whoever they are and wherever they live. Backed by £240 million investment, the Get Britain Working White Paper launched in November 2024 is driving forward approaches to tackling economic…
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We have in place a range of measures to support employees with a disability or long-term health condition, including neurodivergent individuals, in the workplace. Our digital information service for employers, Support with Employee Health and Disability provides tailored guidance to employers to…
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Work helps everyone play active and fulfilling roles in society while building financial security for retirement. The Department is therefore committed to supporting workers over the age of 50 through a wide-ranging strategy that promotes inclusion, flexibility, and progression. This includes…
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Good work is generally good for health and wellbeing, so we want everyone to get work and get on in work, whoever they are and wherever they live. Backed by £240 million investment, the Get Britain Working White Paper launched in November 2024 is driving forward approaches to tackling economic…
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Work coaches refer to the National Careers Service (in England) for high-quality, careers information, advice and guidance which is essential to help people make informed decisions about their futures. For the future Jobs and Careers Service, we will ensure advisers have a robust understanding of…
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The full contract for running the Find a job and Disability Confident services includes exit fees, and is available online at: Find a Job Service extension - Find a Tender - GOV.UK
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This information is not available at this time. The Jobs and Careers Service Programme is still being designed. When the Business Case has His Majesty’s Treasury approval, an executive summary will be published in line with current practice.
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The Department for Work and Pensions is committed to reforming the Jobs and Careers Service to better support jobseekers and employers. The Department continues to monitor market innovations and will leverage the right technology, including AI, to deliver improved outcomes for citizens. Use of AI…
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The Department is working to ensure the new Jobs and Careers Service is delivered on schedule. The Department continues to engage with stakeholders and will communicate changes in a timely manner.
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The independent Office for National Statistics publish monthly estimates of online job adverts by occupation Labour demand volumes by Standard Occupation Classification (SOC 2020), UK - Office for National Statistics and vacancies across each industrial sector VACS02: Vacancies by industry - Office…
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My Department has actively engaged with stakeholders on the design of the Crisis and Resilience Fund through a structured co-design process involving a representative group of local authorities, third-party organisations and academics. We are considering all feedback received through this process,…
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My Department has actively engaged with stakeholders on the design of the Crisis and Resilience Fund, including reporting requirements, through a structured co-design process involving a representative group of local authorities, third-party organisations and academics. We are considering all…
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We are bringing together a Vanguard Taskforce to steer the Keep Britain Working Vanguard Phase and are committed to listening to disabled people and those with long-term health conditions. This Taskforce will advise on the development of a Healthy Working Lifecycle Standard over the Vanguard Phase.…
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Work coach guidance supports work coaches to ensure that requirements are tailored to the circumstances of individuals. This is not monitored centrally and so to provide the information requested would incur disproportionate cost.
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The ONS publish monthly statistics on vacancies and unemployment. The ratio of unemployed people to job vacancies can be found here: VACS01: Vacancies and unemployment - Office for National Statistics.
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Statistics on the number of children living in absolute and relative poverty by parliamentary constituency are published annually in the “Children in low income families: local area statistics” publication. These are available at: Children in low income families: local area statistics -…
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My Department has actively engaged with stakeholders on the design of the Crisis and Resilience Fund through a structured co-design process involving a representative group of local authorities, third-party organisations and academics. We are considering all feedback received through this process,…
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NHS Health and Growth Accelerators are testing a novel approach where local NHS systems - Northeast North Cumbria Integrated Care Board (ICB), South Yorkshire ICB and West Yorkshire ICB - are held accountable for the impact they have on people’s work status. The NHS 10-year plan for England…
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Evidence on how many people have moved into sustained employment as a result of the NHS Health and Growth Accelerators programme will be set out in the full evaluation, which concludes in 2027/28.
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In January 2025, DWP launched an independent panel of academics with expertise and experiences of neurodiversity to advise us on boosting neurodiversity awareness and inclusion at work. The panel considered the reasons why neurodivergent people (including autistic people) have poor experiences in…
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Statistics on the number of children living in absolute and relative poverty in the UK are published annually in the “Households Below Average Income” publication, the latest available being: Households below average income: for financial years ending 1995 to 2024 - GOV.UK. Statistics…
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The DWP do not publish statistics on the total number of customers who are supported by Jobcentres into different types of work or training. However, we have recently published analysis on into-work rates, including at the local authority and Jobcentre Plus district level, which can be found here:…
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The Government is committed to supporting disabled people and people with health conditions, including arthritis and MSK conditions, with their employment journey. We have a range of specialist initiatives to support individuals to stay in work and get back into work, including support from Work…
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The ONS do not publish statistics on the level of vacancies or unemployment-to-vacancy ratio at regional level. Every area in England is developing a local Get Britain Working plan. The local Get Britain Working Plans will bring local partners and service providers together to enable a collective…
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The Department for Education publish yearly statistics on graduates in the labour market. This can be found here: Graduate labour market statistics, Calendar year 2024 - Explore education statistics - GOV.UK. These graduate statistics are for graduates in England. There are no official published…
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We have a team of colleagues that offer tailored support to people with health conditions in Newcastle-under-Lyme and the Shires District through our Pathways to Work programme. We set out our plan for the “Pathways to Work Guarantee” in our Pathways to Work Green Paper. Our dedicated…
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The Government understands the negative effects of unemployment can be particularly pronounced for young people and can have longstanding implications on their future earnings potential and life chances.That is why at Budget the Government announced that £820 million has been committed to the…
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We have not made a specific assessment of the potential implications for our policies of trends in the level of demand for food support services in Surrey Heath during winter 2025–26 but the Government is committed to tackling poverty and ending mass dependence on emergency food parcels. We…
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Data on the number of households experiencing food insecurity by constituency is not available due to sample sizes. Statistics on the number of individuals living in households that are food insecure by region in the UK are published annually in the “Family Resources Survey” publication…
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