Plan for Jobs and employment support

Work and Pensions Committee Closed Inquiry
Opened: 11 Jul 2022 Closed: 31 Oct 2023 Parliament page
The Committee looked at the effectiveness of Government support to get people into employment, including disadvantaged groups such as those in low-paid jobs and young people. The Committee looked to find out: What is driving increases in economic inactivity - for example amongst people with health conditions and older people? … Read more
25 Recommendations
13 Conclusions
1 Report
8 Oral sessions
3 Letters
8 Events
Activity timeline 21 events
23 Oct
2023
Report published
18 Oct
2023
Correspondence
19 Jul
2023
Report published
7 Jun
2023
Correspondence
3 May
2023
Oral evidence
3 May
2023
Formal meeting (oral evidence session) · The Grimond Room, Portcullis House
19 Apr
2023
Oral evidence
19 Apr
2023
Formal meeting (oral evidence session) · The Wilson Room, Portcullis House
29 Mar
2023
Correspondence
15 Mar
2023
Oral evidence
15 Mar
2023
Formal meeting (oral evidence session) · Room 16, Palace of Westminster
8 Feb
2023
Oral evidence
Oral evidence sessions 8 sessions
3 May 2023
View on parliament.uk
Work and Pensions Committee
Guy Opperman MP · Department for Work and Pensions Katie Farrington · Department for Work and Pensions Sophie Dean · Department for Work and Pensions Tom Pursglove MP · Home Office
19 Apr 2023
View on parliament.uk
Work and Pensions Committee
Alex Till · National Enterprise Network David Hale · Federation of Small Businesses Jonny Briggs · Aviva Matt Dooley · Momentic Limited
15 Mar 2023
View on parliament.uk
Work and Pensions Committee
Dr Katy Jones · Manchester Metropolitan University Professor Dan Finn · University of Portsmouth
8 Feb 2023
View on parliament.uk
Work and Pensions Committee
Elizabeth Taylor · The Employment Related Services Association (ERSA) Fiona Monahan · Ingeus Graham Parry · Groundwork Liz Sewell · Belina Grow Rhodri Thomas · Reed in Partnership Richard Clifton · Shaw Trust Rosie Ginday · Miss Macaroon
25 Jan 2023
View on parliament.uk
Work and Pensions Committee
Councillor Kieron Williams · Central London Forward Councillor Toby Savage · Local Government Association Dr Shriti Pattani · Society of Occupational Medicine Graham Whitham · Greater Manchester Poverty Action Luke Price · The Centre for Ageing Better Peter Murphy · Wise Age Professor Kevin Bampton · British Occupational Hygiene Society
16 Nov 2022
View on parliament.uk
Work and Pensions Committee
Barry Fletcher · Career Connect Billy Harding · Centrepoint Dr Jenny Ceolta-Smith · Long Covid Support and Long Covid Work James Taylor · Scope Jane Hunt · Association of Disabled Professionals Professor Kim Hoque · Disability@Work Richard Rigby · The Prince’s Trust
26 Oct 2022
View on parliament.uk
Work and Pensions Committee
Ben Harrison · The Work Foundation Dr Eleanor Carter · Government Outcomes Lab, Blavatnik School of Government, University of Oxford Jonathan Cribb · Institute for Fiscal Studies Louise Murphy · Resolution Foundation Stephen Evans · Learning and Work Institute Tony Wilson · Institute for Employment Studies
5 Jan 2022
View on parliament.uk
Work and Pensions Committee
Hannah Slaughter · Resolution Foundation Richard Hughes · Office for Budget Responsibility Sam Avanzo Windett · Learning and Work Institute Tony Wilson · Institute for Employment Studies
Title HC No. Published Items Response
Eighth Report - Plan for Jobs and employment support HC 600 19 Jul 2023 38 Overdue
Recommendations & Conclusions
8 results
Clear
3 Conclusion Deferred
Eighth Report - Plan for Jobs and…
Set clear guidance for mandatory mental health support services across all Youth Hubs
DWP should ensure that mental health support services continue to be set up in all new Youth Hub locations as a mandatory element. DWP needs to set clear guidance for these services to ensure a baseline standard of delivery across … Read more
Government Response
The government did not commit to making mental health support mandatory in Youth Hubs or setting clear guidance, stating that future evaluations of the Youth Offer will inform any improvements or changes to policy.
Department for Work and Pensions
View details
7 Recommendation Deferred
Eighth Report - Plan for Jobs and…
Increase Housing Benefit applicable amount for young people in supported accommodation to remove cliff edge
The benefit rules for Universal Credit and Housing Benefit can interact in such a way that a cliff edge arises when claimants in supported accommodation who must Plan for Jobs and employment support 81 claim both benefits work more than … Read more
Government Response
The government acknowledges the challenge but states that the recommended approach would be challenging to implement by April 2024. They are designing a proof of concept with the West Midlands Combined Authority to test financial support for young people.
Department for Work and Pensions
View details
13 Conclusion Deferred
Eighth Report - Plan for Jobs and…
Require Level 2 Disability Confident employers to publish their percentage of disabled employees.
Employers at level 2 should also be required to publish the percentage of disabled employees at their organisation. This would send a much stronger signal to disabled people in the labour market about which employers employ disabled people and have … Read more
Government Response
The government stated it is considering extending reporting requirements for Disability Confident, including for Level 2 employers, and will be informed by the findings of the Disability Workforce Reporting Consultation.
Department for Work and Pensions
View details
14 Conclusion Deferred
Eighth Report - Plan for Jobs and…
Explore integrating income protection insurance with occupational health for workplace health promotion.
DWP should consider the potential that income protection insurance has to help people experiencing illness or injury remain in employment, support their return to work and reduce the financial burden on DWP when people become unable to work. DWP should … Read more
Government Response
The government agreed income protection insurance can be valuable but largely deflected the specific call to explore it alongside occupational health, referring instead to ongoing consultations on occupational health services and an SME subsidy pilot that will inform future policy.
Department for Work and Pensions
View details
15 Recommendation Deferred
Eighth Report - Plan for Jobs and…
Implement research recommendations following the expansion of the SME occupational health subsidy pilot.
There is inadequate access to occupational health services, especially for those working for small businesses. The rise in the number of people who are economically inactive due to long-term health conditions and high rates of economic inactivity among disabled people … Read more
Government Response
The government confirmed the OH SME subsidy pilot is in design with timelines to be confirmed and findings will inform future recommendations, thereby not providing a detailed timeline for initiatives nor committing to releasing findings by the prorogation deadline.
Department for Work and Pensions
View details
16 Conclusion Deferred
Eighth Report - Plan for Jobs and…
Conduct research on employee attitudes and barriers to occupational health take-up via the SME pilot.
DWP should also use the SME subsidy pilot to conduct research on employee attitudes to occupational health and barriers to take-up. This should be done with a view to establishing a requirement for employees to participate in occupational health services … Read more
Government Response
The government deflected the recommendation to use the SME subsidy pilot for research on employee attitudes and barriers to occupational health, stating the pilot's purpose is to test financial incentives for increasing OH access for SMEs.
Department for Work and Pensions
View details
28 Conclusion Deferred
Eighth Report - Plan for Jobs and…
Expand the Flexible Support Fund to mitigate loss of services for economically inactive people
The move from ESF to UKSPF is of significant concern for external support providers. Whilst the Government’s eventual decision to lift the restriction on the use of the UKSPF for people and skills spending is welcome, there is still expected … Read more
Government Response
The government deflected responsibility to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities and local authorities for UKSPF funding. It did not commit to expanding the Flexible Support Fund, describing it instead as a £60m discretionary fund for local jobcentre staff to tailor support.
Department for Work and Pensions
View details
30 Recommendation Deferred
Eighth Report - Plan for Jobs and…
Consider removing employer National Insurance payments for new employees on benefits for 12 months.
DWP and the Government should consider and provide a response to the Good Jobs Project recommendation that the Government remove the requirement for employers to pay employer National Insurance for 12 months for new employees who were in receipt of … Read more
Government Response
The government noted the recommendations and will engage with the Good Jobs Project but explicitly stated it has no plans to issue a formal response. It also deflected the tax policy recommendation, stating it is a matter for HMT.
Department for Work and Pensions
View details
Government Response AI assessment · 38 of 25 classified
Accepted 11
Accepted in Part 6
Acknowledged 4
Deferred 8
Not Addressed 1
Rejected 8
Total 25 recs + 13 conclusions
Correspondence 3 letters
18 Oct 2023 Correspondence with the Economic Secretary to the Treasury relating to income protection insurance
Parliament page
7 Jun 2023 Correspondence with the Minister for Employment relating to Plan for Jobs and employment support
Parliament page
29 Mar 2023 Correspondence with the Minister for Employment and the Minister for Disabled People, Health and Work relating to statistics for DWP employment support schemes
Parliament page