“Get Britain Working” White Paper 2024-12-16
2024-12-16
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Response quality
Questions & Answers
Q1
Partial Answer
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Context
The Labour MP references the government's "Get Britain Working" White Paper and its employment rate target.
What recent estimate has been made of the number of people who will be supported into work through the proposals outlined in the “Get Britain Working” White Paper?
Our ambition is an 80% employment rate over a decade of national renewal. We will get Britain working by creating a new jobs and careers service in our overhaul of jobcentres. We will bring forward a new youth guarantee, so that every young person is earning or learning, and will give local areas the power to join up work, health and skills support to help the 2.8 million people who are out of work due to long-term health conditions.
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Assessment & feedback
No specific estimate was provided regarding how many people will be supported into work through the proposals outlined in the White Paper.
Response accuracy
Q2
Direct Answer
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Context
The MP notes the high unemployment rate in her constituency due to long-term health conditions and asks about specific measures.
I thank my right hon. Friend for her response, not least given the dire inheritance from the previous Government: the worst performance of an employment rate in the G7 since the pandemic. I see that inheritance in my community, in Barry in the Vale of Glamorgan, where individuals carry not the indulgence, and not the offence, but the misfortune of ill health. What is the Secretary of State doing to tackle economic inactivity, so that we give hope again, not just to those individuals, but to my community?
In the Vale of Glamorgan, the economic inactivity rate is almost one in four people. That is higher than the rate for Wales as a whole, and certainly higher than the UK average. From spring next year, we will launch eight trailblazers to support more people with long-term health conditions into work, including in Wales. That is backed by £125 million of additional funding. We will design the programme jointly with the Welsh Government, and we aim to launch it in the spring.
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Assessment & feedback
Response accuracy
Q3
Partial Answer
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Context
The MP references a national organisation running solar panel engineering training schemes to address the skills gap.
Fedcap, a national organisation, is running a scheme to get economically inactive people to become the next generation of solar panel engineers. More such schemes will be necessary to plug the skills gap that developers report, especially if the Government are to meet their ambitious housing target. Will the Secretary of State commit to continued funding for schemes that are delivered by such organisations via jobcentres?
I congratulate organisations such as the one that the hon. Lady mentions for their brilliant work, not only to keep energy costs down but to support people into work. I will work closely with the Minister for energy consumers, and others in the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, to support those organisations, including through jobcentres.
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Assessment & feedback
The specific commitment to continued funding was not explicitly stated.
Response accuracy
Q4
Partial Answer
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Context
The MP asks about supporting young people in her community for better job opportunities.
In communities like mine in East Thanet, there is above-average youth unemployment. It is important to be reassured that the “Get Britain Working” White Paper will be designed to help young people, particularly in coastal communities like mine, where we need a year-round economy, and support and activity to get young people into work.
My hon. Friend is exactly right: we have to deliver better jobs in every part of the country, including coastal communities like hers. We need to give young people the skills that they need, and job opportunities, so that they can build a better life.
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Assessment & feedback
The specific measures aimed at youth employment in coastal areas were not detailed.
Response accuracy
Q5
Partial Answer
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Context
The MP asks about maintaining sanctions against those capable of working but not doing so.
Can the Secretary of State confirm whether she will maintain strong sanctions against those who are capable of working but choose not to?
If you can work, you must work, and if you repeatedly refuse to, sanctions will remain, but I know from young people in my constituency that they are desperate to get the skills and opportunities that they need. Unlike the Conservative party, that is what our youth guarantee will deliver.
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Assessment & feedback
The specific commitment regarding maintenance of strong sanctions was not clearly stated.
Response accuracy
Q6
Partial Answer
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Context
The MP questions the novelty of the government's policies, particularly regarding youth employment.
It is good to hear Front-Benchers being so positive about their White Paper, much of which we are pretty familiar with. Let us look through some of the measures. The integration of employment and health support—we were doing that when we were in government. It was called WorkWell. My hon. Friend the Member for Faversham and Mid Kent (Helen Whately) led on it. What is the youth guarantee that we have been hearing about? According to the White Paper, it
“brings together a range of existing entitlements”.
It is a very familiar set of policies. The fact is that the Government's White Paper is just a rehash of existing support, and a bit of money with no strings attached. There is, however, one thing that the last Government were doing that this Government are not: strengthening the conditionality for benefits. The Secretary of State says that she will continue the existing sanctions, but what new measures will she introduce to ensure that people who can work will work?
“brings together a range of existing entitlements”.
It is a very familiar set of policies. The fact is that the Government's White Paper is just a rehash of existing support, and a bit of money with no strings attached. There is, however, one thing that the last Government were doing that this Government are not: strengthening the conditionality for benefits. The Secretary of State says that she will continue the existing sanctions, but what new measures will she introduce to ensure that people who can work will work?
I am not sure where to start. If the Conservatives' programmes were so successful, why do we have a record 2.8 million people out of work due to long-term health problems, and 1 million young people not in education, employment or training? I love the 15 WorkWell pilots, but we want to join up health, work and skills support in every corner of the country, not just a few places.
There will be a different approach for young people under our youth guarantee. There will be the opportunities people need, but also a requirement to take them up, not only for those on unemployment benefit, but for those young people who can work but are out of work due to a health condition.
There will be a different approach for young people under our youth guarantee. There will be the opportunities people need, but also a requirement to take them up, not only for those on unemployment benefit, but for those young people who can work but are out of work due to a health condition.
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Assessment & feedback
The specific new measures aimed at strengthening conditionality were not detailed.
Response accuracy
Q7
Partial Answer
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Context
The previous government's reforms aimed at reducing the number of people on long-term sickness benefits, saving £5.4 billion over this Parliament according to the Office for Budget Responsibility.
I applaud that soundbite, but we did not hear about any new measures that will be introduced, or any additional sanctions that we need. The right hon. Member talks about what the last Government were doing. We were reforming the work capability assessment. The Office for Budget Responsibility said our reforms would have seen 400,000 fewer people on long-term sickness benefits, saving £5.4 billion over this Parliament. The Labour Government has paused that work while they hold a review. What are their plans? How will they make the savings that we proposed?
The hon. Member is laughing at his own chutzpah. I am happy to talk about the past 14 years, but the work capability assessment is not working. It needs to be reformed or replaced. That is what we said in our manifesto, and we will bring forward our proposals in a Green Paper in the spring.
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Assessment & feedback
Commitment to implementing specific reforms was avoided, instead stating they need reform or replacement without specifics on timeline or details.
The Hon. Member Is Laughing At His Own Chutzpah
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Q8
Partial Answer
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Context
Chris McCausland and Dianne Buswell won on 'Strictly' this weekend.
I hope the Secretary of State will join me in congratulating Chris McCausland and Dianne Buswell on their victory on “Strictly” this weekend. In the light of that victory, how does she plan to make the Access to Work scheme more fit for purpose, so that it can help more people with disabilities reach their full potential?
I absolutely join in the hon. Gentleman's comments. It was a great joy to see that victory at the weekend. We want to see Access to Work working better. We want to get the backlogs down, and for that support to be available to more people.
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Assessment & feedback
Did not provide any specific plans or commitments on improving the Access to Work scheme beyond general statements.
It Was A Great Joy To See That Victory At The Weekend
Response accuracy