Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Plan for Jobs

Tuesday 2 November 2021 · 4 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 2 Partly answered 2 Not answered 0

Key points

  • The Plan for Jobs has supported 1.6 million people into work with assistance from work coaches.
  • The next stage of the Plan for Jobs includes an enhanced 50-plus offer worth over 20 million.
  • The Chancellor raised the national living wage and made changes to the national minimum wage and universal credit to encourage work.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Stephen Crabb Con
Employment
Context

The MP inquires about the effectiveness of the Plan for Jobs in aiding job seekers.

Question

What recent assessment has been made of the effectiveness of the Plan For Jobs in supporting people into work?

Answer from John Glen

Some 1.6 million people have moved into work having received support from work coaches, and hundreds of thousands of jobseekers have been supported by our other Plan for Jobs programmes, such as kickstart. It is clear that this plan is working; unemployment is now expected to peak at less than half of what was initially predicted.

Answered
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Q2 Laura Farris
Employment
Context

Unemployment in West Berkshire has fallen thanks to programmes like the apprenticeship levy and kickstart, but older job seekers are at risk of long-term unemployment.

Question

Can my hon. Friend set out what the next stage of the Plan for Jobs will do to target that group, particularly given their risk of long-term unemployment?

Answer from John Glen

Yes, I can. My hon. Friend is right; unemployment is at 3.5% in her constituency, as against the 5% average. On people aged 50 to 64 who unfortunately lose their job and find a return to work less likely, this spending review announced an enhanced 50-plus offer worth more than £20 million to ensure that that cohort of the workforce receive that support to remain in work and benefit from living those fuller working lives. That is in addition to the other interventions across the whole of the working age group.

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Q3 Stephen Crabb Con
Economy Employment Benefits & Welfare
Context

About a million children are growing up in long-term workless households, and recent budget measures aim to address this.

Question

Does my hon. Friend agree that the measures the Chancellor took in the Budget last week to boost the national minimum wage and the work allowance, and to lower the universal credit withdrawal rate when people move into work, mean that we have the best opportunity in more than a generation to really bear down on long-term unemployment and improve the life chances of children growing up in homes where there is no role model of someone going out to work every day?

Answer from John Glen

I agree entirely with my right hon. Friend, who has been a champion in this area, throughout his experience in government and in his work now as Chair of the Select Committee on Welsh Affairs. In addition to what he has set out, we responded to the call to raise the national living wage. It may interest him to know that the April 2022 increase will mean that a full-time worker's annual salary will have increased by more than £5,000 since the national living wage was introduced, when he was in government, in April 2016.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Did not directly address whether these measures present the best chance to reduce long-term unemployment

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Q4 Karin Smyth Lab Bristol South
Education
Context

The MP visited a jobcentre in Knowle to support people back into work, concerned about the abolition of BTECs as a crucial bridge for young people.

Question

Has the Treasury done an assessment of abolishing BTECs, and will the Government reconsider?

Answer from John Glen

The hon. Lady will know of the Government's investment in T-levels and the additional investment last week in apprenticeships, as well as a number of other interventions that the Chancellor has worked tirelessly with employers' organisations and trade unions on to develop the workforce and opportunities over the past 18 months.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Did not confirm whether there was an assessment or if the government will reconsider abolishing BTECs

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