Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Labour Market Shortages: Employment Schemes

Monday 13 December 2021 · 2 questions

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

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 1 Partly answered 1 Not answered 0

Key points

  • The Department's employment schemes have supported over 1.9 million people into work since April 2020.
  • The schemes include programmes like Kickstart, Restart, and Sector-Based Work Academy Programmes.
  • The Minister stated that specific programmes partner with local authorities to address labour shortages.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Bill Esterson Lab Sefton Central
Employment
Context

The MP is concerned about the effectiveness of current Department for Work and Pensions initiatives in addressing labor market shortages.

Question

What assessment has been made of the potential effect of her Department's employment schemes on labour market shortages?

Answer from Therese Coffey

Our plan for jobs is working. Since April 2020, over 1.9 million people have moved into work from the universal credit intensive work search group. We have done that by supporting thousands of people through programmes such as kickstart, restart and sector-based work academy programmes—SWAPs—to get back into work, with over 110,000 young people being supported through kickstart alone. There are over 200,000 kickstart jobs still waiting to be filled in the final months of the programme.

Answered
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Q2 Bill Esterson Lab Sefton Central
Employment Transport
Context

The MP is questioning the effectiveness of existing Department for Work and Pensions initiatives in tackling the shortage of heavy goods vehicle drivers, particularly ahead of Christmas.

Question

Earlier, the Under-Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, the hon. Member for Mid Sussex referred to the shortage of HGV drivers, and retailers report fivefold delays in the delivery of products, including wine and spirits, so I am wondering whether the Secretary of State's scheme is helping to address the shortage of drivers in the run-up to Christmas. How many lorry drivers have started work as a result of her Department's employment schemes?

Answer from Therese Coffey

I think it is worth explaining to the hon. Gentleman that a couple of different schemes are ongoing. Our principal role is to help people who are not working to get into jobs. We partner with people such as the Mayor of West Midlands, but also with specific programmes in the east midlands. More significant work is being done by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Education, where we have bootcamps working and people are actually getting into jobs. A really important part of what we can do through SWAPs is getting people into new careers that they had never thought about.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Number of lorry drivers who started work as a result of departmental schemes

How: We Partner With Other Programmes, Significant Work Being Done By Education

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