Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Post-16 Education

Monday 26 January 2026 · 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 0 Partly answered 2 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Peter Swallow welcomed the commitment in the post-16 education and skills White Paper to support skills passports.
  • Vikki Slade highlighted Samee, a charity in Dorset that supports disabled young adults into self-employment.
  • The minister expressed willingness to meet Vikki Slade to discuss support for those moving into self-employment.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Peter Swallow Lab Bracknell
Education Employment
Context

The Labour MP noted concerns about youth unemployment and the importance of developing essential skills for young people. He referenced the commitment in the post-16 education and skills White Paper to support skills passports.

Question

I welcome the commitment in the post-16 education and skills White Paper to support the development of skills passports, because supporting young people to develop essential skills such as media and financial literacy, communication and problem solving must be at the heart of our plans to tackle youth unemployment. What conversations has my hon. Friend had with the Education Secretary on developing and capturing skills before 16 as well?

Answer from The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (Andrew Western)

I confess that my hon. Friend has had more conversations with the Department for Education on this subject than I have, because he met the Secretary of State recently to discuss this. He will be pleased, I am sure, to know that the Department for Work and Pensions, working with UKHospitality, piloted skills passports in the hospitality sector last year, and that the role of my noble Friend the Skills Minister sits directly between the Department for Education and the Department for Work and Pensions specifically so that the sort of joined-up work to which he refers can take place.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Specific conversations the minister had with the Education Secretary were not detailed, only acknowledged indirectly.

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Q2 Vikki Slade Lib Dem Mid Dorset and North Poole
Taxation Employment
Context

The Liberal Democrat MP highlighted Samee, a charity working to support disabled young adults into self-employment. She noted the charity's achievements over 10 years and mentioned a unique tax issue affecting young people with learning disabilities.

Question

Samee is a charity working in Dorset to support disabled young adults into self-employment. It has celebrated 10 years and supported 2,700 people, and it has what it tells me is the world’s only supported self-employed internship. Young people who have learning disabilities have great skills for self-employment. However, they cannot access the work because they cannot get a unique tax reference because they take more than 12 months to get to the relevant earnings levels. What is the Minister doing to help young people into self-employment so that they can fulfil their destiny?

Answer from The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (Andrew Western)

The hon. Member raises an important point. Can I begin by commending that charity in her constituency? There is an acknowledgment among the ministerial team that we need to look particularly at the support available for people looking to move into self-employment, and I would be happy to meet her to discuss the work of the charity further.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The specific tax issue preventing young disabled adults from getting a unique tax reference was not addressed with concrete solutions or timelines.

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