Written questions by Naismith.

What assessment he has made of recent trends in the level of youth inactivity; and what steps he is taking to increase participation in education, employment and training among young people.

This Government will not leave an entire generation of young people behind. For many years our young people have not had the opportunity and support they deserve. Under the last government, between 2021 and 2024, the number of young people not in education, employment or training increased by 250,000.  The latest figures show the proportion of 16-24 year-olds that are not in employment, education or training (NEET) is 12.8% (1 in 8), up 0.1% points on the quarter and down 0.4% points on the year. This Government has recently announced a further £1 billion investment in young people, taking the total investment to £2.5 billion over the next three years though the Youth Guarantee and additional investment in the Growth and Skills Levy. This investment will support almost one million young people and create up to 500,000 opportunities to earn and learn. This includes the delivery of eight Youth Guarantee Trailblazers in England, expansion of Youth Hubs to more than 360 areas across Great Britain and introduction of a new Youth Guarantee Gateway in Jobcentres. The Gateway will provide 16-24-year-olds on Universal Credit a dedicated session and follow-up support to help them move into work, training or education. This investment will also create around 300,000 more opportunities to gain workplace experience and training, including up to 150,000 work experience placements and up to 145,000 employer designed training opportunities, such as Sector based Work Academy Programmes, which offer participants a guaranteed job interview at the end. In addition, the Government is taking action to support employers to recruit and train young people, helping to unlock up to 200,000 more employment opportunities. This includes a new £3,000 Youth Jobs Grant for employers who hire 18–24-year-olds who have been on Universal Credit for over six months, a new £2,000 apprenticeship incentive for small and medium sized employers hiring 16–24-year-old, and the Jobs Guarantee scheme, providing long-term unemployed 18–24-year-olds with a fully funded six month job. The Government will also prioritise prevention, building on measures announced in the Skills White Paper. The Government will improve support in schools, monitor attendance, increase access to work experience and work with local authorities to pilot auto-enrolling young people in further education, if needed. Together these measures demonstrate the Government’s commitment to backing young people, supporting employers, and working with partners across Great Britain to create clear pathways into employment and education for young people.

Whether his Department has considered introducing voluntary pension-sharing orders in cases of life-changing events.

We have no plans to introduce further pension sharing provisions.

What steps she is taking to ensure providers are held accountable for supporting displaced workers already in the UK.

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) stands ready to support anyone affected with our Rapid Response Service (RRS) offer. This is a service designed to give support and advice to employers and their employees when faced with redundancy. This service is co-ordinated nationally by the Strategic Relationship Team (SRT) and is managed by Jobcentre Plus. Delivery partners include The National Careers Service, local training providers, Money Helper and the skills bodies in England. These services are offered by equivalents in the devolved administrations. In Scotland this is delivered by PACE on behalf of the Scottish Government and in Wales by ReACT. Redundancy support in Northern Ireland is devolved with separate funding and delivery arrangements. The range of support available from Jobcentre Plus and partners may include:Connecting people to jobs in the labour market.Help with job search including CV writing, interview skills, where to find jobs and how to apply for them.Help to identify transferable skills and skills gaps (linked to the local labour market).What benefits they may get and how to claim.

Whether she plans to introduce a central job-matching platform for displaced workers.

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) stands ready to support anyone affected with our Rapid Response Service (RRS) offer. This is a service designed to give support and advice to employers and their employees when faced with redundancy. This service is co-ordinated nationally by the Strategic Relationship Team (SRT) and is managed by Jobcentre Plus. Delivery partners include The National Careers Service, local training providers, Money Helper and the skills bodies in England. These services are offered by equivalents in the devolved administrations. In Scotland this is delivered by PACE on behalf of the Scottish Government and in Wales by ReACT. Redundancy support in Northern Ireland is devolved with separate funding and delivery arrangements. The range of support available from Jobcentre Plus and partners may include:Connecting people to jobs in the labour market.Help with job search including CV writing, interview skills, where to find jobs and how to apply for them.Help to identify transferable skills and skills gaps (linked to the local labour market).What benefits they may get and how to claim.

If she will take steps to ensure that full-time carers are paid the national minimum wage.

The Department for Business and Trade is responsible for the enforcement of the National Minimum Wage. The Department of Health and Social Care has an interest in the terms and conditions of those working in the paid care sector in England. DWP provides support for unpaid carers on low incomes, including through Universal Credit, Pension Credit and housing benefits. These are income-related benefits and are paid at higher rates for full-time carers than for those without full-time caring responsibilities. In England and Wales, DWP also provides support for unpaid carers through Carer’s Allowance, which can be paid alongside the income-related benefits.

Whether proposed changes to PIP will include people of pensionable age.

We have committed to introduce a new requirement that, in addition to the existing eligibility criteria, claimants must score a minimum of four points in at least one daily living activity to be eligible for the daily living component of Personal Independence Payment. Our intention is that – subject to parliamentary approval – the changes will apply to new claims and award reviews from November 2026, only if they score fewer than 4 points in one category in their reassessment by a trained assessor or healthcare professional. In keeping with existing policy, people over state pension age are not routinely fully reviewed and will not be affected by these changes.

If she will take steps to ensure unpaid carers claiming carers allowance over the retirement age on behalf of a disabled spouse below retirement age continue to receive benefits.

I refer the honourable member to the answer I gave on 14 October 2024 to question UIN 6904As explained in UIN 6904 these rules are based on the circumstances of the carer, not those of the disabled person.