Written questions by Whately.

What the expenditure on the Milburn Review into youth inactivity has been.

The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

How much has been paid in fees and expenses to external members appointed to the Timms Review.

Members of the Timms Review steering group will be paid at a rate of £300 a day, with an expected time commitment of up to 5 days a month. The Review’s two external co-chairs, who were appointed in October 2025, are paid at a rate of £400 a day, with the same expected time commitment. In addition to their fees, members of the steering group and the co-chairs will be reimbursed for any reasonable expenses, including travel, accommodation and the costs of any accessibility requirements required in the course of their work on the Review. This approach is to remove financial barriers to participation, ensuring no one is excluded due to cost, and is based on strong feedback from disabled people and other experts. The Department also put in a contract with The Public Service Consultants (PSC) to support the Review. This is the first time that the Government has undertaken co-production on this scale, and we want to ensure we have the expertise to get it right. The contract was signed by the Department on 29th December 2025. To date, there have been no payments through this contract to them as external contractors.

What the expenditure on the Timms Review of Personal Independence Payment is, including payments to external contractors and panel members.

Members of the Timms Review steering group will be paid at a rate of £300 a day, with an expected time commitment of up to 5 days a month. The Review’s two external co-chairs, who were appointed in October 2025, are paid at a rate of £400 a day, with the same expected time commitment. In addition to their fees, members of the steering group and the co-chairs will be reimbursed for any reasonable expenses, including travel, accommodation and the costs of any accessibility requirements required in the course of their work on the Review. This approach is to remove financial barriers to participation, ensuring no one is excluded due to cost, and is based on strong feedback from disabled people and other experts. The Department also put in a contract with The Public Service Consultants (PSC) to support the Review. This is the first time that the Government has undertaken co-production on this scale, and we want to ensure we have the expertise to get it right. The contract was signed by the Department on 29th December 2025. To date, there have been no payments through this contract to them as external contractors.

How many people recruited by his Department were aged 16 to 24 in each calendar quarter since 1 January 2023.

As at 31 December 2025, we can confirm the following joiner data for the 16–24 age band:Joining YearAge Band 16-24 JoinersJan-Dec 231541Jan-Dec 241622Jan-Dec 251520Total4683

How many Universal Credit claims failed the Habitual Residence Test in each month since 1 July 2024.

The table below gives the number of Universal Credit (UC) Habitual Resident test (HRT) assessments that resulted in a ‘fail’ decision from 1 July 2024 to 31 December 2025. Month Decision Entered on Admin SystemNumber of UC HRT ‘Fail’ DecisionsJuly 20248,000August 20248,000September 20247,000October 20249,000November 202410,000December 20247,000January 20258,000February 20259,000March 202510,000April 20259,000May 20259,000June 20259,000July 20259,000August 20258,000September 20258,000October 20259,000November 20258,000December 20258,000 For context, the total and average monthly number of Universal Credit (UC) Habitual Resident test (HRT) assessments that resulted in a ‘fail’ decision in each financial year from 2022/23 – 2024/25 is as follows: Date Decision Entered on Admin SystemNumber of UC HRT ‘Fail’ DecisionsAverage monthly number of UC HRT 'Fail' DecisionsApril 2022 to March 202392,0008,000April 2023 to March 202499,0008,000April 2024 to March 2025100,0008,000 Notes:Not all HRT passes lead to a UC award as claimants need to meet all eligibility criteria.The Habitual Residence Test (HRT) is nationality blind. It is applied to British citizens returning from abroad to check for factual habitual residency in the UK, as well as to foreign nationals to check they have an immigration status permitting access to public funds, have a qualifying right to reside, and that they are factually habitually resident in the UK.All figures are rounded to the nearest thousand decisions.An individual may have multiple HRT assessments and multiple passes.These figures are not Official Statistics. These figures stem from administrative data and represent the best estimates using current methodologies and assumptions about the data. Future improvements in methodology may lead to different subsequent estimates.Figures are for the UK.

What the total cost was of centrally provided career coaching, career transition, or redeployment support accessed by Department for Work and Pensions staff in each calendar quarter from Q1 2023 to the most recent quarter for which data is available.

The table below covers the period from April 2023 to December 2025 for spend relating to centrally provided career coaching, career transition, or redeployment support accessed by DWP employees and March 2023 to August 2025 for spend relating to centrally provided career coaching within Talent, accessed by DWP employees. Centrally provided career coaching, transition, or redeployment support Career coaching within Talent2023£199,180.38£206,253 £51,563Qtr2£63,105.19£51,563Qtr3£71,485.00£51,563Qtr4£64,590.19£51,5632024£194,180.33£161,091Qtr1£47,143.19£161,091Qtr2£40,658.19£0Qtr3£38,085.63£0Qtr4£68,293.32£02025£165,239.03£127,948Qtr1£51,671.17£0Qtr2£42,873.93£127,948Qtr3£34,781.93£0Qtr4£35,912.00£0 Total Spend£558,599.74£495,292.00 * For the Leaders Like You programme in Year 1 (2023), payments to Ernst & Young were made monthly. For ease of presentation, the 2023 figures are shown quarterly in the table. From 2024 the payment changed from monthly to a single annual invoice.

How many Departmental employees are in the UK on a visa, by their visa status.

The information you have requested is not held on central data systems in a reportable format, it would need to be provided by individuals manually collating data from a local source. Gathering this data would therefore incur disproportionate costs.

Pursuant to the Answer of 5 January 2025 to Question 96708 on Access to Work Programme, what the salary bands are of people on the Access to Work scheme who are receiving payments per customer of (a) £40,000 - £49,999, (b) £50,000 - £59,999, (c) £60,000 - £69,999 and (d) above £70,000.

The Department for Work and Pensions does not hold information on the salaries of Access to Work recipients. Access to Work eligibility is not linked to salary, so this information is not routinely collected by the Department.

Whether he has used international examples of reforms to (a) sickness and (b) disability benefits to help inform his policies.

The Department uses a range of evidence, including international examples, when developing policy. For instance, the Pathways to Work Green Paper included a range of international systems that were considered when developing the proposals.

What estimate his Department has made of the number of positions funded under the Youth Guarantee that would anyway have been created by the private sector.

The Jobs Guarantee will help young people to move closer to and into sustained employment. The Jobs Guarantee is aimed at young people who face multiple barriers to work, with the scheme targeting those who are 18-21 years old who have been on Universal Credit and looking for work for 18 months. We will provide more detail in the coming weeks on how the scheme will be delivered. The scheme will enable young people to access suitable vacancies, with additional, tailored support provided to help young people start roles and succeed throughout their employment.

How many and what proportion of jobs under the Youth Guarantee will be fully funded by his Department; and for how long those jobs will be fully funded.

As part of the Youth Guarantee, we are breaking the cycle of unemployment by guaranteeing paid work for every eligible 18–21-year old who has been on Universal Credit, looking for work, for 18 months. All Jobs Guarantee scheme jobs will be fully funded by the Department and will provide six months of paid employment. This will reach around 55,000 young people over the next three years.This will help young people take that crucial first step into sustained employment, supporting the government’s long-term ambition to increase the employment rate.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of proposed changes to the benefits system on family planning.

The Department has not made such an assessment.

What steps his Department is taking to ensure job placements are carried out fully under the Youth Guarantee.

As part of the wider Youth Guarantee, the Jobs Guarantee scheme will provide six months of paid employment for every eligible 18 to 21-year-old who has been on Universal Credit and looking for work for 18 months. The scheme will break the cycle of unemployment by guaranteeing meaningful paid employment opportunities that might otherwise be out of reach. Appropriate requirements will be built into the scheme, with guidance provided to those delivering the Jobs Guarantee to ensure that opportunities are high quality, fair and deliver the intended outcomes for young people. A critical part of the Jobs Guarantee will be the provision of wraparound support to ensure that young people are able to take that crucial first step into employment, and to further develop the required skills and experience needed for the move into sustained employment.

What steps his Department is taking to assess the suitability of people for each job under the Youth Guarantee.

As part of the wider Youth Guarantee, the Jobs Guarantee scheme will provide six months of paid employment for every eligible 18 to 21-year-old who has been on Universal Credit and looking for work for 18 months. The scheme will break the cycle of unemployment by guaranteeing meaningful paid employment opportunities that might otherwise be out of reach. Appropriate requirements will be built into the scheme, with guidance provided to those delivering the Jobs Guarantee to ensure that opportunities are high quality, fair and deliver the intended outcomes for young people. A critical part of the Jobs Guarantee will be the provision of wraparound support to ensure that young people are able to take that crucial first step into employment, and to further develop the required skills and experience needed for the move into sustained employment.

What assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the Youth Guarantee on the jobs market.

The Youth Guarantee aims to increase opportunities for 16-24-year-olds to make them work-ready and equipped to thrive. Success will be measured by improvement in employment outcomes, reduction in economic inactivity, and an increase in participation in education and training. We will monitor these outcomes nationally for all Youth Guarantee participants. This will build on already commissioned evaluation of eight Youth Guarantee Trailblazers and a planned full process evaluation of the Jobs Guarantee.

What assessment his Department has made of the quality of jobs available under the Youth Guarantee.

As part of the wider Youth Guarantee, the Jobs Guarantee scheme will provide six months of paid employment for every eligible 18 to 21-year-old who has been on Universal Credit and looking for work for 18 months. The scheme will break the cycle of unemployment by guaranteeing meaningful paid employment opportunities that might otherwise be out of reach. Appropriate requirements will be built into the scheme, with guidance provided to those delivering the Jobs Guarantee to ensure that opportunities are high quality, fair and deliver the intended outcomes for young people. A critical part of the Jobs Guarantee will be the provision of wraparound support to ensure that young people are able to take that crucial first step into employment, and to further develop the required skills and experience needed for the move into sustained employment.

Pursuant to the Answer of 5 January 2026 to Question 96708, what practical support is given to people receiving a) £40,000 - £49,999, b) £50,000 - £59,999, c) £60,000 - £69,999 and d) above £70,000.payments under the Access to Work scheme.

The support that a customer will receive from Access to Work is dependent upon their needs and circumstances at the time they make an application and will be tailored to the individual. This flexibility helps customers to receive support that is most appropriate for them. Types of support include specialist equipment, physical adaptations to premises, help with the cost of travelling to work and support workers.89.4% of customers receive awards below £10,000, with support being capped at £69,260 per year.

How many small and medium-sized businesses he has engaged with as part of the Government’s new scheme for under-25s.

Public and private sector employers, the third sector, and education and training providers are integral to the success of the Youth Guarantee, including Small and Medium sized businesses who have a key role to play. We have started engaging with stakeholders through various forums and this will continue over the coming year. The government will set out details of Youth Guarantee employers and partners in due course.

If the Department will provide a list of employers who will provide the additional work experience placements and additional bespoke training opportunities announced on December 8 2025.

We will be working closely with Youth Guarantee supporters and partners across the country to deliver jobs, apprenticeships, work experience and training places. The government will set out details of Youth Guarantee employers and partners in due course.

How many of the 55,000 Jobs Guarantee placements will go to each of the six specified regions.

For long-term unemployed 18–21-year-olds on Universal Credit, the Jobs Guarantee scheme will provide six months of paid employment. This will reach around 55,000 young people over the next three years.We know young people need support quickly and that is why we will begin delivery of the Jobs Guarantee in six areas from spring 2026 in: Birmingham & Solihull, East Midlands, Greater Manchester, Hertfordshire & Essex, Central & East Scotland, Southwest & Southeast Wales. We will deliver over 1000 job starts in the first six months in these regions. This will be followed by national roll-out of the Jobs Guarantee across Great Britain.