Written questions by Whately.

Will he provide an estimate for the number of people who will take up apprenticeship training at small and medium-sized businesses under the Government’s new scheme for under-25s.

To meet this government’s ambition to support 50,000 more young people into apprenticeships, including at small and medium-sized enterprises, we are taking a range of action backed by an additional £725m of investment announced by my right hon. Friend the Chancellor at Autumn Budget.We are expanding foundation apprenticeships into sectors that traditionally recruit young people, launching a £140 million pilot to better connect young people to local apprenticeship opportunities and fully funding SME apprenticeship training for eligible 16–24-year-olds from August 2026.

How many (a) private sector, (b) public sector and (c) third sector organisations have signed up to the Youth Guarantee scheme.

Public and private sector employers, the third sector, and education and training providers are integral to the success of the Youth Guarantee. Many employers recognise that investing in young people and training their workforce drives both business success and economic growth. We will be working closely with Youth Guarantee supporters and partners across the country to deliver jobs, apprenticeships, work experience and training places. Employers will also benefit from a tailored DWP support service to help fill vacancies with Jobcentre candidates, including job description support, faster recruitment, vacancy promotion, use of Jobcentre space for interviews, access to the free Find a Job site, and expert advice from a dedicated Recruitment Manager. Regarding the Jobs Guarantee for long-term unemployed young people, at this initial stage we will be delivering through partner organisations. 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.

Will claimants who reject a placement under the Youth Guarantee scheme retain access to benefits.

The Youth Guarantee is part of a new social contract with young people opportunity matched by responsibility. Young people who can work will be expected to engage with the support offered. If the support is declined without good reasons, existing benefit sanction rules will apply.

How many people does the Department estimate will be eligible for the Youth Guarantee at the beginning of the scheme, and for each quarter until the end of this Parliament.

We are investing £820 million over the next 3 years in our Youth Guarantee to overhaul support and give a generation of young people a brighter future. Different aspects of the Youth Guarantee have different eligibility criteria. Young People claiming benefits and on DWP’s Youth Offer may be eligible for the new Youth Guarantee Gateway, the Jobs Guarantee, Work Experience placements and SWAPs. Nearly 900,000 will be eligible for (and will receive) the Youth Guarantee Gateway, which consists of a dedicated session, followed by four weeks of additional intensive support with a Work Coach. The Jobs Guarantee will guarantee a six-month paid work placement to eligible young people aged 18 to 21 who have been on Universal Credit and looking for work for 18 months. We estimate that 55,000 people will be eligible for the Jobs Guarantee between launch and March 2029. Other aspects of the Youth Guarantee are open to all those who need them. For instance, we are expanding Youth Hubs for 16 to 24-year-olds to more than 360 locations across Great Britain so that all young people – including those not receiving benefits – can access opportunities and comprehensive support in their local area. Each Youth Hub unites employment services from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) with place-based support from local partners, helping young people move into work. As part of this expansion, we have introduced a core blueprint for minimum service standards, marking a major step forward in making employment support more accessible and seamlessly integrated with other essential services such as health, housing, and wellbeing tailored to local needs and partnerships.

If his Department will list the employers which have been engaged with the Youth Guarantee scheme.

Public and private sector employers, the third sector, and education and training providers are integral to the success of the Youth Guarantee. Many employers recognise that investing in young people and training their workforce drives both business success and economic growth. We will be working closely with Youth Guarantee supporters and partners across the country to deliver jobs, apprenticeships, work experience and training places. Employers will also benefit from a tailored DWP support service to help fill vacancies with Jobcentre candidates, including job description support, faster recruitment, vacancy promotion, use of Jobcentre space for interviews, access to the free Find a Job site, and expert advice from a dedicated Recruitment Manager. Regarding the Jobs Guarantee for long-term unemployed young people, at this initial stage we will be delivering through partner organisations. 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.

How many providers of (a) apprenticeships, (b) training and (c) education have signed up to the Youth Guarantee scheme.

Public and private sector employers, the third sector, and education and training providers are integral to the success of the Youth Guarantee. Many employers recognise that investing in young people and training their workforce drives both business success and economic growth. We will be working closely with Youth Guarantee supporters and partners across the country to deliver jobs, apprenticeships, work experience and training places. Employers will also benefit from a tailored DWP support service to help fill vacancies with Jobcentre candidates, including job description support, faster recruitment, vacancy promotion, use of Jobcentre space for interviews, access to the free Find a Job site, and expert advice from a dedicated Recruitment Manager. Regarding the Jobs Guarantee for long-term unemployed young people, at this initial stage we will be delivering through partner organisations. 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 projection of how many people will gain (a) full-time and (b) part-time employment after their placement on the Youth Guarantee scheme.

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. This will give young people their first step on the ladder, with wraparound support to develop skills and gain experience needed for the move in to sustained jobs.Wherever possible we want the young person to be able to secure a sustained job and continue in employment, either with the same employer or a new employer. That’s why we are providing funding for wraparound support to ensure that young people are supported into work, in their job and as they transition off the scheme.Young people will also benefit from the c300,000 additional opportunities for workplace experience and training we’re funding through the Youth Guarantee. We will create up to 150,000 additional work experience placements and up to 145,000 additional bespoke training opportunities designed in partnership with employers, known as Sector-based Work Academy Programmes (SWAPs). At the end of each SWAP, employers offer a guaranteed job interview to participants.The Department has commissioned an evaluation of eight Youth Guarantee Trailblazers to build evidence on how the program improves employment outcomes, economic inactivity, participation in education and training, and systems integration. The Department will continue to monitor the outcomes of young people participating in the Youth Guarantee nationally, and a full process evaluation of the Jobs Guarantee is planned.

What assessment he has been made of the potential impact of the (a) the Youth Guarantee and (b) the Government’s new scheme for under-25s on the workload of employers.

Nearly one million young people aged 16 to 24 – around one in eight - are currently Not in Employment, Education, or Training (NEET). To tackle this crisis of opportunity, the government has expanded the Youth Guarantee. The Government is investing £820 million over the Spending Review period in the Youth Guarantee, to reach almost 900,000 young people, including through Youth Hubs in every area in Great Britain and a new Youth Guarantee Gateway, offering a dedicated session and follow-up support to 16-24 –year-olds on Universal Credit. This investment will also create around 300,000 more opportunities to gain workplace experience and training and provide guaranteed jobs to around 55,000 young people aged 18-21. The Department has commissioned an evaluation of eight Youth Guarantee Trailblazers to build evidence on how the program improves employment outcomes, economic inactivity, participation in education and training, and systems integration. The Department will continue to monitor the outcomes of young people participating in the Youth Guarantee nationally, and a full process evaluation of the Jobs Guarantee is planned.Employers are integral to the success of the Youth Guarantee, and we will be working closely with Youth Guarantee supporters and partners who choose to access DWP’s employer commitment. Employers will benefit from a tailored support service to help fill vacancies with Jobcentre candidates, including job description support, faster recruitment, vacancy promotion, use of Jobcentre space for interviews, access to the free Find a Job site, and expert advice from a dedicated Recruitment Manager.

How many households returned to the benefit cap because of the loss of an exempting benefit other than PIP during (a) the quarter to August 2025, (b) the quarter to May 2025, (c) the quarter to February 2025 and (d) the quarter to November 2024.

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

How many households returned to the benefit cap because of the loss of PIP during (a) the quarter to August 2025, b) the quarter to May 2025, (c) the quarter to February 2025 and (d) the quarter to November 2024.

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

How many households on Universal Credit have a combined income between £831 and £861 a month after tax and national insurance contributions, broken down by those who are (a) employed and (b) self-employed.

Of the 6.9 million households on Universal Credit in the most recent month for which official statistics are available (August 2025), around 40,000 households had an income of between £831 and £861 from employment and/or self-employment. Around 7,000 of these households had at least one claimant who was self-employed and around 33,000 did not have a claimant who was self-employed.

How many households have (a) one, (b) two and (c) three or more individuals in receipt of Carer’s Allowance.

The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost. Published information on the number of people in receipt of Carer’s Allowance using DWP administrative data, and information on benefit receipt on a household and benefit unit basis is available through the Family Resources Survey (FRS), is available on Stat-Xplore. You can log in or access Stat-Xplore as a guest user and, if needed, you can accessguidance on how to extract the information required. There is also Family Resources Survey data on Stat-Xplore: user guide available.

How many households include (a) one, (b) two and (c) three or more people in receipt of Carer’s Element in the latest period for which data is available.

There is a maximum of two claimants on a Universal Credit (UC) claim therefore there cannot be 3 or more claimants on the UC claim being attributed with the carer’s element.a) In August 2025, 1,045,000 UC households had the UC carer's element of £201.68 for one claimant.b) In August 2025, 37,000 UC households had the UC carer's element of two lots of £201.68 – one attributed to each claimant on a joint claim.Notes:Figures are for GB.Figures relate to UC claims with an assessment period covering the 2nd Thursday of the month.Figures are rounded to nearest 1,000.Nil award claims are not included. However, some UC claims will have been reduced for adjusting factors such as capital, earnings and other income.Household in this definition is a single person or couple living together, and any child dependants. This may also be known as a benefit unit.

Pursuant to the answer of 8 December 2025 to UIN 96251, whether his Department plans to make an estimate of the level of change in the number of households exempt from the benefit cap following the Autumn Budget 2025.

The department does publish quarterly benefit cap statistics about the number of households that have been capped but this does not provide a breakdown of exemptions nor go into an individual exemption breakdown level. These were last published on 16 December with data until August 2025 and can be found here: Benefit cap: number of households capped to August 2025 - GOV.UK

What estimate he has made of the level of change in the number of households exempt from the benefit cap following the Autumn Budget 2025.

The department does publish quarterly benefit cap statistics about the number of households that have been capped but this does not provide a breakdown of exemptions nor go into an individual exemption breakdown level. These were last published on 16 December with data until August 2025 and can be found here: Benefit cap: number of households capped to August 2025 - GOV.UK

With reference to Budget 2025, what assessment he has of the potential impact of the proposed changes to the salary sacrifice policy for employee pension contributions on the number of hours worked by NHS employees.

The proposed Salary Sacrifice policy’s changes to employer contributions will not have an impact on National Health Service employees' working hours. HM Treasury's Managing Public Money guidelines prevent public funds from being used to offset National Insurance liabilities. As a result, NHS Pension Scheme contributions cannot be paid through salary sacrifice arrangements.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of the salary sacrifice cap policy announced in the Autumn Budget 2025 on employee hours worked in (a) the private sector and (b) the public sector.

A Tax Information and Impact Note (TIIN) was published alongside the introduction of the Bill containing the changes to pensions salary sacrifice. The Office for Budget Responsibility’s (OBR) November 2025 Economic and Fiscal Outlook (EFO) sets out that there is not expected to be a material impact on labour supply from this measure. The OBR also do not expect a material impact on savings behaviour as a result of Budget 2025 tax changes. The government supports all individuals to save into pensions through a generous system of income tax and NICs reliefs worth over £70 billion a year.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of the salary sacrifice policy announced in the Autumn Budget 2025 on overall hours withdrawn by employees.

A Tax Information and Impact Note (TIIN) was published alongside the introduction of the Bill containing the changes to pensions salary sacrifice. The Office for Budget Responsibility’s (OBR) November 2025 Economic and Fiscal Outlook (EFO) sets out that there is not expected to be a material impact on labour supply from this measure. The OBR also do not expect a material impact on savings behaviour as a result of Budget 2025 tax changes. The government supports all individuals to save into pensions through a generous system of income tax and NICs reliefs worth over £70 billion a year.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of the salary sacrifice policy announced in the Autumn Budget 2025 on individual pension savings.

A Tax Information and Impact Note (TIIN) was published alongside the introduction of the Bill containing the changes to pensions salary sacrifice. The Office for Budget Responsibility’s (OBR) November 2025 Economic and Fiscal Outlook (EFO) sets out that there is not expected to be a material impact on labour supply from this measure. The OBR also do not expect a material impact on savings behaviour as a result of Budget 2025 tax changes. The government supports all individuals to save into pensions through a generous system of income tax and NICs reliefs worth over £70 billion a year.

What assessment she has made of the potential impact of the salary sacrifice policy announced in the Autumn Budget 2025 on hours worked by people near tax cliff edges.

A Tax Information and Impact Note (TIIN) was published alongside the introduction of the Bill containing the changes to pensions salary sacrifice. The Office for Budget Responsibility’s (OBR) November 2025 Economic and Fiscal Outlook (EFO) sets out that there is not expected to be a material impact on labour supply from this measure. The OBR also do not expect a material impact on savings behaviour as a result of Budget 2025 tax changes. The government supports all individuals to save into pensions through a generous system of income tax and NICs reliefs worth over £70 billion a year.