Written questions by Davies.

What steps he is taking to reduce regional disparities in the women’s employment rate.

Awaiting answer.

What steps he is taking to improve employment opportunities for women aged 16 to 25.

Awaiting answer.

Whether he has made an assessment of trends in the levels of gender disparities in the unemployment rate.

Awaiting answer.

With reference to the ONS document Female unemployment rate (aged 16 and over, seasonally adjusted): %, published on 21 April 2026, what steps he is taking to tackle the increase in female unemployment.

The government is committed to tackling the challenges women face in the labour market, whether they want to find a job, return to work, or progress in work, regardless of their background or stage of life.  To support this commitment, the Government has appointed Mariella Frostrup as the Women’s Employment Ambassador, building on her work as the Menopause Employment Ambassador over the past 18 months.The Department offers a range of employment support that women can benefit from. This includes the ‘Find a Job’ website, financial support through the Flexible Support Fund to help with interviews or starting work, and tailored, flexible support through Jobcentre Plus. Alongside targeted job-search support, Work Coaches offer personalised advice to help individuals secure roles which reflect their skills, qualifications and prior experience.Where appropriate, Work Coaches identify any skills gaps and signpost jobseekers to relevant training and provision, such as Skills Bootcamps, apprenticeships, sector-based work academy programmes, and free courses for jobs, as well as essential English, maths and digital skills.As set out in the Child Poverty Strategy, the Government recognises that high childcare costs can affect parents’, and disproportionately women’s, decisions to take up paid work or increase their working hours.  Eligible UC customers can claim back up to 85% of their registered childcare costs each month regardless of the number of hours they work. In addition, eligible working parents can also access 30 hours a week of funded childcare through DfE’s Working Parent Entitlement.From April 2026, employers with 250 or more employees have the option to produce and publish a voluntary action plan alongside their gender pay gap data, setting out how they will address workplace barriers for women.

What steps he is taking to reduce regional disparities in the women’s employment rate.

It has not proved possible to respond to the Rt. hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Whether he has made an assessment of trends in the levels of gender disparities in the unemployment rate.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

What steps he is taking to improve employment opportunities for women aged 16 to 25.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

With reference to the ONS document Female unemployment rate (aged 16 and over, seasonally adjusted): %, published on 21 April 2026, what steps he is taking to tackle the increase in female unemployment.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

When she next plans to review the departmental ministerial disability champions programme.

Ministerial Disability Champions were an initiative of the previous administration.On 3 December 2024, International Day of Persons with Disabilities, I was pleased to announce new Lead Ministers for Disability in every Government department. https://www.gov.uk/government/groups/lead-ministers-for-disabilityThe Lead Ministers for Disability will help to break down barriers to opportunity right across our long-term missions, and to fulfil the manifesto commitment to ensure the views and voices of disabled people are properly heard.I chaired our first meeting on 17 December and we will meet regularly to make sure that this Government is delivering on that manifesto commitment and our missions, right across every department.

How many youth hubs led by her Department are still in place.

Youth Hubs bring together employment support from a Jobcentre work coach alongside external partners on external-partner premises for up to six months. Wider support available from partners in the Hubs is place-based, but could include skills and training provision, mental health, budgeting, and housing support. As of January 2025, there were 111 Youth Hubs fully opened across Great Britain with a further three in development. Youth Hubs are based in external-partner-owned premises. Local DWP teams and external partners delivering Youth Hubs jointly discuss the ongoing need for the hubs in particular areas. These discussions take account of a range of factors, notably the number of young people claiming Universal Credit who are searching for employment in that local area, consequently, the number of operational Youth Hubs may fluctuate month by month. The ‘Get Britain Working’ White Paper sets out this government’s plan to Get Britain Working and includes a new Department for Work and Pensions and Department for Education led Youth Guarantee for all young people in England aged 18-21. Our approach to the Youth Guarantee is to help all young people aged 18-21 in England to earn or learn. We will work in partnership with organisations at the national and local level to offer exciting and engaging opportunities to young people. This could include apprenticeships, work experience, training courses or employability programmes. Work is underway on the design and delivery of the new Youth Guarantee. Starting in spring 2025, eight Mayoral Authorities in England will pilot the Youth Guarantee Trailblazers. These 12-month Trailblazers are an opportunity to develop the Youth Guarantee and test different interventions ahead of a national roll out. We will assess and incorporate our findings for future delivery and rollout of the Youth Guarantee across the rest of England, working with Mayoral Authorities and Local Authorities in our roll out plans.

What progress her Department has made on rolling out youth hubs.

As of January 2025, there were 111 Youth Hubs fully opened across Great Britain with a further three in development. Youth Hubs are based in external-partner-owned premises. Local DWP teams and external partners delivering Youth Hubs jointly discuss the ongoing need for the hubs in particular areas. These discussions take account of a range of factors, notably the number of young people claiming Universal Credit who are searching for employment in that local area, consequently, the number of operational Youth Hubs may fluctuate month by month. The ‘Get Britain Working’ White Paper sets out this government’s plan to Get Britain Working and includes a new Department for Work and Pensions and Department for Education led Youth Guarantee for all young people in England aged 18-21. Our approach to the Youth Guarantee is to help all young people aged 18-21in England to earn or learn. We will work in partnership with organisations at the national and local level to offer exciting and engaging opportunities to young people. This could include apprenticeships, work experience, training courses or employability programmes. Work is underway on the design and delivery of the new Youth Guarantee. Starting in spring 2025, eight Mayoral Authorities in England will pilot the Youth Guarantee Trailblazers. These 12-month Trailblazers are an opportunity to develop the Youth Guarantee and test different interventions ahead of a national roll out. We will assess and incorporate our findings for future delivery and rollout of the Youth Guarantee across the rest of England, working with Mayoral Authorities and Local Authorities in our roll out plans.

What progress her Department's appointed menopause champion has made.

The Government’s Menopause Employment Ambassador Mariella Frostrup has been working with policy officials to develop an action plan for her term of engagement. She has also spoken with government departments to promote and champion the role of women in the economy and is engaging with businesses in raising awareness and influencing workplace policies.

What steps her Department has taken to implement the Buckland Review of Autism Employment.

We welcomed the Buckland Review of Autism Employment. This made recommendations to employers, third sector organisations and Government on addressing barriers autistic people face when seeking and remaining in employment and the Minister for Employment and I were pleased to meet Sir Robert in October to talk about his findings and key drivers for change in the workplace. He has indicated his willingness to continue to work with the department on this matter and we are continuing to build on those recommendations that were directed to Government, such as working with employers to reform Disability Confident to improve the schemes outcomes and realise the scheme's full potential. As a Government, we want to support all forms of neurodiversity in the workplace, and we are looking to build on the Review by gathering expert evidence in line with this expanded focus. In parallel, we are working with other areas of government to promote awareness of neurodiversity amongst employers and we recently announced Keep Britain Working, a major independent review of the employer’s role in reducing health-related inactivity and to promote healthy and inclusive workplaces, led by the former Chair of John Lewis, Sir Charlie Mayfield. Our expert evidence on neurodiversity at work will be available to inform this independent review which will help ensure employers receive a coherent set of messages from Government about inclusive workplace practices.