Written questions by Davies.

What assessment he has made of the adequacy of the Bereavement Support Payment in supporting widowed families.

Bereavement Support Payment (BSP) aims to provide support during the acute period following a bereavement by way of an initial lump sum followed by up to 18 monthly instalments with a higher amount paid for those with children. Where longer-term financial support is needed, benefits such as Universal Credit have been specifically designed to provide assistance with ongoing living costs. The Government keeps the eligibility of all benefits under review.

Whether his Department has considered the potential merits of extending the 18-month limit on the Bereavement Support Payment.

Bereavement Support Payment (BSP) aims to provide support during the acute period following a bereavement by way of an initial lump sum followed by up to 18 monthly instalments with a higher amount paid for those with children. Where longer-term financial support is needed, benefits such as Universal Credit have been specifically designed to provide assistance with ongoing living costs. The Government keeps the eligibility of all benefits under review.

Whether his Department has considered the potential merits of making funding available to provide lip-reading courses for people with hearing loss.

The Adult Skills Fund (ASF) fully funds or co-funds education and skills training for eligible adults aged 19 and above from pre-entry to level 3, to help them gain the skills they need for work, an apprenticeship or further learning. As well as qualification based provision, this can fund Tailored Learning. Tailored Learning is non-qualification based provision that is locally developed, to meet the needs of learners. Lip-reading provision can be delivered as part of Tailored Learning and recorded as an aim on the Individualised Learner Record. As of August 2025, 68% of the ASF is devolved to 12 Strategic Authorities (SAs) and the Greater London Authority. These authorities are responsible for the provision of ASF-funded adult education for their residents and allocation of the ASF to learning providers. It is up to these authorities whether they fund lip-reading courses. The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is responsible for the remaining ASF in non-devolved areas. There are other forms of available funding for those with hearing loss. For those in work, or who are about to start work, Access to Work provides grant funding to disabled people, and people with a health condition. The grant supports workplace adjustments that go beyond what would normally be expected from an employer through their duty to provide reasonable adjustments as outlined in the Equality Act 2010. Support via Access to Work could include specialist equipment, physical adaptations to premises, or help with the cost of a support worker.

What assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the lack of publicly-funded provision for lip-reading classes for people with hearing loss.

I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave on 18 March 2026 to Question UIN 118960.

Pursuant to the Answer of 23 February 2026 to Question 111898, what the evaluated costs are for delivering and operating the digital elements of the Jobs and Careers Service in-house compared with using private-sector technology.

I refer the Hon. member to the answer I gave on 10th December to PQ 96593.

Pursuant to the Answer of 23 February 2026 to Question 111895, what delivery options his Department is considering for the digital elements of the Jobs and Careers Service.

The Department is considering a wide range of delivery options for the Jobs and Careers Service.Currently several elements of the Jobs and Careers new digital service have already been assessed and the decision taken to build some of these elements in house. For other digital elements, the Department is preparing to undertake a market engagement exercise to understand the range of digital products and services that could support and enhance the Jobs and Career Service. The outcome of this engagement will help inform the future delivery strategy for the Jobs and Career Service.

Pursuant to the Answer of 23 February 2026 to Question 111895, what plans his Department has to engage with the private sector on delivery options for the digital element of the new Jobs and Careers Service.

The Department is preparing to undertake a market engagement exercise to understand the range of products and services that could support and enhance the Jobs and Career Service. These opportunities will be published on Find a Tender in due course.

Pursuant to the Answer of 24 February 2026 to Question 111896, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the 2028 delivery date for the Jobs and Careers Service on mobilisation of the UK workforce between now and 2028.

We have interpreted ‘mobilisation of the UK workforce’ to mean moving economically inactive or unemployed individuals into employment.We are aiming for a fully operational, nationwide, transformed service from 2028/29, with ongoing improvement thereafter. We already provide support to help people into employment through our current Jobcentre offer which will continue and improve as we transition to the new Jobs and Careers Service. We have developed an enhanced employer offer and employer strategy and grown the Sector-based Work Academy Programmes (SWAPs) in priority sectors. We have also announced the integration of the careers service in England from October this year, which will provide a more joined up service for customers. In April 2025, we launched our first Pathfinder in Wakefield in April 2025 which is testing elements of the new service including new ways of delivering employment support. We are also supporting people into employment through wider initiatives including the 17 youth and inactivity trailblazers, NHS Health and Growth Accelerators, Connect to Work programme and the Pathways to Work guarantee. In addition, the national rollout of the Youth Guarantee Gateway will start in April 2026 and follow a phased implementation to ensure adequate provision and infrastructure are in place to meet demand.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of the 2028 delivery date for the Jobs and Careers Service on workforce mobilisation between now and 2028.

We have interpreted your question as relating to DWP workforce.As part of the Jobs and Careers Service Programme the department will develop a plan to support the transition to the new organisation. As the design is still evolving so are our plans relating to the workforce. At present we continue to anticipate workforce needs in line with our existing processes and remain flexible as the design continues to take shape.

If his Department will set out more detail on how it will deliver the replacement for the Find a Job service by July 2026, including how it will be tested to ensure it meets the needs of citizens and whether it will go through the relevant Government Digital Service assessments.

The Government is reforming Jobcentre Plus and creating a new service across Great Britain to enable everyone to access support to find meaningful work and progress in employment. In England, this includes bringing together Jobcentre Plus with the National Careers Service into a unified jobs and careers service. The replacement for the Find a Job service will be developed as part of this wider programme, providing an integrated, digital first offer that helps people search and apply for jobs and access careers advice, alongside tailored support from Work Coaches where needed. As with other modern digital services delivered by the Department, the new service will be iterated over time. Before and after changes are made, we undertake user research with customers to gain feedback on their experience and suggestions for improvements, ensuring that services are designed around the needs of users, including those who require additional support to access digital channels. We will continue to align our approach with wider cross government ambitions for secure, user centred and efficient online services, as set out in the Government’s roadmap for digital and data. We are also following all relevant departmental and cross government governance processes in line with the blueprint for digital government.

With reference to the in-house design and development of the replacement for his Department's Find a Job digital service, what information his Department holds on the number of civil servants and external contractors involved in the service; the number of hours civil servants and external contractors have spent working on the service; and what estimate he has made of the level of spending on external contractors required to deliver and operate the service.

The information requested is not held centrally and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

What assessment he has made of the potential efficacy of public-private partnerships to (a) promote innovation and (b) integrate artificial intelligence in his Department's new Jobs and Careers Service.

The Department is committed to ensuring the new Jobs and Careers Service is fit for thefuture and will leverage the right technology, including AI, to deliver improved outcomes for citizens. The Department is considering a wide range delivery options for the Jobs and Careers Service.

What steps he is taking to use AI and digital technology to improve the efficacy of job and employment services.

We are adopting AI in DWP to help colleagues deliver better outcomes for customers and to improve productivity and efficiency. We will develop the Jobs and Careers Service to better support jobseekers and employers. As part of the design of the service, we will explore and test the most appropriate use of technology (including AI) to support job seekers with their work search.

What plans his Department has to reform the Motability scheme.

The government announced a package of reforms to the Motability Scheme which will ensure the scheme delivers value for money for the taxpayer, while continuing to support disabled people. Full details were set out in the budget and can be found here: Motability Scheme: reforming tax reliefs - GOV.UK

What data his Department holds on the a) gender and b) demographic breakdown of people aged 16-24 not in education, employment and training.

The Department for Education (DfE) publishes statistics on those aged 16-24 who are not in education, employment or training (NEET) for England from the Labour Force Survey (LFS): NEET age 16 to 24 . In this release, estimates of the number and proportion of young people who are NEET by sex and age group are available and can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/f4e23f94-bfd1-4bcc-49c0-08de398c3998 This release also provides information on young people aged 16-24 who are NEET by health characteristics using the annual population survey (APS). The following link provides the latest data on the proportions of NEET young people aged 16-24 who have recorded a specific health condition, which can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/2d152296-fc61-4e6c-b1be-08de39895a0e The Office for National Statistics publish NEET estimates from the LFS for the UK broken down by age group and sex, and can be found here: Young people not in education, employment or training (NEET), UK - Office for National Statistics

How many children were in poverty in Telford constituency for each year that data is available.

Statistics on the number of children living in absolute and relative poverty by parliamentary constituency are published annually in the “Children in low income families: local area statistics” publication. These are available at: Children in low income families: local area statistics - GOV.UK Statistics are available from FYE 2015 to FYE 2024. The latest available data can also be found on Stat-Xplore: Stat-Xplore - Home The Child Poverty Strategy, which will be published shortly, sets out the steps we are taking to reduce child poverty in the short term, as well as putting in place the building blocks we need to change the course we’re on and create long-term change. The removal of the two child limit, announced at Autumn Budget, will lift 450,000 children out of poverty, rising to around 550,000 alongside other measures announced this year, such as the expansion of free school meals. These interventions will lead to the largest expected reduction in child poverty over a Parliament since comparable records began. The removal of the two child limit could benefit around 4,800 children in Telford living in households affected by this policy.

Whether his Department plans to (a) reform the National Careers Service and (b) review careers advice contracts.

We are reforming Jobcentre Plus and creating a new service across Great Britain that will enable everyone to access support to find good, meaningful work, and support to help them to progress in work, including through an enhanced focus on skills and careers. In England, these reforms will include bringing together Jobcentre Plus with the National Careers Service to create a greater awareness and focus on skills and careers as well as better join-up between employability and careers provision. The current National Careers Service contracts are due to expire on 30 September 2026. Therefore, a decision was required on how to deliver adult careers advice from that point. The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has taken the decision to bring adult careers advice in-house into DWP from 1 October 2026. This means that National Careers Service contractors will no longer deliver this service after that date. This change is designed to ensure maximum flexibility in developing an integrated employment support and careers advice service. It will enable the service to respond more effectively to customer needs, identify and embed improved operational practices, and bring together employment and careers advice to meet the ambitions of the Get Britain Working White Paper

What assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the National Careers Service at providing young people with a broad range of career paths.

The Government regularly assesses the effectiveness of careers guidance for young people, including the role of the National Careers Service (NCS). While the NCS primarily focuses on adults, it also provides support to young people aged 13 and over. According to the 2025 National Careers Service customer satisfaction and progression survey, 97% of young people surveyed aged 18–24 reported gaining some form of Personal Added Value, such as increased confidence, motivation, and a clearer understanding of their next steps, following contact with the service. This support for young people complements that provided by schools and colleges, which are legally responsible for securing independent careers guidance for all 11- to 18-year-olds. We are reforming Jobcentre Plus and creating a new Jobs and Careers Service across Great Britain that will enable everyone to access support to find good, meaningful work, and support to help them to progress in work, including through an enhanced focus on skills and careers. Our new service will move away from the current one size fits all approach, recognising people are individuals with different support needs and will provide better tailored support. The new service will be universal and must work for everyone, including young people.

What steps he is taking to ensure the compatibility of the Pathways to Work green paper with the UK's obligations under the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

We take our international obligations including those under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) very seriously. The measures announced in the Pathways to Work Green Paper, and those implemented in the Universal Credit Act, are in accordance with this Government’s commitment to help disabled people fulfil their potential. We remain committed to constructive engagement with disabled people and broader stakeholders as part of our efforts to develop and implement reforms that support disabled people. This is evidenced with the launch of collaboration committees which bring together groups of disabled people and other experts for specific work areas to collaborate and provide discussion, challenge, and recommendations. The Disability Advisory Panel is being established to convene and connect the expertise of deaf and disabled people and people with long-term health conditions into our policy and strategy design and delivery. This will be chaired by Disability rights expert and consultant Zara Todd, taking a guiding role in the development and focus of the panel. We are also engaging with disabled people and their representatives as part of the Timms Review, which aims to ensure we have a system that supports disabled people to achieve better health, higher living standards and greater independence. We have committed to co-producing the Review with disabled people, the organisations that represent them and other stakeholders.

What steps his Department is taking to reduce the (a) underpayment and (b) overpayment of Carer's Allowance.

Carer’s Allowance is a single rate benefit which is either fully awarded to those who meet the qualifying conditions or disallowed. Those who also receive an “overlapping benefit”, such as a State Pension, will have any award of Carer’s Allowance adjusted accordingly. We commissioned an Independent Review of Carer’s Allowance earnings-related overpayments to see what happened and what changes can be made. The Review and our response to it will be published in due course.