8th Report - European Social Fund
- HC No.
- HC 848
- Published
- 4 Apr 2018
- Items
- 0
- Government response
- Government response published 28 June 2018. Read the government's response ↗
Select committee: Work and Pensions Committee
The future of the European Social Fund inquiry
Closed
Opened 21 Feb 2018
Closed 5 Nov 2019
Work and Pensions Committee Inquiry on parliament.uk ↗
Inquiry scope (the committee's words)
The European Social Fund (ESF) is a vital resource. It provides £500 million worth of employment and skills support funding every year for some of the UK’s most disadvantaged people and communities. When the UK leaves the EU, it will have to decide how to sustain this support. The Government has pledged to create a UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) serving a similar purpose to current EU funding. Beyond that the future is uncertain. The UK has a historic opportunity to redesign the ESF entirely in its national interests: plugging skills gaps, increasing productivity and lifting up disadvantaged communities. But there is still much detailed design work to be done. Government does not have time on its side to complete this and ensure a seamless transition. The consequences of a gap in provision—for providers, for local areas, and for individuals—would be disastrous. The UK could create a truly world-leading successor fund that is the envy of Europe—but it must act fast.
Where it stands
The inquiry is closed, opened 21 February 2018.
The committee has published 1 report, most recently 8th Report - European Social Fund on 4 April 2018.
The government's response
Published 28 June 2018.
Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.The government welcomes the committee's report on the European Social Fund and, rather than formally accepting or rejecting individual recommendations, says it is considering how to design a successor under the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.
- On an arm's length body, the government "notes" the recommendation but says new such bodies should be "set up as a last resort", and it is "considering a number of ways" to make the fund cheap to administer.
- On a separate employment support fund, it does not commit, but says it "is considering how the structure of a replacement ESF can address these criticisms" of siloed funding.
- On funding length, it says the duration of replacement funds "will be determined at the Spending Review". On bureaucracy, stripping it back is "an absolute priority" in designing any new fund.
- It commits to a public consultation on the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, which it "intend[s]" to hold "later in the year".
Reports
- 8th Report - European Social Fund4 April 2018
Evidence
- 1 oral evidence sessionLatest 28 February 2018
Recent activity
- Letter from the Chair to Jake Berry on the Government response to the Committee's European Social Fund report, 28 June 20183 July 2018, Correspondence
- Government Response to the Work and Pensions Select Committee Report into the European Social Fund28 June 2018, Report published
- 8th Report - European Social Fund4 April 2018, Report published
Reports
Oral evidence sessions
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| Date | Session and witnesses | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 28 Feb 2018 |
Oral evidence session
No witnesses recorded
|
View ↗ |
Correspondence
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| Published | Direction | Letter |
|---|---|---|
| 3 Jul 2018 | To committee | Letter from the Chair to Jake Berry on the Government response to the Committee's European Social Fund report, 28 June 2018 |
| 26 Mar 2018 | To committee | Letter from Minister for Employment to the Chair regarding Future of European Social Fund, 19 March 2018 |
| 7 Mar 2018 | To committee | Letter from the Chair to Minister for Employment regarding the European Social Fund, 5 March 2018 |