Select Committee · Work and Pensions Committee

Plan for Jobs and employment support

Status: Closed Opened: 11 Jul 2022 Closed: 31 Oct 2023 25 recommendations 13 conclusions 1 report

The Committee looked at the effectiveness of Government support to get people into employment, including disadvantaged groups such as those in low-paid jobs and young people. The Committee looked to find out: What is driving increases in economic inactivity - for example amongst people with health conditions and older people? What has been the impact …

Clear

Reports

1 report
Title HC No. Published Items Response
Eighth Report - Plan for Jobs and employment support HC 600 19 Jul 2023 38 Responded

Recommendations & Conclusions

6 items
2 Recommendation Eighth Report - Plan for Jobs and empl… Accepted in Part

Expand Youth Hub eligibility for economically inactive young people not claiming Universal Credit

DWP Youth Hubs offer vital services to young people and the provision of mental health support services in all Youth Hubs is a critical part of that. However, not all young people who need this support are currently able to access it. There is also insufficient guidance to ensure that …

Government response. The government announced expanded access to the Youth Offer for young people on Universal Credit, but states that extending services to economically inactive young people not claiming Universal Credit remains at the discretion of individual Youth Hubs or their partners.
Department for Work and Pensions
5 Recommendation Eighth Report - Plan for Jobs and empl… Accepted in Part

Roll out Individual Placement and Support in Primary Care nationally with devolved administrations

We welcome the joint DWP and the DHSC Individual Placement and Support in Primary Care (IPSPC) initiative that has tried out embedding employment support in mental health services for mild to moderate mental health conditions. The Department should work with devolved administrations to roll out IPSPCs more widely so that …

Government response. The government states that the IPSPC programme already targets individuals with both physical and mental health conditions and is being extended to support more disabled people in England. While health is devolved, they commit to sharing expertise and exploring opportunities …
Department for Work and Pensions
10 Recommendation Eighth Report - Plan for Jobs and empl… Accepted in Part

Support employers to create job roles and workplaces attractive to older workers.

Ageism in the workplace is an important issue that needs to be confronted if this demographic is to be successfully supported to stay in or re-enter employment. Employers should be supported by DWP to create job roles and a workplace environment which are attractive to older workers, emphasising the value …

Government response. The government states it is committed to helping older workers through existing programmes like Midlife MOTs and engaging with the private sector. However, it does not propose to establish any new age-specific schemes for employers at this time.
Department for Work and Pensions
23 Recommendation Eighth Report - Plan for Jobs and empl… Accepted in Part

Launch targeted marketing campaign to raise Access to Work awareness among employers and disabled people

Access to Work is seen as being a very successful programme with positive impacts for claimants. However, employer awareness of the scheme is limited and there are many more people with a disability or health condition who could benefit from the support. In line with our recommendations in the Disability …

Government response. The government has introduced Adjustments Passports to raise awareness of Access to Work among employers and disabled people and continues to explore new channels, but has not committed to launching a full marketing campaign as recommended.
Department for Work and Pensions
33 Recommendation Eighth Report - Plan for Jobs and empl… Accepted in Part

Devolve future employment support programmes to local authorities based on NHS care boundaries.

The current centralised delivery model for employment support does not make the most of local knowledge or expertise and promotes a one-size-fits-all approach to support design. A more devolved approach to support design and delivery would allow support to be better tailored to the individual and could be designed to …

Government response. The government rejects the recommendation to automatically devolve all future employment support programmes, citing concerns about consistency and value for money. However, it commits to trialling a more devolved approach within the Greater Manchester and West Midlands Combined Authorities to …
Department for Work and Pensions
34 Recommendation Eighth Report - Plan for Jobs and empl… Accepted in Part

Establish a devolved employment support system within a national framework with DWP oversight.

DWP should establish a system of devolved support that sits within a National Framework where DWP maintains oversight of programmes to ensure that delivery is of a high and consistent standard, that value is delivered to the taxpayer and that consistent performance data is published for each area. DWP must …

Government response. The government rejects the recommendation to automatically devolve all employment support, preferring a programme-by-programme approach, but has committed to trialling a more devolved approach in specific 'Trailblazer' deals with Greater Manchester and West Midlands Combined Authorities to evaluate its effectiveness.
Department for Work and Pensions

Oral evidence sessions

8 sessions
Date Witnesses
3 May 2023 Guy Opperman MP · Department for Work and Pensions, Katie Farrington · Department for Work and Pensions, Sophie Dean · Department for Work and Pensions, Tom Pursglove MP · Home Office View ↗
19 Apr 2023 Alex Till · National Enterprise Network, David Hale · Federation of Small Businesses, Jonny Briggs · Aviva, Matt Dooley · Momentic Limited View ↗
15 Mar 2023 Dr Katy Jones · Manchester Metropolitan University, Professor Dan Finn · University of Portsmouth View ↗
8 Feb 2023 Elizabeth Taylor · The Employment Related Services Association (ERSA), Fiona Monahan · Ingeus, Graham Parry · Groundwork, Liz Sewell · Belina Grow, Rhodri Thomas · Reed in Partnership, Richard Clifton · Shaw Trust, Rosie Ginday · Miss Macaroon View ↗
25 Jan 2023 Councillor Kieron Williams · Central London Forward, Councillor Toby Savage · Local Government Association, Dr Shriti Pattani · Society of Occupational Medicine, Graham Whitham · Greater Manchester Poverty Action, Luke Price · The Centre for Ageing Better, Peter Murphy · Wise Age, Professor Kevin Bampton · British Occupational Hygiene Society View ↗
16 Nov 2022 Barry Fletcher · Career Connect, Billy Harding · Centrepoint, Dr Jenny Ceolta-Smith · Long Covid Support and Long Covid Work, James Taylor · Scope, Jane Hunt · Association of Disabled Professionals, Professor Kim Hoque · Disability@Work, Richard Rigby · The Prince’s Trust View ↗
26 Oct 2022 Ben Harrison · The Work Foundation, Dr Eleanor Carter · Government Outcomes Lab, Blavatnik School of Government, University of Oxford, Jonathan Cribb · Institute for Fiscal Studies, Louise Murphy · Resolution Foundation, Stephen Evans · Learning and Work Institute, Tony Wilson · Institute for Employment Studies View ↗
5 Jan 2022 Hannah Slaughter · Resolution Foundation, Richard Hughes · Office for Budget Responsibility, Sam Avanzo Windett · Learning and Work Institute, Tony Wilson · Institute for Employment Studies View ↗

Correspondence

3 letters
DateDirectionTitle
18 Oct 2023 Correspondence with the Economic Secretary to the Treasury relating to income p…
7 Jun 2023 Correspondence with the Minister for Employment relating to Plan for Jobs and e…
29 Mar 2023 Correspondence with the Minister for Employment and the Minister for Disabled P…