Written questions by Snowden.

What support his Department provides to help young people develop budgeting and money-management skills when entering employment.

Awaiting answer.

What discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Justice on the interaction between child maintenance rules and family court child arrangement orders.

Awaiting answer.

What estimate his Department has made of the number of adult learners who will be affected by the reduction in adult skills funding in the 2026–27 financial year.

We are committed to investing in education and skills training for adults. There is no reduction to the Adult Skills Fund in Financial Year 2026-27. Alongside the core Adult Skills Fund the government is providing significant investment in adult learning ...

What assessment he has made of the potential merits of adding safeguards to pension transfers into different types of occupational pension schemes.

The Government will act to protect pension savers wherever evidence indicates there may be a risk. The current consultation, “Protecting Pension Savers: Proposed Amendments to the Conditions for Pension Transfer Regulations”, focuses on targeted changes t...

What estimate he has made of the number of pension scam cases reported in each year since 2021.

Data from Action Fraud indicates that reported levels of pensions fraud have increased since 2021, rising from 296 cases in 2021 to 517 cases in 2025. However, this should not be taken as evidence of a corresponding rise in underlying criminal activity. P...

What estimate he has made of the number of jobs that could be lost through increased adoption of artificial intelligence technologies.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has potentially transformative benefits for the economy and wider society, and the government is doing all it can to ensure that the United Kingdom is at the forefront of this technological transition. Whilst there is little e...

Whether participation in the Jobs Guarantee will be mandatory for eligible Universal Credit claimants.

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. Participation in the Jobs Guarantee scheme is mandatory, and par...

What estimate he has made of the average cost per participant under the Jobs Guarantee.

Elements of the costs set out are publicly available in the Jobs Guarantee Grant Guidance published on gov.uk. This includes:employer onboarding costs of up to £250 per participantsupport and administration costs of between £2,150 to £2,650 per participan...

What targets have been established for employment outcomes under the Jobs Guarantee.

The Government will not leave an entire generation of young people behind. The Government is investing an additional £2.5 billion over the next three years into the Youth Guarantee and the Growth and Skills Levy. This investment will support almost one mi...

With reference to the Written Statement entitled Fit Note Reform Pilots, published on 21 May 2026, HCWS56, how many employers in Lancashire and South Cumbria are expected to participate in the pilot.

The fit note reform pilots are designed to support individual employees to remain in, or return to, work. This will include engaging with their employers, where appropriate, as part of that process, rather than targeting employers or businesses directly. ...

With reference to the Written Statement entitled Fit Note Reform Pilots, published on 21 May 2026, HCWS56, how many Community Work and Health Team staff will be recruited in Lancashire and South Cumbria

The total budget for the Fit Note Reform Pilots in 2026–27 is £3 million, distributed across four pilot areas. Funding allocations differ between each area, reflecting local workforce configurations, delivery models and expected patient volumes agreed wit...

With reference to the Written Statement entitled Fit Note Reform Pilots, published on 21 May 2026, HCWS56, how much of the £3 million allocated to the pilot programme will be allocated to Lancashire and

The total budget for the Fit Note Reform Pilots in 2026–27 is £3 million, distributed across four pilot areas. Funding allocations differ between each area, reflecting local workforce configurations, delivery models and expected patient volumes agreed wit...

What assessment he has made of the impact of endometriosis on access to work for women.

This 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. Sir Charlie Mayfield’s independent Keep Britain...

What estimate he has made of the number of young people not in employment, education or training in Fylde constituency; and what steps he is taking to reduce that figure.

No estimates are available of the number of people aged 16 - 24 years who are not in education, employment or training in Fylde constituency. With over one million young people not in education, employment and training, this Government will not leave an e...

What recent discussions he has had with employers on barriers to apprenticeship recruitment.

The government engages regularly with employers and their representative organisations to understand and address barriers to offering apprenticeships, as well as to inform the ongoing development of the growth and skills offer. This engagement includes ou...

For what reason the benefits system continues to recognise polygamy in social security regulations.

Polygamous marriages are illegal in the UK. Immigration rules have generally prevented the formation of polygamous households in this country since 1988. Benefit support is only available where the marriage took place in a country where the practice is le...

What estimate he has made of the number of benefits payments to spouses in polygamous marriages (i) made in the past 12 months and (ii) expected to be made in the forthcoming 12 months.

The most recent published data (August 2025) from the Housing Benefit Single Housing Extract (SHBE) indicates that there are fewer than ten households where claimants are recorded as being in a polygamous marriage formed in another country. In these excep...

What assessment he has made of the potential merits of exemptions and higher mileage allowances for Motability Scheme users with significant healthcare travel needs, including applying the previous average annual allowance of 12,000 miles per annum.

Responsibility for the terms and administration of the Scheme sits with Motability Foundation and its Board of Governors. The changes to the leasing package were announced on 26 March and include reducing the mileage allowance from 20,000 per year to 10,000 per year. Changes only apply to new leases and there are no changes to the mileage allowance of existing leases. Motability Foundation have advised that approximately 75% of customers on the Scheme already use less miles than the proposed new mileage allowance. They have acknowledged that there will be an impact on some customers and are considering if the impact can be mitigated in some limited circumstances.

Whether her Department cross-checks identity information with (a) HM Revenue and Customs and (b) other government databases before initiating debt recovery action relating to Universal Credit.

This department is committed to fairness in debt recovery and will always work with people to ensure that any recovery activity does not cause hardship or is unfairly detrimental. Identity checks are undertaken by DWP at the point a customer makes a benefit claim, and we work closely with other government departments during the claimant journey where necessary.

Whether his Department has undertaken an impact assessment of the effect of calculating Child Maintenance Service payments on gross income on the financial wellbeing of paying parents in the last five years.

The child maintenance liability is usually calculated as a percentage of a Paying Parent’s gross weekly income, unless they are on low income or benefits where they pay a flat rate of £7. Income information is taken directly from HM Revenue and Customs for the latest tax year available and applies to parents who are employed or self employed. This allows calculations to be made quickly and accurately. On previous Child Maintenance schemes net income was used. When this was changed to gross income on the 2012 scheme, percentages were adjusted to reflect the change and keep liabilities broadly the same for a given level of income as they had been under previous schemes. The Government has announced a review of the child maintenance calculation to ensure the formula encourages compliance and sustainable arrangements. Any changes made to the child maintenance calculation will be subject to public consultation, and if made, will require amendments to legislation so would be subject to Parliamentary scrutiny.