The £60 million funding for Free bus travel 24/7 for disabled people comes from existing Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and Department for Transport (DfT) budgets. It is made up of a £40 million contribution from DWP, and a £20 million contribution from DfT. The precise budgets for 2027/28 that will support this measure will be agreed through DWPs internal allocations process, which will conclude ahead of the new financial year.

DWP works with employers across the logistics sector to help prison leavers into work. Logistics is a sector where there is a high potential for prison leavers to fill skills shortages across the economy and to drive good growth in every postcode.

DWP works closely with HM Prison and Probation Service’s New Futures Network (NFN), the prison service’s specialist employment team, which brokers employment opportunities for prison leavers. This includes strategic partnerships with major employers in skills shortage sectors including logistics with employers such as GXO and Morrisons.

Ministry of Justice figures show that employment outcomes for prison leavers continue to improve, with 36.5% of prison leavers in employment six months after release in the year to March 2026, compared with 34.5% in the previous year.

The Ministry of Defence and HM Treasury will provide any further information on the funding of the Defence Investment Plan in the normal way in due course.

In Leicester East, Jobcentre Plus works closely with local partners to provide targeted support for groups facing additional barriers to employment. This includes dedicated youth employability support through the city’s Connexions Hub and Leicester City FC’s Youth Hub, which your constituents can access, alongside outreach activity in community settings such as day centres and libraries. Support includes personalised employment advice, access to skills and training opportunities, apprenticeship signposting, and specialist help for disabled people, care leavers and those with complex needs.

The department forecasts customer cohort volumes to anticipate the level of support and work coach resource required. Work Coaches offer personalised advice to help individuals secure roles that reflect their skills, qualifications and prior experience, alongside targeted job-search support. Where appropriate, Work Coaches also identify any skills gaps and signpost jobseekers to relevant training and provision.

For those who have been on Universal Credit for 6 months or more, the Restart Scheme provides 12 months of personalised and tailored support to help them move into work. The scheme is delivered across England and Wales.

The Government is investing an additional £2.5 billion by 2029 into the Youth Guarantee and the Growth and Skills Levy.

For those disabled people, individuals with long-term health conditions and people with more complex barriers to employment who need intensive, specialist support, Connect to Work, our £1 billion voluntary Supported Employment programme, is available across England and Wales. It will deliver tailored support to around 300,000 by the end of the decade.

Learners in all areas of England, including Leicester East, may benefit from ASF-funded provision where eligible. This can include English, maths, essential digital skills, employability provision, sector-based training and Free Courses for Jobs, helping adults to develop the skills needed to progress into employment or improve their prospects in the labour market.

The independent Office for National Statistics publish data on the levels of employment in the UK. This can be found here: A01: Summary of labour market statistics - Office for National Statistics.

Monthly statistics showing the number of people on Universal Credit (UC) by conditionality group and UC claim duration are published every three months in the People on Universal Credit dataset on Stat-Xplore, and the statistics are currently available to May 2026.

Users can log in or access Stat-Xplore as a guest and, if needed, can access guidance on how to extract information. There is also a Universal Credit Official Statistics: Stat-Xplore user guide.

The Department for Work and Pensions supports disabled veterans in South Lanarkshire through a dedicated Armed Forces Champion (AFC) covering the local Jobcentre Plus district. The AFC provides tailored employment and health-related support, benefits advice, and assistance in overcoming barriers to work, helping disabled veterans access the support and services available to them.

Disabled veterans may be eligible for a range of support, including disability and health-related benefits, income-related benefits and compensation schemes for injuries or illnesses attributable to military service. The AFC also supports veterans by connecting them with local partners and specialist organisations. By developing strong links with services such as Defence Medical Welfare Services, Veterans First Point and Lanarkshire Armed Services Advice, we are better able to support veterans through coordinated referrals, helping them access the specialist assistance they need and reducing barriers to support.

The AFC also participates in the Lanarkshire Firm Base, led by North and South Lanarkshire local authorities, which brings together local government, the Armed Forces, NHS services, charities, and employers to promote the aims of the Armed Forces Covenant and support serving personnel, veterans, and their families. Participation in this network enables us to raise awareness of the Armed Forces Champion role, strengthen relationships with key partners, identify additional sources of support for veterans, and develop collaborative opportunities that enhance the range and quality of services available to the Armed Forces community.

Through attendance at these meetings, we have identified a newly launched Veterans Hub run by an Armed Forces charity supporting members of the Armed Forces community with their mental health. We are exploring opportunities for future partnership working, including the potential to deliver support and engagement activities within the Hub and strengthen referral pathways for veterans.

Data on the number of economically inactive people by reason is routinely published here by the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

Data on the number of young people (16 to 24) who are not in education, employment, or training (NEET) due to disability or ill-health was published in 2025 as part of The employment of disabled people.

Data for each fiscal year, starting 2013/14, can be found at The employment of disabled people 2025 - GOV.UK (Table NEE006). These figures are based on the Annual Population Survey.

We know that work is good for health and wellbeing, so we want everyone to get work and get on in work, whoever they are and wherever they live. Disabled people and people with health conditions, including disabled parents and carers, are a diverse group so access to the right work and health support, in the right place, at the right time, is key.

We have a range of specialist initiatives to support individuals to stay in work and get back into work. These include support from Work Coaches and Disability Employment Advisers in Jobcentres, Access to Work grants and Connect to Work, as well as initiatives joining up health and employment support around the individual through Employment Advisors in NHS Talking Therapies, and WorkWell.

The Pathways to Work Green Paper set out our Pathways to Work offer, backed by £1 billion a year of new funding by the end of the decade. Building on existing initiatives we are working towards a guaranteed offer of personalised work, health and skills support for all disabled people and people with health conditions on out of work benefits.

In November 2025, Sir Charlie Mayfield published the Keep Britain Working Report, which recommended reshaping how government works with employers to improve work and health outcomes through creating healthier, more inclusive workplaces. We are now working with volunteer employers, providers and regions through a Vanguard Phase to test and refine approaches to help disabled workers and workers with long-term health conditions, receive the support they need to remain and thrive in employment. These include developing effective stay in work and return to work practices, strengthening prevention, and building the evidence needed to spread good practice. We have also developed a digital information service for employers and continue to oversee the Disability Confident Scheme.

The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

The Right Honourable Alan Milburn has been commissioned to Author a report that will seek to understand the drivers of the increase in the number of young people who are Not in Education, Employment or Training (NEET).

On the 28^th May he published his diagnostic report, outlining his discoveries on the drivers of the increase in the number of young people who are NEET.

The final Report is intended to take a holistic view of the welfare, health, skills and employment system and identify areas for reform.

The Author will provide a full and final report this Autumn.

For many women, endometriosis can have a significant impact on their lives, by creating more supportive and informed workplaces, we can help ensure that women with endometriosis, and women experiencing other health conditions, can remain in work, progress in their careers, and reach their full potential.

On 1 April 2026, Mariella Frostrup was appointed as the government’s Women’s Employment Ambassador, where she takes a holistic approach to supporting women in the workplace, championing an environment that supports women at every stage of their lives. In this role, the Ambassador works with employers across the country to strengthen workplace support, raise awareness of key health issues and wider challenges affecting women in work, and highlights the vital economic contribution of women.

The Ambassador attended the launch of the Endometriosis (Not) in the Workplace report, supported by Endometriosis UK, on 14 October. In her remarks, she emphasised that supporting women's health in the workplace is not only the right thing to do, but is also vital for retaining talent, reducing inequalities, and strengthening the economy.

In Spring, the government launched voluntary action plans for large employers to improve menopause support and address their gender pay gaps. The guidance highlights where actions to improve menopause support may also benefit employees experiencing other health conditions related to menstrual health, including endometriosis.

The Renewed Women’s Health Strategy for England, published in April, represents a decisive shift towards addressing longstanding failings in women’s health outcomes, experiences, and access to care. It applies the government’s 10 Year Health Plan to women’s health, aiming for faster, more equitable improvements through fundamental reform rather than incremental changes.

The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

The Department supports low-income adults in work to develop their skills, increase their earnings and, where appropriate, retrain for new careers.

Through Jobcentre Plus, Work Coaches can help individuals identify skills gaps and access training, and refer claimants to a range of provision, including Skills Bootcamps, apprenticeships, sector-based work academy programmes, Free Courses for Jobs, and English, maths and digital skills training.

The ASF supports eligible adults aged 19 and over to access education and training up to and including level 3 qualifications where they meet the relevant funding criteria. This includes fully funding eligible adults in work but earning less than £26,800, as well as co-funding for those earning above this threshold.

Learner Support and Learning Support funding can help those facing financial hardship and people with disabilities or health conditions to participate effectively in learning. For people with health conditions, specialist support is also available through programmes such as Access to Work.

The Right Honourable Alan Milburn has been commissioned to author a report that will seek to understand the drivers of the increase in the number of young people who are Not in Education, Employment or Training (NEET).

The Author is committed to engaging with experts across the labour market, welfare and health sectors, as well as employers and people with lived experience.

The final report is intended to take a holistic view of the welfare, health, skills and employment systems and identify areas for reform.

The Author will provide a full and final report this Autumn.

With around one million young people not in education, employment and training, this Government will not leave an entire generation of young people behind. The Government is investing an additional £2.5 billion by 2029 into the Youth Guarantee and the Growth and Skills Levy.

This investment will create up to 500,000 opportunities. This includes around 300,000 opportunities to gain workplace experience and training, alongside up to 200,000 employment opportunities through a new £3,000 Youth Jobs Grant for employers hiring 18 to 24-year-oldst who have been on Universal Credit for over six months. Also, a new £2,000 apprenticeship hiring payment for non-levy employers hiring 16 to 24-year-olds, and the Jobs Guarantee scheme, providing long-term unemployed 18 to 24-year-olds with a fully funded six-month job.

DWP's Strategic Relationship Team works with manufacturing employers to promote apprenticeships, work experience, careers events and employability activity for young people, including those who are NEET. This includes aligning employer recruitment activity with Jobcentre support, developing pathways into engineering and advanced manufacturing careers, and working with employers to address skills shortages and increase opportunities for young people entering the sector.

The Department has also supported activity around National Manufacturing Day to raise awareness of careers in modern manufacturing, challenge outdated perceptions of the sector and promote opportunities including apprenticeships and work experience. In addition, manufacturing employers are making use of the Youth Job Grant, helping more young people who have been unemployed for longer periods move into sustained work.

With around one million young people not in education, employment and training, this Government will not leave an entire generation of young people behind. The Government is investing an additional £2.5 billion by 2029 into the Youth Guarantee and the Growth and Skills Levy.

This investment will create up to 500,000 opportunities. This includes around 300,000 opportunities to gain workplace experience and training, alongside up to 200,000 employment opportunities through a new £3,000 Youth Jobs Grant for employers hiring 18 to 24-year-oldst who have been on Universal Credit for over six months. Also, a new £2,000 apprenticeship hiring payment for non-levy employers hiring 16 to 24-year-olds, and the Jobs Guarantee scheme, providing long-term unemployed 18 to 24-year-olds with a fully funded six-month job.

DWP's Strategic Relationship Team works with manufacturing employers to promote apprenticeships, work experience, careers events and employability activity for young people, including those who are NEET. This includes aligning employer recruitment activity with Jobcentre support, developing pathways into engineering and advanced manufacturing careers, and working with employers to address skills shortages and increase opportunities for young people entering the sector.

The Department has also supported activity around National Manufacturing Day to raise awareness of careers in modern manufacturing, challenge outdated perceptions of the sector and promote opportunities including apprenticeships and work experience. In addition, manufacturing employers are making use of the Youth Job Grant, helping more young people who have been unemployed for longer periods move into sustained work.

This Government is committed to delivering an employment support system that is personalised to individual needs. Jobseekers, including those with professional experience, can seek tailored and flexible support through Jobcentre Plus. Work Coaches offer personalised advice to help individuals secure roles that reflect their skills, qualifications and prior experience, alongside targeted job‑search support.

Where appropriate, Work Coaches also identify any skills gaps and signpost jobseekers to relevant training and provision, ensuring they are well‑placed to access suitable employment and progress in their careers.

Where those mid-career and experienced unemployed professional are aged 50 and over and in receipt of benefits, jobcentres provide additional dedicated support, including 50PLUS Champions, Additional Work Coach Time, a Midlife MOT as well as a digital Midlife MOT available to all.

From 1^st October careers advice in England is being delivered through careers advisers within DWP for adults (and those who are under 18 and eligible). Careers Advice will continue to support anyone who is looking for work, who wants to get on in work, or who wants to change their career or retrain, regardless of whether they are claiming benefits. Careers information and advice is available via the ‘Get careers information and advice’ website www.nationalcareers.service.gov.uk. Qualified careers advisers also provide in-depth guidance to customers who face greater barriers to working or learning, including adults who have been unemployed or economically inactive for more than 12 months and those aged 50 and over who are unemployed or at demonstrable risk of unemployment.

As part of our development of the new Jobs and Careers Service, we are reforming employment support to make it more inclusive and better tailored to individual needs, including mid-career and experienced workers. As part of the service, we have launched new digital tools, known as ‘Work Hub’, which are available to all. Work Hub provides access to an online AI work assistant, a CV builder and new job search tool to support individuals transition into suitable roles.

Employees claiming Universal Credit have no obligation to inform DWP they are receiving benefits.

The Flexible Support Fund (FSF) may be available through Jobcentre Plus to help eligible customers (including young people aged 18 and over) to overcome practical barriers to employment, increase their earnings, or move closer to the labour market. This includes employment related costs such as travel, work clothing, tools and equipment. Support is discretionary, subject to eligibility, and assessed on an individual basis.