argyrotsipi/train-dataset huggingface dataset:
Kickstart Scheme: Business Participation — House of Commons, 2020-11-30
Topic: Labor
Miriam Jane Alice Davies (Conservative, Centre-right): We are encouraging employers to create a range of opportunities through the kickstart scheme for all young people aged 16 to 24 who are at risk of long-term unemployment, including those who have disabilities. Our work coaches will help to identify those young people in need of any extra support available through the kickstart scheme and any other suitable provision to support them. Meanwhile, my hon. Friend will be interested to know that the wide-ranging opportunities in his constituency go to the approval board this week for consideration.
Kickstart Scheme: Business Participation — House of Commons, 2020-11-30
Topic: Labor
Felicity Christiana Buchan (Conservative, Centre-right): The kickstart scheme is proving to be a great success in my North Kensington jobcentre, with many placements already made and a number—for instance, in gyms—awaiting the end of lockdown. Does my hon. Friend agree that it is critical that we get young people into work, especially in London, where the cost of living is so high?
Kickstart Scheme: Business Participation — House of Commons, 2020-11-30
Topic: Labor
Miriam Jane Alice Davies (Conservative, Centre-right): I absolutely agree with my hon. Friend: it is vital that we support young people into employment. As we know, they are often the most affected in these times of economic uncertainty. My hon. Friend will be pleased to know that in addition to kickstart, the DWP Kensington youth team is actively working with local partners, such as the Rugby Portobello Trust, to help young people in her constituency back into work.
Kickstart Scheme: Business Participation — House of Commons, 2020-11-30
Topic: Labor
Pauline Elizabeth Latham (Conservative, Centre-right): Young people are particularly at risk of being left behind as a result of this pandemic. Will my hon. Friend assure me that as we get our economy moving again, she will ensure that younger people have the chance to develop the skills that they need for future employment?
Kickstart Scheme: Business Participation — House of Commons, 2020-11-30
Topic: Labor
Miriam Jane Alice Davies (Conservative, Centre-right): The Secretary of State and I are determined that the kickstart scheme will provide for young people a vital springboard to gain vital skills and experience in fully subsidised six-month roles, which will help to build their networks and their future opportunities before they move into long-term employment, apprenticeships, traineeships or further training. I was delighted to be in Derbyshire earlier this year to see exactly how the scheme will work on the ground.
Kickstart Scheme: Business Participation — House of Commons, 2020-11-30
Topic: Labor
Miriam Jane Alice Davies (Conservative, Centre-right): I thank the hon. Lady for that question. It is very important that kickstart works with all the opportunities that are available for young people, and my Department is working across Government to achieve that. The Haringey youth team is made up of 10 work coaches focused on 18 to 24-year-olds and, absolutely, they are already working directly on this in her Wood Green jobcentre, and I encourage her to go to see it if she has not already done so.
Kickstart Scheme: Business Participation — House of Commons, 2020-11-30
Topic: Labor
Miriam Jane Alice Davies (Conservative, Centre-right): I am meeting with the M9 Group of Mayors once again and they have been absolutely crucial in terms of local design, local mayors, local enterprise partnerships, and our local chambers of commerce. The scheme has been designed with local authorities and local labour markets in mind. The hon. Member will be pleased to know that we are working closely with Stockport local authority, particularly with its job match service around kickstart.
Kickstart Scheme: Business Participation — House of Commons, 2020-11-30
Topic: Labor
Miriam Jane Alice Davies (Conservative, Centre-right): I thank the hon. Lady for her question. I know that she is focused on young people, as am I. She may have heard from the Secretary of State that we are absolutely determined about this and that that work is already embedded; it is part of kickstart. This placement is treated like regular work, so all existing schemes such as Access to Work can be used, and our young people in jobcentres will be able to discuss all the options via the work coach.
Vulnerable Families: Winter Support — House of Commons, 2020-11-30
Topic: Social Welfare
Thérèse Anne Coffey (Conservative, Centre-right): Earlier this month, I announced the £170 million covid winter grant scheme to help disadvantaged people, particularly children, through the challenging winter months ahead, with food and essential utility bills over Christmas through to the end of March. The first half of funding for the scheme will reach local authorities in England this week. I am delighted to say that Nottinghamshire has been allocated £2.3 million and South Gloucestershire £569,000.
Vulnerable Families: Winter Support — House of Commons, 2020-11-30
Topic: Social Welfare
Benjamin David Bradley (Conservative, Centre-right): Does my right hon. Friend agree that it is hugely important for the most vulnerable children—those whose welfare we know is a source of worry for their teachers when they do not see them for weeks—that we can offer the best possible help in the holidays, with proper structured and face-to-face support for those children and their families such as that offered through our holiday activity clubs?
Vulnerable Families: Winter Support — House of Commons, 2020-11-30
Topic: Education
Thérèse Anne Coffey (Conservative, Centre-right): I agree with my hon. Friend and he looks ready and dressed to support a holiday activity fund when the opportunity comes along. Maintaining that important link over the longer holidays can be transformative for children’s health and educational prospects, which is why I was proud to announce earlier this month the £220 million expansion of the programme for the longer school holidays right throughout 2021. This will offer enriching activities such as arts and sports, which will help them to perform better in school, as well as a free nutritious meal while they are there.
Vulnerable Families: Winter Support — House of Commons, 2020-11-30
Topic: Social Welfare
Giacomo Lopresti (Conservative, Centre-right): I welcome the announcement of the additional winter support funding across South Gloucestershire, which will benefit lots of my constituents, but can my right hon. Friend assure me that this additional funding will be spent efficiently by the councils and go to the people who need it?
Vulnerable Families: Winter Support — House of Commons, 2020-11-30
Topic: Social Welfare
Thérèse Anne Coffey (Conservative, Centre-right): My hon. Friend is absolutely right to stress that point. As I have already indicated, his council will receive just over half a million pounds. The grant has come with conditions to ensure that the money is targeted towards the most disadvantaged people, and councils will be expected to report on that. They have a wide range of information to help them, including access to who is on benefits and other elements, to ensure that they reach people who really are disadvantaged at this time of year.
Spending Review 2020 — House of Commons, 2020-11-30
Topic: Labor
Thérèse Anne Coffey (Conservative, Centre-right): The further funding for our plan for jobs—particularly the £2.9 billion for the restart programme that is focusing on those at risk of long-term unemployment —as well as ongoing support for our other schemes and work coaches shows our focus on helping people to get back into work. Through Barnett consequentials, £36 million of funding will be available for equivalent measures in Scotland next year. Other elements, such as the record increase in defence spending and the 10-point plan for a green industrial revolution, will help to create new jobs that will positively impact Scotland and the wider UK.
Spending Review 2020 — House of Commons, 2020-11-30
Topic: Labor
Thérèse Anne Coffey (Conservative, Centre-right): I think it is the situation in Glasgow that a number of jobcentres were consolidated into one area. I am a great believer that, instead of necessarily investing money in bricks and mortar, we should invest in the people who will provide that support. In Scotland more broadly, we are aiming to hire over 800 new work coaches; 400 have already been recruited to date, and I know that some of those are in Glasgow.
Spending Review 2020 — House of Commons, 2020-11-30
Topic: Social Welfare
Thérèse Anne Coffey (Conservative, Centre-right): The hon. Lady will be aware that the temporary extension of the £20 universal credit uplift was made in line with the fiscal measures made earlier this year. With regard to the benefit uprating, I put that through as that is the normal process that we go through, but, as has been indicated, we will continue to look at this matter again in the new year.
Spending Review 2020 — House of Commons, 2020-11-30
Topic: Social Welfare
Thérèse Anne Coffey (Conservative, Centre-right): Last year we actually increased benefits by inflation, and we have made sure that that has happened again so that there are no cuts in that regard. I am keen to continue to do what we can to encourage people to move across to universal credit. There is only one group of claimants who are effectively barred from doing that, and that will change in January next year. I genuinely want to put across how important it is; by using things such as Help to Claim and getting support directly, people can often see that they will be considerably better off under universal credit.
Spending Review 2020 — House of Commons, 2020-11-30
Topic: Social Welfare
Thérèse Anne Coffey (Conservative, Centre-right): The decision made last year was to increase to the 30th percentile in cash terms—that is around £1 billion of welfare support that has been added. On consideration, we felt it was right to continue the cash freeze as we recognise that around the country we are seeing rents potentially going down, although I recognise that in some places they may continue to rise. Overall, people have certainty in the amount of cash that they have. It is certainly not going back but about making sure that this is a permanent change and was not just a temporary one.
Spending Review 2020 — House of Commons, 2020-11-30
Topic: Labor
Thérèse Anne Coffey (Conservative, Centre-right): The best way to get out of poverty is to get into work. I am very conscious that there are real challenges right now, as we see an increasing number of unemployed people. There are vacancies, but part of the Government’s job is to stimulate interest, which we are doing with a multibillion-pound investment in a variety of schemes, not only to create jobs, with kickstart, but to make sure that people are ready to get back into work. The idea is that we need to try to create confidence within business, and that will be a key part of that. I am sure the hon. Gentleman welcomed the money that came through the Barnett consequentials that will support initiatives that the Scottish Government might wish to undertake.
Spending Review 2020 — House of Commons, 2020-11-30
Topic: Social Welfare
Thérèse Anne Coffey (Conservative, Centre-right): Last week I published the benefit uprating statement, which indicated the inflation rise for benefits, as well as the 2.5% for state pensions. I am conscious that a number of different things are going on with benefit spending—my hon. Friend the Minister for Disabled People, Health and Work just reminded me that benefit spending on people with disabilities is up 5%. I think there is a lack of understanding of what the spending review is: it is not about budgetary measures, which tend to come with major fiscal events. As has been indicated before, the decision to consider the temporary uplift to universal credit will be made in the new year.
Statutory Sick Pay: Covid-19 — House of Commons, 2020-11-30
Topic: Social Welfare
Justin Paul Tomlinson (Conservative, Centre-right): Those required to stay at home by NHS Test and Trace could be eligible for the additional £500 of financial support if they are on UC, working tax credits, employment and support allowance, jobseeker’s allowance, income support, housing benefit or pension credit, and that is just part of our wider targeted welfare safety net.
Statutory Sick Pay: Covid-19 — House of Commons, 2020-11-30
Topic: Social Welfare
Justin Paul Tomlinson (Conservative, Centre-right): The hon. Member is right to highlight the importance of this matter, and that is why statutory sick pay is part of the wider targeted financial support that we offer. Depending on eligibility for individual households, they could also get support through universal credit, new-style ESA or the self-employed income support scheme.
Statutory Sick Pay: Covid-19 — House of Commons, 2020-11-30
Topic: Labor
Justin Paul Tomlinson (Conservative, Centre-right): Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs and the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy rightly have been introducing stronger and clearer guidance for employers. Employees who are not able to get reasonable adjustments put in place should either speak to their union representatives or can go through ACAS to seek resolution. Nobody should be going into work when they are meant to be self-isolating or are sick through covid.
Universal Credit Claimants: Covid-19 Support — House of Commons, 2020-11-30
Topic: Labor
William James Quince (Conservative, Centre-right): Throughout the pandemic, our covid-secure jobcentres have remained open to the most vulnerable in society who require face-to-face support. We have also introduced new processes to cut telephony waiting times and enhanced our digital platforms. That empowers our work coaches to engage with customers through appropriate channels, based on their knowledge of the customer and the local situation.
Universal Credit Claimants: Covid-19 Support — House of Commons, 2020-11-30
Topic: Technology
Andrew Hanson Jones (Conservative, Centre-right): I thank my hon. Friend for that answer, but in some parts of our country, including parts of Harrogate and Knaresborough, access to broadband or even a mobile phone signal can be quite limited. How is he helping the excellent team at Harrogate jobcentre help those who cannot have a face-to-face appointment, yet struggle to gain access to the internet?
Work Coaches: Recruitment — House of Commons, 2020-11-30
Topic: Labor
Miriam Jane Alice Davies (Conservative, Centre-right): My hon. Friend will be aware that we have committed to recruit an additional 13,500 work coaches by March 2021, and we are on track to meet that. Since July, 5,468 have been recruited, and I had the pleasure of meeting some of our new London recruits at the Department for Work and Pensions’ Caxton House. I was delighted by the additional positivity, diversity of skills and fresh knowledge they bring to the DWP family.
Work Coaches: Recruitment — House of Commons, 2020-11-30
Topic: Labor
Miriam Jane Alice Davies (Conservative, Centre-right): All our new work coaches receive six weeks’ up-front training. That includes a week’s induction, followed by an initial 25 days’ intensive training, 20 days’ facilitated learning and five days’ consolidation. Their ongoing learning continues with access to action learning sets, bite-sized products and a learning hub to help build their confidence and skills as they continue to grow in their role. My hon. Friend will be pleased to know that a second round of recruitment will kick off in his region in the run-up to Christmas, looking for almost 200 more work coaches.
Employment: Young People — House of Commons, 2020-11-30
Topic: Labor
Miriam Jane Alice Davies (Conservative, Centre-right): The new enhanced DWP youth offer commenced in September. That is in addition to kickstart. We are increasing the support offered via a 13-week youth employment programme to help young people gain the skills and experience that employers are looking for. We are also working with our network of external partners to deliver 100 new youth hubs, co-located and co-delivered locally, alongside expanding the number of our youth employability work coaches.
Employment: Young People — House of Commons, 2020-11-30
Topic: Labor
Daniel Rayne Kruger (Conservative, Centre-right): I am encouraged to hear about the progress being made on the kickstart scheme. Does my hon. Friend agree that schemes that provide young people with not only a job placement and coaching but wider personal skills training and even opportunities for social action are more likely to be successful in equipping young people for their careers and incentivising employers to keep them on?
Employment: Young People — House of Commons, 2020-11-30
Topic: Labor
Miriam Jane Alice Davies (Conservative, Centre-right): I absolutely agree, and I thank my hon. Friend for his work and interest in supporting young people and focusing on their progression. I remind all Members that, outside the 25 hours that a kickstart work placement provides, jobseekers are encouraged by their work coaches to undertake other activities to help them progress towards long-term employment.
Employment: Young People — House of Commons, 2020-11-30
Topic: Labor
Mark Ian Jenkinson (Conservative, Centre-right): I thank my hon. Friend for that answer and appreciate the work that the Department is doing in this important area. Youth unemployment remains a challenge in Workington. Can she outline the steps that her Department is taking to assist my young constituents at a local level?
Employment: Young People — House of Commons, 2020-11-30
Topic: Labor
Miriam Jane Alice Davies (Conservative, Centre-right): My hon. Friend will be pleased to hear that his excellent Workington jobcentre has developed five mentoring circles for young people, covering topics such as first impressions, transferable skills, interview skills and CVs. There has been much interest by local employers in Workington to become part of kickstart, with new job opportunities available across many sectors, including roles in adult social care and additional placements working with businesses such as Tesco.
Self-Employed Universal Credit Claimants: Covid-19 — House of Commons, 2020-11-30
Topic: Social Welfare
Stephen Daniel Double (Conservative, Centre-right): There is no doubt that the universal credit system has stood up well to the unprecedented increase in demand placed on it this year, including by being flexible and responsive in the way that the Minister described. Will she join me in thanking the staff at the UC service centre in St Austell, which I believe is the busiest and best performing service centre in the country, for their excellent hard work and dedication this year? Does she share my concern that all we hear from the Opposition is dragging down the system, which is working so much better than the legacy system we inherited, and while they call for it to be scrapped, they never say what they would replace it with?
Self-Employed Universal Credit Claimants: Covid-19 — House of Commons, 2020-11-30
Topic: Social Welfare
Miriam Jane Alice Davies (Conservative, Centre-right): I would be delighted to extend my thanks to the dedicated and hard-working team at the St Austell service centre and their colleagues across the rest of the DWP, who have played their part in processing a 90% national increase in UC claims since March. I agree with my hon. Friend’s point about the Opposition. Without the agile, digital universal credit system, we simply would not have been able to quickly and safely process millions of additional claims and get money and support to the people who needed it most in this health emergency.
Access to Work Scheme — House of Commons, 2020-11-30
Topic: Labor
Justin Paul Tomlinson (Conservative, Centre-right): We are committed to ensuring that people with disabilities and long-term health conditions get the vital support that Access to Work provides. That includes working with more than 19,000 Disability Confident employers to enable them to promote access to work through their networks.
Access to Work Scheme — House of Commons, 2020-11-30
Topic: Labor
Justin Paul Tomlinson (Conservative, Centre-right): I thank the hon. Member for that question. I know I am meeting the hon. Member on 14 December to discuss this in more detail. I am also meeting the new chief executive of Leonard Cheshire, so I will discuss that report in detail. I am very proud, as a Government, that we have delivered record disability employment, and last year 43,000 people benefited from Access to Work—up 20%. Through schemes such as Access to Work and Disability Confident, and our highly trained and skilful work coaches, we will continue to engage with employers of all sizes to give them the confidence to take advantage of the huge wealth of talent that is available with a diverse workforce.
Plan for Jobs 2020 — House of Commons, 2020-11-30
Topic: Labor
Thérèse Anne Coffey (Conservative, Centre-right): Our plan for jobs includes a range of targeted measures to help claimants of all ages. Our job entry targeted support scheme—JETS—will help over 250,000 people of all ages who are unemployed for three months to re-engage with the labour market. Young people at Bury jobcentre are currently receiving support from a specialist work coach, offering tailored support, and linking with local authorities to establish a virtual youth hub, Bury works.
Plan for Jobs 2020 — House of Commons, 2020-11-30
Topic: Labor
Christian Wakeford (Conservative, Centre-right): Mr Speaker, I hope you were able to enjoy a happy Lancashire Day, although in a covid-secure manner Can I thank my right hon. Friend for the work she is doing on getting young people back into work with programmes such as kickstart, and can I ask my right hon. Friend to advise what work is being done to help get those over 50 back into work also?
Plan for Jobs 2020 — House of Commons, 2020-11-30
Topic: Labor
Thérèse Anne Coffey (Conservative, Centre-right): There is a wide range of programmes where people can consider potential changes of career. That could be through SWAPs—sector-based work academy programmes, JETS, which is specifically targeted at older people, or kickstart, which tends to be focused on younger people. It is important to recognise that there is a wide range of opportunities with which our work coaches will be trying to help people at this difficult time in their lives, but there are wider schemes that people can consider. I am particularly excited by the Department for Education proposals on things such as Teach Last, because I think there is a lot of talent that could be used to help the next generation too.
Unemployment: Covid-19 — House of Commons, 2020-11-30
Topic: Labor
Miriam Jane Alice Davies (Conservative, Centre-right): The latest Office for National Statistics labour market figures show a level of unemployment of 1.6 million. This has increased by around 260,000 since the start of the pandemic. As part of our plan for jobs package, the DWP has launched new programmes, including kickstart, JETS and the job finding support service to help people who have been impacted by the pandemic to find new employment.
Unemployment: Covid-19 — House of Commons, 2020-11-30
Topic: Labor
Robert Henry Halfon (Conservative, Centre-right): My hon. Friend will be aware that since March, because of covid, youth unemployment in my constituency of Harlow has, sadly, risen by 134%. Will my hon. Friend pay tribute to the extraordinary work of the Harlow jobcentre, and to the education, skills and training provided by Harlow further education college, which will be at the forefront of creating jobs? Can she set out how Harlow businesses can access the kickstart scheme and the apprentice funding announced by the Chancellor?