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1138132

	registered interest
	date	10/07/2019
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Flexible Support Fund
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many applications for funding from the Flexible Support Fund have been received for up-front childcare costs in each of the last 12 months; and how many of those applications have been (a) paid in full, (b) paid in part and (c) refused.
	tabling member constituency	High Peak
	tabling member printed	Ruth George
	uin	275816
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/07/2019 answer text <p>The information requested is not held in a format that can be easily disaggregated and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p> </p> answering member constituency Colchester answering member printed Will Quince question first answered 15/07/2019 14:14:48 answering member 4423 label Biography information for Will Quince
	tabling member	4662 label Biography information for Ruth George

1111209

	registered interest
	date	10/04/2019
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Flexible Support Fund
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the overall levels of payment were from the Flexible Support Fund (a) in each region, and (b) on (i) childcare, (ii) training, (iii) clothing for work and (iv) other categories of activity in each of the last 24 months.
	tabling member constituency	Oxford East
	tabling member printed	Anneliese Dodds
	uin	243572
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/05/2019 answer text <p>The information is not available in the format requested. Such information as is available is in the tables attached.</p> answering member constituency Reading West answering member printed Alok Sharma question first answered 14/05/2019 12:03:52 answering member 4014 label Biography information for Sir Alok Sharma attachment 1 file name Flexible Support Fund Expenditure by Region.docx title Flexible Support Fund Expenditure by Region previous answer version 114103 answering member constituency Reading West answering member printed Alok Sharma answering member 4014 label Biography information for Sir Alok Sharma
	tabling member	4657 label Biography information for Anneliese Dodds

1378437

	registered interest
	date	15/11/2021
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Flexible Support Fund
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many parents have been granted payments through the Flexible Support Fund to pay for (a) the full upfront cost of childcare or (b) part of those costs when they entered employment in England and Wales in the last 12 months.
	tabling member constituency	Hampstead and Kilburn
	tabling member printed	Tulip Siddiq
	uin	75064
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/11/2021 answer text <p>The information requested is not collated centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.</p><p> </p><p>The Department is fully committed to supporting parents moving into work and improving their earnings once employed. Universal Credit pays up to 85% of childcare costs for working parents, compared to 70% in legacy benefits, and childcare costs can be claimed up to a month before starting a job.</p><p> </p><p>In cases where people need to pay for childcare upfront, prior to starting work, Work Coaches may be able to use the Flexible Support Fund for eligible claimants to meet these costs until their first wage is received. Budgeting advances are also available to eligible claimants who require help with upfront costs, for example when altering hours worked or changing childcare providers.</p> answering member constituency Mid Sussex answering member printed Mims Davies question first answered 22/11/2021 17:59:16 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
	tabling member	4518 label Biography information for Tulip Siddiq

1286303

	registered interest
	date	11/02/2021
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Flexible Support Fund
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much expenditure was allocated from the Flexible Support Fund in (a) Scotland and (b) the UK on (i) childcare and (ii) other categories of activity in (A) 2019-20 and (b) 2020-21.
	tabling member constituency	Glasgow East
	tabling member printed	David Linden
	uin	153350
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/03/2021 answer text <p>The information is not available in the format requested. Such information as is available is in the table below.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p><strong>Flexible Support Fund – Budget allocations (£m)</strong></p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p>2019/20</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Scotland</p></td><td><p>3.4</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Total</p></td><td><p>37.8</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p>The total figure shown is the allocation for England, Scotland &amp; Wales.</p><p>Source : Hyperion</p><p>Numbers are rounded to the nearest £0.1m</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Eligibility criteria is the same in all areas however Fair Start Scotland, Scottish Governments employability programme, may impact on expenditure. There are also other competing programmes with significant investment in Scotland which may impact on expenditure, as customers would not be eligible for FSF whilst participating on other programmes.</p><p> </p><p><strong>Flexible Support Fund – Expenditure breakdown (£’000)</strong></p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p>Category</p></td><td><p>2019/20</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Partnerships</p></td><td><p>(15)</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Removing Barriers</p></td><td><p>1,517</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Training</p></td><td><p>1,279</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Childcare *</p></td><td><p>60</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Other</p></td><td><p>55</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Total</p></td><td><p>2,896</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p>Source: Hyperion</p><p>Numbers are rounded to the nearest thousand.</p><p>Negative numbers are in () and may reflect accounting adjustments.</p><p>* Childcare is only reported as a separate category from October 2019. Childcare expenditure between April 19 – September 19 cannot be separately identified and is reported within the Removing Barriers category.</p> answering member constituency Mid Sussex answering member printed Mims Davies question first answered 26/03/2021 12:07:07 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
	tabling member	4640 label Biography information for David Linden

1299606

	registered interest
	date	04/03/2021
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Flexible Support Fund
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what data her Department holds on how the Flexible Support Fund is spent.
	tabling member constituency	Feltham and Heston
	tabling member printed	Seema Malhotra
	uin	163235
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/03/2021 answer text <p>The Flexible Support Fund may be used for a wide range of activities at the discretion of Jobcentre Plus District Managers and Work Coaches, but must support core Department for Work and Pensions objectives.</p><p> </p><p>Data available for the most recently audited Financial year is provided below.</p><p> </p><p><strong>Flexible Support Fund Expenditure by DWP Region £’000</strong></p><table><tbody><tr><td><p>Region</p></td><td><p>Total</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>South</p></td><td><p>11,398</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Scotland</p></td><td><p>2,896</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Central &amp; Wales</p></td><td><p>8,259</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>North</p></td><td><p>13,555</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Other</p></td><td><p>303</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Total</p></td><td><p>36,411</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p>Source : Hyperion</p><p>Figures have been rounded to the nearest thousand.</p><p>The data provided in the above table forms part of the expenditure position reported within the DWP Annual Report &amp; Accounts 2019-20.</p><p> </p><p><strong>Flexible Support Fund Expenditure by Category £’000</strong></p><table><tbody><tr><td><p>Category</p></td><td><p>Total</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Partnerships</p></td><td><p>3,586</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Removing Barriers</p></td><td><p>13,277</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Training</p></td><td><p>16,923</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Childcare *</p></td><td><p>1,569</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Other</p></td><td><p>1,055</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Total</p></td><td><p>36,411</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p>Source : Hyperion</p><p>Figures have been rounded to the nearest thousand.</p><p>* Childcare is only reported as a separate category from October 2019. Childcare expenditure between April 19 – September 19 cannot be separately identified and is reported within the Removing Barriers category.</p><p>The data provided in the above table forms part of the expenditure position reported within the DWP Annual Report &amp; Accounts 2019-20.</p> answering member constituency Mid Sussex answering member printed Mims Davies question first answered 09/03/2021 18:01:23 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
	tabling member	4253 label Biography information for Seema Malhotra

1188212

	registered interest
	date	20/04/2020
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Flexible Support Fund
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people received support for upfront childcare costs under the Flexible Support Fund in the latest period for which figures are available; and what proportion of that Fund was used for childcare in that period.
	tabling member constituency	East Kilbride, Strathaven and Lesmahagow
	tabling member printed	Dr Lisa Cameron
	uin	37734
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/05/2020 answer text <p>The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate costs.</p><p><strong> </strong></p><p>In response to the WPSC inquiry on childcare in June 2019 we committed to publish a breakdown of flexible support funds spent on upfront childcare costs at the end of the financial year once accounts audited.</p> answering member constituency Mid Sussex answering member printed Mims Davies question first answered 01/05/2020 14:08:08 answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies previous answer version 17550 answering member constituency Mid Sussex answering member printed Mims Davies answering member 4513 label Biography information for Mims Davies
	tabling member	4412 label Biography information for Dr Lisa Cameron

1700367

	registered interest
	date	12/04/2024
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Flexible Support Fund
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what guidance his Department provides to work coaches on the flexible work fund; and what steps he is taking to promote uptake of that funding.
	tabling member constituency	North East Fife
	tabling member printed	Wendy Chamberlain
	uin	21254
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/04/2024 answer text <p>The Department provides comprehensive guidance which is regularly updated to support our Work Coaches use of the Flexible Support Fund (FSF). We are currently reviewing our guidance to increase both usage and clarity of FSF.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>We have recently promoted the availability of FSF on Gov.uk specifically in relation to Upfront Child Care costs <a href="https://www.gov.uk/guidance/universal-credit-childcare-costs" target="_blank">Universal Credit childcare costs - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)</a>.</p> answering member constituency Bury St Edmunds answering member printed Jo Churchill question first answered 22/04/2024 15:42:40 answering member 4380 label Biography information for Jo Churchill
	tabling member	4765 label Biography information for Wendy Chamberlain

1698073

	registered interest
	date	22/03/2024
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Flexible Support Fund
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the (a) planned spending is for and (b) expected number of beneficiaries are of the Flexible Support Fund in each of the next five years.
	tabling member constituency	Wirral South
	tabling member printed	Alison McGovern
	uin	20041
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/04/2024 answer text <p>We do not hold any official estimate for the expenditure.</p> answering member constituency Bury St Edmunds answering member printed Jo Churchill question first answered 15/04/2024 10:42:58 answering member 4380 label Biography information for Jo Churchill
	tabling member	4083 label Biography information for Alison McGovern

1661000

	registered interest
	date	15/09/2023
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Flexible Support Fund
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the budget for the Flexible Support Fund was in financial year 2022-23, and what estimated expenditure on that fund is for financial years (a) 2023-24 and (b) 2024-25.
	tabling member constituency	Leicester South
	tabling member printed	Jonathan Ashworth
	uin	199739
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/10/2023 answer text <p>The budget for the Flexible Support Fund in 2022-23 was £54.7m.</p><p> </p><p>Estimated expenditure for the Flexible Support Fund across the remaining Spending Review period is as follows:</p><p> </p><p>2023-24 - £88.8m</p><p>2024-25 - £117.0m</p><p> </p><p>NB</p><ul><li>These figures include costs to support customers overcome barriers to employment such as training and childcare support.</li><li>These forecast figures are subject to revision and final costs will be subject to demand.</li></ul> answering member constituency Hexham answering member printed Guy Opperman question first answered 16/10/2023 16:46:06 answering member 4142 label Biography information for Guy Opperman
	tabling member	4244 label Biography information for Jonathan Ashworth

1602462

	registered interest
	date	08/03/2023
	answering body	Department for Work and Pensions
	answering dept id	29
	answering dept short name	Work and Pensions
	answering dept sort name	Work and Pensions
	hansard heading	Flexible Support Fund
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 3 March 2023 to Question 155127 on the Flexible Support Fund, if he will provide further detail on what is funded in each of the categories (a) Partnerships, (b) Removing Barriers, (c) Training, (d) Childcare and (e) Other.
	tabling member constituency	Leicester South
	tabling member printed	Jonathan Ashworth
	uin	161297
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/03/2023 answer text <p>a) Partnership’s expenditure is grant funding provided to partner organisations to help deliver DWP objectives. Partners are often local organisations with existing community stakeholder relationships.</p><p>b) Removing Barriers expenditure helps customers overcome barriers to secure job outcomes. This may include equipment to start work, clothing and travel cost support.</p><p>c) Training expenditure includes the cost of training courses to give customers the required skills to secure jobs or move closer to work. This may also include the cost of travel by the customer to the training course.</p><p>d) Childcare expenditure includes upfront childcare costs to cover the initial costs before the customer receives their first wage when starting work. This may also include support to customers on training courses.</p><p>e) Other expenditure includes the costs associated with customer work experience.</p> answering member constituency Hexham answering member printed Guy Opperman question first answered 13/03/2023 16:18:07 answering member 4142 label Biography information for Guy Opperman
	tabling member	4244 label Biography information for Jonathan Ashworth