National Insurance Contributions (Increase of Thresholds) Bill 2021-22

In his Spring Statement on 23 March 2022 the Chancellor Rishi Sunak announced an increase to the annual National Insurance thresholds for employees, and for the self-employed – that is, the point at which individuals start to pay the main rate of National Insurance contributions (NICs) on their earnings, or their profits.

“Chaotic” £1.9BN Kickstart scheme for youth employment fails to deliver for young people or taxpayer

In its report published today the Public Accounts Committee says it supports the Department for Work and Pensions’ “intention of supporting young people into work at what was expected to be a downturn in employment opportunities” – but the £1.9 billion “emergency intervention” Kickstart scheme has supported far fewer young people than predicted, “early delivery was chaotic” and DWP “neglected to put in place basic management information that would be expected for a multi-billion-pound grant programme”.