Oral Answers to Questions Debate

Full Debate: Read Full Debate
Department: Department for Education

Oral Answers to Questions

Rachel Maclean Excerpts
Monday 12th November 2018

(5 years, 11 months ago)

Commons Chamber
Read Full debate Read Hansard Text Read Debate Ministerial Extracts
Kevin Hollinrake Portrait Kevin Hollinrake (Thirsk and Malton) (Con)
- Hansard - - - Excerpts

2. What steps his Department is taking to improve the quality of apprenticeships.

Rachel Maclean Portrait Rachel Maclean (Redditch) (Con)
- Hansard - -

11. What steps his Department is taking to improve the quality of apprenticeships.

Damian Green Portrait Damian Green (Ashford) (Con)
- Hansard - - - Excerpts

22. What steps his Department is taking to improve the quality of apprenticeships.

--- Later in debate ---
John Bercow Portrait Mr Speaker
- Hansard - - - Excerpts

I call Rachel Maclean. [Interruption.] Beetle in, beetle in. It is very good of the hon. Lady to drop in on us. I hope she was advised of the grouping by the Government—I am sure she was. I hope she is now ready, as I have given her a bit of injury time.

Rachel Maclean Portrait Rachel Maclean
- Hansard - -

I thank the Minister for her response—[Laughter.]

John Bercow Portrait Mr Speaker
- Hansard - - - Excerpts

I am doing my best to help the hon. Lady. While I am burbling on, she has an opportunity to prepare her question, which I feel sure is now fermenting satisfactorily in her mind.

Rachel Maclean Portrait Rachel Maclean
- Hansard - -

What steps is the Department taking to improve the quality of apprenticeships?

Anne Milton Portrait Anne Milton
- Hansard - - - Excerpts

I do not want to fluster my hon. Friend. The Department is doing a great deal to improve apprenticeships. It is important to make sure that apprenticeships offer high-quality education that rivals that of our universities, so we are doing exactly that. There is no doubt that apprenticeships are already offering such education. We have a £10 million development fund available to develop degrees at a high level, and apprenticeship starts at high levels continue to grow—up almost 30% on last year.