Asked by: Lord Jones (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many (1) graduate, and (2) other, apprentices work in the aerospace industry, broken down by gender.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Minister for Women and Equalities)
The most recent statistics on apprenticeship starts by industry characteristics cover the 2021/22 academic year and are published on Explore Education Statistics at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/apprenticeships-in-england-by-industry-characteristics. Data for the 2022/23 academic year will be published in June 2025.
These statistics report on new apprenticeship starts in a given academic year and will not include those that are part-way through their apprenticeship. Therefore, they do not show a full count of apprentices in the workforce at that time.
Gender is not collected within the Individualised Learner Record, so this data is based on sex.
Data on apprenticeship starts below level 6 and at level 6+, by sex, in the aerospace industry is provided below.
Apprenticeship starts by level and sex in the aerospace industry:
Level | Sex | Starts |
Below level 6 | Total | 1370 |
Level 6+ | Total | 550 |
Below level 6 | Male | 960 |
Level 6+ | Male | 400 |
Below level 6 | Female | 410 |
Level 6+ | Female | 160 |
Asked by: Lord Jones (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many people they estimate are engaged in the aerospace industry in the United Kingdom.
Answered by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
Based on ONS data the UK aerospace manufacturing, repair and maintenance sectors directly accounted for 100,000 jobs in 2024 and supported an additional 150,000 jobs in other areas of the economy through its purchases of input goods and services.
Asked by: Lord Jones (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government what was the estimated value of aerospace industry exports in (1) 2023, and (2) 2024.
Answered by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
According to ONS business survey figures, the UK aerospace industry exported £20.0 billion of its production in 2023 and £23.1 billion in 2024 (in current prices).
Asked by: Lord Jones (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of tariffs imposed by the United States of America on the aerospace industry.
Answered by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
We are disappointed by the United States’ announcement of an increase in tariffs and we understand businesses, including in the aerospace industry, are concerned. We will continue to engage with the US to understand the details of how these tariffs will be implemented. We remain resolute in our support for UK industry; Ministers and officials will continue to meet with stakeholders and assess impacts.
Asked by: Lord Jones (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to purchase more Atlas A400M aircraft.
Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
All capability requirements, including those for tactical airlift, are being considered as part of the Strategic Defence Review process.
Asked by: Lord Jones (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many Atlas A400M aircraft they have in service.
Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
There are 22 Atlas A400M aircraft in service.
Asked by: Lord Jones (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government what was the estimated value of aerospace exports in (1) 2022, (2) 2023, and (3) 2024.
Answered by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
According to ONS business survey figures, the UK aerospace industry generated goods exports valued at £18.8 billion in 2022 and £20.0 billion in 2023 (in current prices). Figures for the year 2024 are not yet available.
Asked by: Lord Jones (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they intend to make further funding available to further education colleges and universities to assist with their financial challenges.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Minister for Women and Equalities)
All young people should have access to high quality education and training that meets their needs and provides them with opportunities to thrive. This is why, in the 2025/26 financial year, the government is providing an additional £300 million for further education to ensure young people are developing the skills they need to succeed.
The department recognises the financial strain that some higher education (HE) providers are under and are working closely with the Office for Students (OfS) to monitor any risks and to ensure there are robust plans in place to mitigate them. Sir David Behan has been appointed as interim OfS Chair to oversee the important work of refocusing the OfS’ role to concentrate on key priorities, including the HE sector’s financial stability.
HE providers are autonomous and responsible for managing their own budgets and business models. However, in recognition of the financial challenges the sector is facing, the government has made the difficult decision to increase tuition fee limits by forecast Retail Prices Index inflation. As a result, the maximum fee for a standard full-time undergraduate course in the 2025/26 academic year will increase by 3.1%, from £9,250 to £9,535. Longer-term funding plans for the HE sector will be set out in due course.
Adapting to the changed context of the HE sector over the next decade will require providers to undertake a more fundamental re-examination of business models and much less wasteful spending. In return for the increased investment we are asking students to make in the sector, we will need to see far greater collaboration across the sector to drive efficiency. We will expect the sector to be significantly more transparent on how it is managing its resources and to be held to account for delivering great value for money for students and the taxpayer.
Asked by: Lord Jones (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask His Majesty's Government how much funding through research and development grants there was for the aerospace industry in (1) 2023–24, and (2) 2024–25.
Answered by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
HMG allocated £225m in 2023-24 and £195m in 2024-25 to support the aerospace industry. This funding primarily supports the Aerospace Technology Institute (ATI) programme, which co-invests alongside industry in research and development to maintain and grow the UK’s competitive position in civil aerospace and decarbonise aviation.
The Autumn Budget 2024 announced an extension to the ATI programme providing £975m of funding up to 2030.
Asked by: Lord Jones (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many apprenticeships there are in the aerospace sector.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Minister for Women and Equalities)
The most recent statistics on apprenticeship starts by industry characteristics cover the 2021/22 academic year and are published here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/apprenticeships-in-england-by-industry-characteristics. Apprenticeship starts in the aerospace sector by year, from 2017/18 to 2021/22, can be found attached and also in the following linked table: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/d7e45bd9-6d39-419d-ea95-08dcfb0032ff.