Asked by: Abena Oppong-Asare (Labour - Erith and Thamesmead)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many complaints the Pensions Ombudsman Early Resolution Team escalated to the Pensions Ombudsman in (a) 2020, (b) 2021 and (c) 2022; and how much funding his Department provided the Pensions Ombudsman in those years.
Answered by Paul Maynard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Pensions Ombudsman (TPO) is reviewing its Key Performance Indicators (KPI’s) and data as part of its business planning for 2024/25.
TPO does not hold data in a format that could produce a validated response as the information requested does not form part of TPO’s current KPI’s. It will consider this as a metric in the work between the department and TPO when agreeing 2024/25 KPI’s.
The Department for Work and Pensions provided TPO with funding of £8,870,000 in 2020/21, £7,931,195 in 2021/22, £10,413,705 in 2022/23, and £11,268,672 in 2023/24.
Asked by: Abena Oppong-Asare (Labour - Erith and Thamesmead)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether her Department has made a recent assessment of the adequacy of hotel accommodation provided for asylum seekers.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
Where there is substantive and reliable evidence that procurement would not be suitable, then it will not proceed.
The Home Office is making every effort to reduce our reliance on hotels through alternative forms of accommodation to limit the burden on the taxpayer.
Asked by: Abena Oppong-Asare (Labour - Erith and Thamesmead)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of making membership of the Property Ombudsman scheme mandatory for registered estate agents.
Answered by Rachel Maclean
I refer the Hon Member to the answers given in response to Question UIN 174410 on 4 April 2023 and Question UIN 190807 on 29 June 2023.
Asked by: Abena Oppong-Asare (Labour - Erith and Thamesmead)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether his Department has made an assessment of the adequacy of the accountability of estate agents to (a) landlords and (b) tenants.
Answered by Rachel Maclean
I refer the Hon Member to the answers given in response to Question UIN 174410 on 4 April 2023 and Question UIN 190807 on 29 June 2023.
Asked by: Abena Oppong-Asare (Labour - Erith and Thamesmead)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of emissions produced by private jets on the UK's ability to reach its net zero target.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The Department for Transport’s Jet Zero Strategy shows that the sector can achieve net zero aviation, which includes business aviation, by 2050 without government intervention to limit aviation growth. To support this the Department for Transport recently published independent research to establish a baseline of carbon emissions emitted by the General Aviation (GA) sector, which included private jets. It highlighted the need for the sector to focus on new fuels and technology, which have economic and social benefits, without limiting demand.
Asked by: Abena Oppong-Asare (Labour - Erith and Thamesmead)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has made an assessment of the adequacy of the accessibility of the apprenticeship levy for (a) construction and (b) trade businesses.
Answered by Robert Halfon
The apprenticeship levy enables large employers to access up to 110% of their levy contributions for high-quality apprenticeships, which can equip them with the skills they need to develop and grow their workforce. It also enables the government to fund 95% of the cost of apprenticeships in small employers who do not pay the levy.
We are increasing apprenticeship funding in England to £2.7 billion by 2024/25, which will support even more people to access apprenticeships, and we have introduced flexi-job apprenticeships, making it easier for apprentices to complete their training across different projects.
We are working across government and in partnership with the construction industry, through the Construction Skills Delivery Group, to ensure apprenticeships meet the needs of employers in the sector. In 2021/22 there were over 26,000 apprenticeships starts in Construction, Planning and the Built Environment sector, an increase of 31% from 2020/21.
Employers have developed 97 standards in the Construction and the Built Environment sector including Level 2 bricklayer, Level 3 craft carpentry and joinery and the Level 6 chartered surveyor degree apprenticeships. A new version of the bricklayer standard also went live in August 2023, with funding increased by 40%, and we have increased funding for the scaffolder apprenticeship by over 20%.
We have made it easier for SMEs in construction to recruit the next generation of talent by removing the limit on the number of apprentices they can take on. We also meet 100% of the cost for the smallest employers (fewer than 50 staff) when they take on young apprentices and have simplified our levy transfer system so SMEs can more easily benefit from transferred funds.
Asked by: Abena Oppong-Asare (Labour - Erith and Thamesmead)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has made an assessment of the adequacy of the (a) flexibility and (b) rates of pay of apprenticeship schemes.
Answered by Robert Halfon
Apprenticeships provide a fantastic opportunity for people to acquire the knowledge and skills needed to progress in their chosen careers, and we want to ensure that the programme is flexible so that apprenticeships are widely accessible to all.
To support flexibility, we enable those working full-time, part-time and flexible hours to undertake apprenticeships, and apprentices can take short or extended breaks (for example for parental leave) during their programme. For those working in sectors with short-term and project-based employment models, we have created flexi-job apprenticeships, and those with significant prior learning and experience can undertake an accelerated apprenticeship and achieve occupational competence more quickly. We also provide additional funding to support those apprentices who require reasonable adjustments to undertake learning.
The department is committed to ensuring that apprentice pay supports the attraction and retention of talented individuals into apprenticeships.
We recognise that apprentices may be experiencing financial pressures because of rises in the cost of living. In November 2022, the government accepted, in full, the Low Pay Commission’s recommendation to increase the Apprentice National Minimum Wage by 9.7% to £5.28 from April 2023. This increase will help to counter the impact of rises in the cost of living, and the department continues to provide financial support to encourage more apprenticeship opportunities for all people.
Many employers choose to pay their apprentices more than the national minimum wage rates, recognising the value that apprentices bring to their workplace. Data shows that average hourly pay for apprentices’ ranges between £8.23 for Level 2 and £14.02 for Level 6.
We continue to make £1,000 payments to employers and providers when they take on apprentices aged 16 to 18, and apprentices aged 19 to 24 that have an Education, Health and Care plan, which can be used to support costs such as wages, uniforms or travel. In addition, we increased our care leavers’ bursary from £1,000 to £3,000 in August 2023.
Asked by: Abena Oppong-Asare (Labour - Erith and Thamesmead)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has made an assessment of the adequacy of the uptake in apprenticeships since 2020.
Answered by Robert Halfon
Apprenticeships are crucial in driving growth and social mobility. They boost businesses skills and improve people’s earnings and progression opportunities. Since the 2019/20 academic year there have been 1.33 million (provisional) apprenticeship starts across England, and we want to see this number grow.
We are increasing investment in apprenticeships to £2.7 billion by 2024/25, encouraging more employers across the country to recruit new apprentices. We have created flexible training models, such as flexi-job and accelerated apprenticeships, to make apprenticeships more accessible for employers, and improved the transfer system so that levy-payers can make better use of their funds. We are also making it easier for employers to hire apprentices, and the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education will review the content of 100 apprenticeship standards in sectors like construction and healthcare by the end of December 2023, so they reflect the latest technological developments.
To support more people to access degree apprenticeships, we are allocating an additional £40 million over the next two years, supporting degree apprenticeship providers to expand, and helping more people to access this provision, on top of the £8 million investment in 2022/23.
We continue to promote apprenticeships to young people in schools and further education colleges across the country through our Apprenticeship Support and Knowledge programme, and UCAS will be expanding its service to allowing students to search for and apply to apprenticeships alongside degrees.
Asked by: Abena Oppong-Asare (Labour - Erith and Thamesmead)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has made an assessment of the adequacy of career opportunities for young people on apprenticeship schemes.
Answered by Robert Halfon
Apprenticeships provide a fantastic opportunity for people to acquire the knowledge and skills needed to progress in their chosen careers. Our employer-designed apprenticeship standards ensure that apprentices are gaining relevant industry experience in 680 different occupations.
We know apprenticeships continue to work for individuals up and down the country, with the latest data showing that 92% of apprentices go into work or further training, with 90% in sustained employment. Many apprentices remain with their employer following their apprenticeship.
Earnings for those undertaking higher apprenticeships compare well to the earnings of first-degree graduates five years on. Data shows that the median first-degree graduate earnings, five years after graduation were £28,200 compared to £30,900 for level 4 apprentices and £28,310 for level 5+ apprentices.
We want to see more young people benefitting from apprenticeships. We are increasing investment in apprenticeships to £2.7 billion by the 2024/25 financial year and continue to pay £1,000 to employers and providers when they hire young apprentices aged under 19, or 19-to-24-year-old apprentices who have an Education, Health and Care plan or have been in care. From 2024, young people will also be able to apply for apprenticeships through UCAS alongside an undergraduate degree application, and we are allocating an additional £40 million over the next two years to support the expansion of degree apprenticeships which offer high-quality higher education alternatives for school leavers.
Asked by: Abena Oppong-Asare (Labour - Erith and Thamesmead)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if his Department will publish a report on the outcome of the pension credit public awareness campaign.
Answered by Laura Trott - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
The outcome of the Pension Credit awareness campaign will be reported in the Department’s Annual Report and Accounts. Our extensive communications campaign has been running since April 2022 and so far, there is a strong indication that it is having a positive effect. The number of Pension Credit applications is up by around 75% in the 12 months to May compared to the same period last year.