Baroness Wolf of Dulwich Portrait

Baroness Wolf of Dulwich

Crossbench - Life peer

Became Member: 2nd December 2014


1 APPG membership (as of 24 Jan 2024)
Apprenticeships
1 Former APPG membership
Skills and Employment
Baroness Wolf of Dulwich has no previous appointments


Division Voting information

During the current Parliament, Baroness Wolf of Dulwich has voted in 8 divisions, and never against the majority of their Party.
View All Baroness Wolf of Dulwich Division Votes

Debates during the 2019 Parliament

Speeches made during Parliamentary debates are recorded in Hansard. For ease of browsing we have grouped debates into individual, departmental and legislative categories.

Sparring Partners
Baroness Barran (Conservative)
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
(4 debate interactions)
Baroness Penn (Conservative)
Minister on Leave (Parliamentary Under Secretary of State)
(2 debate interactions)
Viscount Camrose (Conservative)
Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
(2 debate interactions)
View All Sparring Partners
View all Baroness Wolf of Dulwich's debates

Lords initiatives

These initiatives were driven by Baroness Wolf of Dulwich, and are more likely to reflect personal policy preferences.


Baroness Wolf of Dulwich has not introduced any legislation before Parliament

Baroness Wolf of Dulwich has not co-sponsored any Bills in the current parliamentary sitting


Latest 50 Written Questions

(View all written questions)
Written Questions can be tabled by MPs and Lords to request specific information information on the work, policy and activities of a Government Department
19th Mar 2024
To ask His Majesty's Government how much money has been transferred to small and medium-sized enterprises by levy-paying businesses using their apprenticeship service account to transfer unused levy funds in (1) 2020–21, (2) 2021–22, and (3) 2022–23.

Transfers are a great way for large employers to use their levy funds to support apprenticeships in other businesses, including small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs), flexi-job apprenticeship agencies and charities, to help meet local or sector specific needs.

As announced this week, from April the department are increasing the proportion of their funds that levy-paying employers can transfer to support more apprenticeships in other businesses, including those in their local area or supply chain, from 25% to 50%. This will help SMEs hire more apprentices by reducing their costs and enabling them to benefit from the support and experience that larger employers can provide.

Hundreds of large levy-paying employers have already taken advantage of the opportunity to transfer their unused levy funds to other businesses. Since September 2021, over 550 employers including ASDA, HomeServe, and BT Group, have pledged to transfer over £37 million to support apprenticeships in businesses of all sizes.

​The below table shows the number of non-levy paying employers that have received levy transfer funding and the value of that funding. It is extremely encouraging that use of transfers continues to increase year-on-year. The department does not hold transfer data specific to SMEs (currently defined as businesses with fewer than 250 employees) but can confirm that most non-levy paying employers are SMEs.

Financial Year

2020-21

2021-22

2022-23

Number of non-levy employers receiving transfer funding

2,370

3,700

5,080

Value of funding transferred (£ million)

£13

£19

£26

To note: Values include new apprenticeship starts and those who started in previous years but are still being funded. If an employer receives a transfer for an apprenticeship which continues across more than one financial year, they will appear in each year’s employer count. Values are actual payments made to date - they do not represent the total committed cost of transfers into future months and years.

Baroness Barran
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
19th Mar 2024
To ask His Majesty's Government how many small and medium-sized enterprises have received funds for apprenticeship training as a result of levy-paying businesses using their apprenticeship service account to transfer unused levy funds in (1) 2020–21, (2) 2021–22, and (3) 2022–23.

Transfers are a great way for large employers to use their levy funds to support apprenticeships in other businesses, including small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs), flexi-job apprenticeship agencies and charities, to help meet local or sector specific needs.

As announced this week, from April the department are increasing the proportion of their funds that levy-paying employers can transfer to support more apprenticeships in other businesses, including those in their local area or supply chain, from 25% to 50%. This will help SMEs hire more apprentices by reducing their costs and enabling them to benefit from the support and experience that larger employers can provide.

Hundreds of large levy-paying employers have already taken advantage of the opportunity to transfer their unused levy funds to other businesses. Since September 2021, over 550 employers including ASDA, HomeServe, and BT Group, have pledged to transfer over £37 million to support apprenticeships in businesses of all sizes.

​The below table shows the number of non-levy paying employers that have received levy transfer funding and the value of that funding. It is extremely encouraging that use of transfers continues to increase year-on-year. The department does not hold transfer data specific to SMEs (currently defined as businesses with fewer than 250 employees) but can confirm that most non-levy paying employers are SMEs.

Financial Year

2020-21

2021-22

2022-23

Number of non-levy employers receiving transfer funding

2,370

3,700

5,080

Value of funding transferred (£ million)

£13

£19

£26

To note: Values include new apprenticeship starts and those who started in previous years but are still being funded. If an employer receives a transfer for an apprenticeship which continues across more than one financial year, they will appear in each year’s employer count. Values are actual payments made to date - they do not represent the total committed cost of transfers into future months and years.

Baroness Barran
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
19th Dec 2023
To ask His Majesty's Government how many apprenticeship starts at level 6 were for legal, finance and accounting in 2021–22 and 2022–23; how many of these apprentices were employed in levy-paying organisations; and how many there were in each region.

Level 6 Apprenticeship starts in the legal, finance and accounting route in the 2021/22 and 2022/23 academic years are shown in the tables below, along with breakdowns by region, and where starts were supported by apprenticeship service account levy funds.

Level 6 Apprenticeship starts in the legal, finance and accounting route:

2021/22

2022/23

960

900


Of which supported by Apprenticeship service account levy funds:

2021/22

2022/23

890

850


Of which by region:

Region

2021/22

2022/23

East Midlands

30

50

East of England

140

130

London

270

300

North East

30

10

North West

90

90

South East

130

120

South West

90

50

West Midlands

80

70

Yorkshire and The Humber

70

50

Outside of England and unknown

40

30



Notes for tables:

(1) Volumes are rounded to the nearest 10.

(2) Data source is the individualised Learner Record.

(3) Geography is based upon the home postcode of the learner. Where the postcode is outside of England or not known it is included in the 'Outside of England and unknown' category.

(4) Geographies are taken from the National Statistics Postcode Lookup.

(5) Please see the 'Further education and skills statistics: methodology' document for more information about how 'supported by Apprenticeship service account levy funds' is derived.

(6) Route information is based on the latest information held on the IfATE 'Search the apprenticeships' page at the point of publication.

Baroness Barran
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
19th Dec 2023
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Barran on 12 December 2023 (HL688), how many apprenticeship completions were recorded on the Senior Leadership route in 2022–23.

The department publishes apprenticeship achievements (where all parts of the apprenticeship are successfully completed) rather than apprenticeship completions. In the 2022/23 academic year there were 4,020 achievements on the Senior Leader (ST0480) apprenticeship standard.

The department also publishes achievement and retention rates for individual apprenticeship standards within the National Achievement Rate tables. The latest figures cover the 2021/22 academic year. For leavers on the Senior Leader (ST0480) apprenticeship standard that left their apprenticeship the 2021/22 academic year, the retention rate was 56.8% (the proportion getting to the end of their apprenticeship, regardless of whether they subsequently passed their apprenticeship), whilst the achievement rate was 56.2% (the proportion getting to the end of their apprenticeship and subsequently passing). The table is available at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/6fe2fb17-4a75-4af4-b7cb-08dbfa51496d.

Baroness Barran
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
4th Dec 2023
To ask His Majesty's Government how many apprentices aged 25 and over who started an apprenticeship in 2021–22 and 2022–23 were enrolled for (1) a level 3 engineering apprenticeship, (2) a digital support technician level 3 apprenticeship, (3) a level 4 engineering apprenticeship, and (4) a level 4 software engineer or developer apprenticeship; what proportion each of these apprenticeships represents of the total number of apprenticeship starts for those aged 25 and over, in each of those years; and what proportion each represents of total starts on those specific apprenticeship standards.

The tables below contain the apprenticeship starts figures for the 2021/22 and 2022/23 academic years:

.

Level

Sector Subject Area (SSA) tier 2

Apprenticeship starts age 25+

Proportion of all 25+ apprenticeship starts

Proportion of all age starts on specific SSA at level

2021/22

2022/23

2021/22

2022/23

2021/22

2022/23

3

Engineering

3,110

2,780

1.9%

1.7%

16.6%

14.6%

4

Engineering

760

870

0.5%

0.5%

67.9%

70.9%

Level

Standard name

Apprenticeship starts age 25+

Proportion of all 25+ apprenticeship starts

Proportion of all age starts on specific standard at level

2021/22

2022/23

2021/22

2022/23

2021/22

2022/23

3

Digital Support Technician

180

240

0.1%

0.2%

38.9%

52.9%

4

Software Developer

510

440

0.3%

0.3%

49.3%

45.9%

Notes:

(1) Figures are rounded to the nearest 10.

(2) Age is based on age at the start of the programme.

(3) Data source is the Individualised Learner Record.

Further information on apprenticeship starts can be found in the apprenticeships and traineeships statistics publication, which is available at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/apprenticeships-and-traineeships.

Baroness Barran
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
28th Nov 2023
To ask His Majesty's Government how many apprenticeship starts at level 7 there were in in (1) 2021–22, and (2) 2022–23 which fell within the legal, finance and accounting route; how many of these were employed in levy-paying organisations; and how many there were per region

Apprenticeship starts at Level 6 and 7 in the 2021/22 and 2022/23 academic years are shown in the following tables. All apprenticeships at Level 6 and Level 7 are classed as degree-level apprenticeships.

Apprenticeship level

Age group

2021/22

2022/23

Level 6

Under 19

2,190

3,220

19-24

8,500

8,600

25+

12,860

13,220

All ages

23,550

25,030

Apprenticeship level

Age group

2021/22

2022/23

Level 7

Under 19

360

450

19-24

7,630

7,770

25+

11,700

13,540

All ages

19,680

21,760


Level 7 Apprenticeship starts in the legal, finance and accounting route in the 2021/22 and 2022/23 academic years are shown in the tables below, along with breakdowns by region, and where starts were supported by Apprenticeship service account levy funds.

Level 7 Apprenticeship starts in the legal, finance and accounting route:

2021/22

2022/23

10,450

10,650


Of which supported by Apprenticeship service account levy funds:

2021/22

2022/23

8,420

8,670


Of which by region:

Region

2021/22

2022/23

East Midlands

680

670

East of England

1,110

1,060

London

2,360

2,460

North East

300

310

North West

1,450

1,350

South East

1,660

1,780

South West

880

930

West Midlands

1,010

1,050

Yorkshire and The Humber

800

850

Outside of England and unknown

200

200

Apprenticeship starts on the Level 7 Senior Leadership standard in the 2021/22 and 2022/23 academic years are shown in the tables below, along with breakdowns by region, and where starts were supported by Apprenticeship service account levy funds.


Level 7 Senior leader apprenticeship starts:

2021/22

2022/23

4,880

6,110


Of which supported by Apprenticeship service account levy funds:

2021/22

2022/23

4,210

5,270


Of which by region:

Region

2021/22

2022/23

East Midlands

390

510

East of England

520

640

London

810

1,100

North East

280

310

North West

600

750

South East

840

1,040

South West

450

470

West Midlands

580

650

Yorkshire and The Humber

350

560

Outside of England and unknown

70

80


There were 5,540 achievements in the Business and Administration Route in the 2022/23 academic year. Of these, 4,020 were on the Senior Leader (ST0480) apprenticeship standard.

Further information on apprenticeship starts can be found in the apprenticeships and traineeships statistics publication, which can be accessed at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/apprenticeships-and-traineeships.

Notes for tables:
(1) Volumes are rounded to the nearest 10.

(2) Data source is the individualised Learner Record.

(3) Geography is based upon the home postcode of the learner. Where the postcode is outside of England or not known it is included in the 'Outside of England and unknown' category.

(4) Geographies are taken from the National Statistics Postcode Lookup.

(5) Please see the 'Further education and skills statistics: methodology' document for more information about how 'supported by Apprenticeship service account levy funds' is derived.

(6) Route information is based on the latest information held on the IfATE 'Search the apprenticeships' page at the point of publication.

Baroness Barran
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
28th Nov 2023
To ask His Majesty's Government how many apprenticeship completions were recorded on the Senior Leadership route in 2022–23.

Apprenticeship starts at Level 6 and 7 in the 2021/22 and 2022/23 academic years are shown in the following tables. All apprenticeships at Level 6 and Level 7 are classed as degree-level apprenticeships.

Apprenticeship level

Age group

2021/22

2022/23

Level 6

Under 19

2,190

3,220

19-24

8,500

8,600

25+

12,860

13,220

All ages

23,550

25,030

Apprenticeship level

Age group

2021/22

2022/23

Level 7

Under 19

360

450

19-24

7,630

7,770

25+

11,700

13,540

All ages

19,680

21,760


Level 7 Apprenticeship starts in the legal, finance and accounting route in the 2021/22 and 2022/23 academic years are shown in the tables below, along with breakdowns by region, and where starts were supported by Apprenticeship service account levy funds.

Level 7 Apprenticeship starts in the legal, finance and accounting route:

2021/22

2022/23

10,450

10,650


Of which supported by Apprenticeship service account levy funds:

2021/22

2022/23

8,420

8,670


Of which by region:

Region

2021/22

2022/23

East Midlands

680

670

East of England

1,110

1,060

London

2,360

2,460

North East

300

310

North West

1,450

1,350

South East

1,660

1,780

South West

880

930

West Midlands

1,010

1,050

Yorkshire and The Humber

800

850

Outside of England and unknown

200

200

Apprenticeship starts on the Level 7 Senior Leadership standard in the 2021/22 and 2022/23 academic years are shown in the tables below, along with breakdowns by region, and where starts were supported by Apprenticeship service account levy funds.


Level 7 Senior leader apprenticeship starts:

2021/22

2022/23

4,880

6,110


Of which supported by Apprenticeship service account levy funds:

2021/22

2022/23

4,210

5,270


Of which by region:

Region

2021/22

2022/23

East Midlands

390

510

East of England

520

640

London

810

1,100

North East

280

310

North West

600

750

South East

840

1,040

South West

450

470

West Midlands

580

650

Yorkshire and The Humber

350

560

Outside of England and unknown

70

80


There were 5,540 achievements in the Business and Administration Route in the 2022/23 academic year. Of these, 4,020 were on the Senior Leader (ST0480) apprenticeship standard.

Further information on apprenticeship starts can be found in the apprenticeships and traineeships statistics publication, which can be accessed at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/apprenticeships-and-traineeships.

Notes for tables:
(1) Volumes are rounded to the nearest 10.

(2) Data source is the individualised Learner Record.

(3) Geography is based upon the home postcode of the learner. Where the postcode is outside of England or not known it is included in the 'Outside of England and unknown' category.

(4) Geographies are taken from the National Statistics Postcode Lookup.

(5) Please see the 'Further education and skills statistics: methodology' document for more information about how 'supported by Apprenticeship service account levy funds' is derived.

(6) Route information is based on the latest information held on the IfATE 'Search the apprenticeships' page at the point of publication.

Baroness Barran
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
28th Nov 2023
To ask His Majesty's Government how many apprenticeship starts on the level 7 Senior Leadership standard there were in in (1) 2021–22, and (2) 2022–23; how many of these apprentices were employed in levy-paying organisations; and how many there were per region.

Apprenticeship starts at Level 6 and 7 in the 2021/22 and 2022/23 academic years are shown in the following tables. All apprenticeships at Level 6 and Level 7 are classed as degree-level apprenticeships.

Apprenticeship level

Age group

2021/22

2022/23

Level 6

Under 19

2,190

3,220

19-24

8,500

8,600

25+

12,860

13,220

All ages

23,550

25,030

Apprenticeship level

Age group

2021/22

2022/23

Level 7

Under 19

360

450

19-24

7,630

7,770

25+

11,700

13,540

All ages

19,680

21,760


Level 7 Apprenticeship starts in the legal, finance and accounting route in the 2021/22 and 2022/23 academic years are shown in the tables below, along with breakdowns by region, and where starts were supported by Apprenticeship service account levy funds.

Level 7 Apprenticeship starts in the legal, finance and accounting route:

2021/22

2022/23

10,450

10,650


Of which supported by Apprenticeship service account levy funds:

2021/22

2022/23

8,420

8,670


Of which by region:

Region

2021/22

2022/23

East Midlands

680

670

East of England

1,110

1,060

London

2,360

2,460

North East

300

310

North West

1,450

1,350

South East

1,660

1,780

South West

880

930

West Midlands

1,010

1,050

Yorkshire and The Humber

800

850

Outside of England and unknown

200

200

Apprenticeship starts on the Level 7 Senior Leadership standard in the 2021/22 and 2022/23 academic years are shown in the tables below, along with breakdowns by region, and where starts were supported by Apprenticeship service account levy funds.


Level 7 Senior leader apprenticeship starts:

2021/22

2022/23

4,880

6,110


Of which supported by Apprenticeship service account levy funds:

2021/22

2022/23

4,210

5,270


Of which by region:

Region

2021/22

2022/23

East Midlands

390

510

East of England

520

640

London

810

1,100

North East

280

310

North West

600

750

South East

840

1,040

South West

450

470

West Midlands

580

650

Yorkshire and The Humber

350

560

Outside of England and unknown

70

80


There were 5,540 achievements in the Business and Administration Route in the 2022/23 academic year. Of these, 4,020 were on the Senior Leader (ST0480) apprenticeship standard.

Further information on apprenticeship starts can be found in the apprenticeships and traineeships statistics publication, which can be accessed at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/apprenticeships-and-traineeships.

Notes for tables:
(1) Volumes are rounded to the nearest 10.

(2) Data source is the individualised Learner Record.

(3) Geography is based upon the home postcode of the learner. Where the postcode is outside of England or not known it is included in the 'Outside of England and unknown' category.

(4) Geographies are taken from the National Statistics Postcode Lookup.

(5) Please see the 'Further education and skills statistics: methodology' document for more information about how 'supported by Apprenticeship service account levy funds' is derived.

(6) Route information is based on the latest information held on the IfATE 'Search the apprenticeships' page at the point of publication.

Baroness Barran
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
28th Nov 2023
To ask His Majesty's Government how many apprenticeship starts at level 6 there were in (1) 2021–22, and (2) 2022–23, broken down by (a) 16 to 18 year-olds, (b) 19 to 24 year-olds, and (c) those aged 25 and over; and how many of these were degree apprenticeships.

Apprenticeship starts at Level 6 and 7 in the 2021/22 and 2022/23 academic years are shown in the following tables. All apprenticeships at Level 6 and Level 7 are classed as degree-level apprenticeships.

Apprenticeship level

Age group

2021/22

2022/23

Level 6

Under 19

2,190

3,220

19-24

8,500

8,600

25+

12,860

13,220

All ages

23,550

25,030

Apprenticeship level

Age group

2021/22

2022/23

Level 7

Under 19

360

450

19-24

7,630

7,770

25+

11,700

13,540

All ages

19,680

21,760


Level 7 Apprenticeship starts in the legal, finance and accounting route in the 2021/22 and 2022/23 academic years are shown in the tables below, along with breakdowns by region, and where starts were supported by Apprenticeship service account levy funds.

Level 7 Apprenticeship starts in the legal, finance and accounting route:

2021/22

2022/23

10,450

10,650


Of which supported by Apprenticeship service account levy funds:

2021/22

2022/23

8,420

8,670


Of which by region:

Region

2021/22

2022/23

East Midlands

680

670

East of England

1,110

1,060

London

2,360

2,460

North East

300

310

North West

1,450

1,350

South East

1,660

1,780

South West

880

930

West Midlands

1,010

1,050

Yorkshire and The Humber

800

850

Outside of England and unknown

200

200

Apprenticeship starts on the Level 7 Senior Leadership standard in the 2021/22 and 2022/23 academic years are shown in the tables below, along with breakdowns by region, and where starts were supported by Apprenticeship service account levy funds.


Level 7 Senior leader apprenticeship starts:

2021/22

2022/23

4,880

6,110


Of which supported by Apprenticeship service account levy funds:

2021/22

2022/23

4,210

5,270


Of which by region:

Region

2021/22

2022/23

East Midlands

390

510

East of England

520

640

London

810

1,100

North East

280

310

North West

600

750

South East

840

1,040

South West

450

470

West Midlands

580

650

Yorkshire and The Humber

350

560

Outside of England and unknown

70

80


There were 5,540 achievements in the Business and Administration Route in the 2022/23 academic year. Of these, 4,020 were on the Senior Leader (ST0480) apprenticeship standard.

Further information on apprenticeship starts can be found in the apprenticeships and traineeships statistics publication, which can be accessed at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/apprenticeships-and-traineeships.

Notes for tables:
(1) Volumes are rounded to the nearest 10.

(2) Data source is the individualised Learner Record.

(3) Geography is based upon the home postcode of the learner. Where the postcode is outside of England or not known it is included in the 'Outside of England and unknown' category.

(4) Geographies are taken from the National Statistics Postcode Lookup.

(5) Please see the 'Further education and skills statistics: methodology' document for more information about how 'supported by Apprenticeship service account levy funds' is derived.

(6) Route information is based on the latest information held on the IfATE 'Search the apprenticeships' page at the point of publication.

Baroness Barran
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
28th Nov 2023
To ask His Majesty's Government how many End Point Assessment Organisations are currently approved to carry out assessments for level 7 standards; and how many of these are (1) higher education institutions, (2) other educational institutions, (3) independent training providers, (4) awarding bodies or subsidiaries of awarding bodies, and (5) organisations that do not fall into any of those categories.

For an organisation to deliver apprenticeship end-point assessments, they must be recognised by their external quality assurance regulator. For level 7 apprenticeship standards, this can be Ofqual, Office for Students, or in some cases, the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education.

Once approved by the regulator, the end-point assessment organisation (EPAO) is required to be on the Apprenticeship Provider Assessment Register (APAR) so that they can be selected by the training provider, and be eligible for government funding.

Currently, there are 110 EPAOs listed on the APAR offering end-point assessment of level 7 apprenticeship standards. Of these, 64 are higher education institutions, 9 are other educational institutions, 9 are independent training providers, 11 are awarding bodies or subsidiaries of awarding bodies, and 17 are organisations that do not fall into any of those categories.

Baroness Barran
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
21st Nov 2023
To ask His Majesty's Government how many apprenticeship starts there were in 2022–23 on the level 7 Senior leader standard; what estimate they have made of the total cost of off-the-job training for level 7 Senior Leader apprentices in 2022–23; and what proportion of this expenditure was for apprentices employed by levy-paying employers, and so set against their levy.

Starts on the Level 7 Senior Leader apprenticeship standard account for 1.8% of all apprenticeship starts. Provisional figures for the 2022/23 full academic year show 6,110 apprenticeship starts on the standard.

Total spend on the Senior Leader standard in 2022/23 was £67 million. This covers the costs of apprenticeship training and assessment, as well as any additional payments to employers and training providers.

91% of this spend was for Senior Leader apprentices in levy-paying employers.

Baroness Barran
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
17th Oct 2023
To ask His Majesty's Government which institutions have received university title since 2018; what their titles are; when each received university title; what they were called before they received university title; and where each is located.

According to the Office for Students (OfS) Register, nine providers have been granted the right to use ‘university’ in their title since 2018. The OfS Register is available here: https://www.officeforstudents.org.uk/advice-and-guidance/the-register/the-ofs-register/#/.

Information regarding these providers’ legal names, their trading names, their contact addresses, and the year the use of the word ‘university’ was granted, has been extracted from the OfS Register and is included in the table below.
Information on the names of providers prior to them receiving their university title is not available on the OfS register, but is included in the table.

Provider’s legal name

Provider’s trading name(s)

Previous name
[not included on OfS Register]

Provider’s contact address

Date use of 'university' granted

St. George's Hospital Medical School

St. George's, University of London

St. George's Hospital Medical School

St. George's Hospital
Cranmer Terrace
London
SW17 0RE
United Kingdom

2022

Royal Holloway and Bedford New College

Royal Holloway, University of London

Royal Holloway and Bedford New College

Egham Hill
Egham
Surrey
TW20 0EX
United Kingdom

2022

Arts University Plymouth

Arts University Plymouth

Plymouth College of Art

Tavistock Place
Plymouth
Devon
PL4 8AT
United Kingdom

2022

The London School of Economics and Political Science

Not applicable

The London School of Economics and Political Science

Houghton Street
London
WC2A 2AE
United Kingdom

2022

Ravensbourne University London

Not applicable

Ravensbourne College of Design and Communication

6 Penrose Way
London
SE10 0EW
United Kingdom

2018

BIMM University Limited

BIMM University
BIMM Institute
of Contemporary Theatre
Northern Ballet School
Performers College
Screen & Film School

BIMM Institute

2 Bartholomew’s
Brighton
Sussex
BN1 1HG
United Kingdom

2022

Hartpury University

Not applicable

Hartpury College

Hartpury House
Hartpury
Gloucestershire
GL19 3BE
United Kingdom

2019

Northeastern University – London

Northeastern University London
New College of the Humanities

New College of the Humanities

Devon House
58 St Katherine's Way
London
E1W 1LP
United Kingdom

2022

Regent's University London Limited

Regent's University London

Regent's College

Inner Circle
Regent’s Park
London
NW1 4NS
United Kingdom

2020

Baroness Barran
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
25th Jul 2023
To ask His Majesty's Government how many apprenticeships started at (1) Level 6, and (2) Level 7, in (a) 2020–21, and (b) 2021–22, by individuals who already hold qualifications at this level; and of those, how many also had university degrees.

The department does not hold representative data on prior qualifications held by apprentices, as this is not information that is mandatory for training providers to submit through an apprentice’s individual learner record. The department will only fund apprentices to undertake an apprenticeship at the same or lower level than a qualification they already hold if the apprenticeship allows the individual to acquire substantive new skills, and the provider can show that the content of the training is materially different from any prior qualification. This is to ensure that the department is not funding any duplication in training.

The department has seen year-on-year growth of degree level apprenticeships (Levels 6 and 7) with over 190,000 starts since their introduction in the 2014/15 academic year. An additional £40 million is being provided over the next two years to support degree apprenticeship providers to expand and help more people access this provision, on top of the £8 million investment in 2022/23.

Baroness Barran
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
13th Jul 2023
To ask His Majesty's Government what (1) number, and (2) percentage, of apprenticeship completions in England in 2022 were in occupations listed in the Migration Advisory Committee's shortage occupation list for that year.

The department does not publish apprenticeship starts and achievements by occupation but can use occupational maps from the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education (IfATE) to estimate occupation for apprenticeship standards. The occupational maps can be found here: https://www.instituteforapprenticeships.org/occupational-maps/what-are-the-occupational-maps/.

In the 2021/22 academic year there were 68,400 starts on apprenticeship standards relating to occupations on the ‘Skilled Worker visa: shortage occupations’ list. The list can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/skilled-worker-visa-shortage-occupations/skilled-worker-visa-shortage-occupations. These starts represent 20% of all starts on apprenticeship standards. There were 24,300 achievements of apprenticeship standards on the list, representing 21% of all achievements on apprenticeship standards.

Note:

  • Figures are likely to be an underestimate. The occupational maps as published by IfATE relate each apprenticeship standard to the single occupation considered the closest match. This means some apprenticeships that might relate to more than one occupation, will not be identified as relevant.
  • Apprenticeships have been mapped to the shortage occupations list solely by the IfATE occupational maps. The department does not have the information to align to the shortage occupations list further (for instance the department cannot identify the subject that an apprentice teacher specialises in).
  • The ‘Skilled Worker visa: shortage occupations’ list is the version updated on 15 February 2022.

Baroness Barran
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
13th Jul 2023
To ask His Majesty's Government what (1) number, and (2) percentage, of apprenticeship starts in England in 2022 were in occupations listed in the Migration Advisory Committee's shortage occupation list for that year.

The department does not publish apprenticeship starts and achievements by occupation but can use occupational maps from the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education (IfATE) to estimate occupation for apprenticeship standards. The occupational maps can be found here: https://www.instituteforapprenticeships.org/occupational-maps/what-are-the-occupational-maps/.

In the 2021/22 academic year there were 68,400 starts on apprenticeship standards relating to occupations on the ‘Skilled Worker visa: shortage occupations’ list. The list can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/skilled-worker-visa-shortage-occupations/skilled-worker-visa-shortage-occupations. These starts represent 20% of all starts on apprenticeship standards. There were 24,300 achievements of apprenticeship standards on the list, representing 21% of all achievements on apprenticeship standards.

Note:

  • Figures are likely to be an underestimate. The occupational maps as published by IfATE relate each apprenticeship standard to the single occupation considered the closest match. This means some apprenticeships that might relate to more than one occupation, will not be identified as relevant.
  • Apprenticeships have been mapped to the shortage occupations list solely by the IfATE occupational maps. The department does not have the information to align to the shortage occupations list further (for instance the department cannot identify the subject that an apprentice teacher specialises in).
  • The ‘Skilled Worker visa: shortage occupations’ list is the version updated on 15 February 2022.

Baroness Barran
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
19th Jun 2023
To ask His Majesty's Government, for each academic year since 2018–19, how many of the foundation year students who enrolled for degrees in price group D, were enrolled for degrees in (1) business subjects, and (2) social studies.

The data for all three tables below cover English-domiciled foundation year students studying at approved fee cap English higher education (HE) institutions and further education (FE) colleges.

The data is currently unpublished and is based on internal department analysis of Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) data. As such, figures are rounded to the nearest five in line with the following HESA guidance: https://www.hesa.ac.uk/about/regulation/data-protection/rounding-and-suppression-anonymise-statistics.

The price group data for the 2018/19 academic year is not directly comparable to price group data for the following academic years because of a change in the system for classifying subjects from the 2019/20 academic year onwards.

The number of students enrolled onto one-year foundation courses is shown in Table 1.

Table 1: Full-person equivalent of foundation year entrants studying one-year courses at HE institutions and FE colleges in England since the 2018/19 academic year.

Academic Year

Number of students undertaking a one-year foundation year course

2018/19

35,995

2019/20

43,395

2020/21

53,590

2021/22

69,325

The number of foundation year students studying in each of the different price groups since the 2018/19 academic year is shown in Table 2.

Table 2: Full-person equivalent of foundation year entrants at HE institutions and FE colleges in England since the 2018/19 academic year shown by price group.

Academic Year

Price Group

2018/19

2019/20

2020/21

2021/22

A

0

0

0

0

B

9,315

10,585

9,510

11,260

C1.1

2,220

2,450

2,700

2,900

C1.2

2,475

2,470

2,860

3,160

C2

4,870

7,105

9,440

10,905

D

15,065

20,785

29,070

41,090

The number of students studying a foundation year in a business and management or social sciences degree for each academic year since 2018/19 is shown in Table 3.

Table 3: Full-person equivalent of foundation year entrants studying business and management and social science degrees at HE institutions and FE colleges in England since the 2018/19 academic year.

Academic Year

Subject

2018/19

2019/20

2020/21

2021/22

Business and management studies

8,900

13,600

23,420

35,585

Social sciences

3,855

6,265

6,345

6,915

Baroness Barran
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
19th Jun 2023
To ask His Majesty's Government, for each academic year since 2018–19, how many foundation year students were enrolled for degrees which fell into price groups (1) A, (2) B, (3) C1.1, (4) C1.2, (5) C2, and (6) D.

The data for all three tables below cover English-domiciled foundation year students studying at approved fee cap English higher education (HE) institutions and further education (FE) colleges.

The data is currently unpublished and is based on internal department analysis of Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) data. As such, figures are rounded to the nearest five in line with the following HESA guidance: https://www.hesa.ac.uk/about/regulation/data-protection/rounding-and-suppression-anonymise-statistics.

The price group data for the 2018/19 academic year is not directly comparable to price group data for the following academic years because of a change in the system for classifying subjects from the 2019/20 academic year onwards.

The number of students enrolled onto one-year foundation courses is shown in Table 1.

Table 1: Full-person equivalent of foundation year entrants studying one-year courses at HE institutions and FE colleges in England since the 2018/19 academic year.

Academic Year

Number of students undertaking a one-year foundation year course

2018/19

35,995

2019/20

43,395

2020/21

53,590

2021/22

69,325

The number of foundation year students studying in each of the different price groups since the 2018/19 academic year is shown in Table 2.

Table 2: Full-person equivalent of foundation year entrants at HE institutions and FE colleges in England since the 2018/19 academic year shown by price group.

Academic Year

Price Group

2018/19

2019/20

2020/21

2021/22

A

0

0

0

0

B

9,315

10,585

9,510

11,260

C1.1

2,220

2,450

2,700

2,900

C1.2

2,475

2,470

2,860

3,160

C2

4,870

7,105

9,440

10,905

D

15,065

20,785

29,070

41,090

The number of students studying a foundation year in a business and management or social sciences degree for each academic year since 2018/19 is shown in Table 3.

Table 3: Full-person equivalent of foundation year entrants studying business and management and social science degrees at HE institutions and FE colleges in England since the 2018/19 academic year.

Academic Year

Subject

2018/19

2019/20

2020/21

2021/22

Business and management studies

8,900

13,600

23,420

35,585

Social sciences

3,855

6,265

6,345

6,915

Baroness Barran
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
19th Jun 2023
To ask His Majesty's Government, for each academic year since 2018–19, how many students were enrolled in one-year foundation year courses in English higher education institutions.

The data for all three tables below cover English-domiciled foundation year students studying at approved fee cap English higher education (HE) institutions and further education (FE) colleges.

The data is currently unpublished and is based on internal department analysis of Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) data. As such, figures are rounded to the nearest five in line with the following HESA guidance: https://www.hesa.ac.uk/about/regulation/data-protection/rounding-and-suppression-anonymise-statistics.

The price group data for the 2018/19 academic year is not directly comparable to price group data for the following academic years because of a change in the system for classifying subjects from the 2019/20 academic year onwards.

The number of students enrolled onto one-year foundation courses is shown in Table 1.

Table 1: Full-person equivalent of foundation year entrants studying one-year courses at HE institutions and FE colleges in England since the 2018/19 academic year.

Academic Year

Number of students undertaking a one-year foundation year course

2018/19

35,995

2019/20

43,395

2020/21

53,590

2021/22

69,325

The number of foundation year students studying in each of the different price groups since the 2018/19 academic year is shown in Table 2.

Table 2: Full-person equivalent of foundation year entrants at HE institutions and FE colleges in England since the 2018/19 academic year shown by price group.

Academic Year

Price Group

2018/19

2019/20

2020/21

2021/22

A

0

0

0

0

B

9,315

10,585

9,510

11,260

C1.1

2,220

2,450

2,700

2,900

C1.2

2,475

2,470

2,860

3,160

C2

4,870

7,105

9,440

10,905

D

15,065

20,785

29,070

41,090

The number of students studying a foundation year in a business and management or social sciences degree for each academic year since 2018/19 is shown in Table 3.

Table 3: Full-person equivalent of foundation year entrants studying business and management and social science degrees at HE institutions and FE colleges in England since the 2018/19 academic year.

Academic Year

Subject

2018/19

2019/20

2020/21

2021/22

Business and management studies

8,900

13,600

23,420

35,585

Social sciences

3,855

6,265

6,345

6,915

Baroness Barran
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
8th Mar 2021
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Vere of Norbiton on 20 November 2020 (HL10411), whether they will now answer the question put, namely what steps citizens can take to ensure that local authorities are reviewing air quality.

Local authorities have a statutory duty to review and assess air quality in their areas. Local authorities will determine what monitoring is necessary and decide where monitoring takes place with regard to statutory Local Air Quality Management guidance. Under the Local Air Quality Management Framework local authorities are expected to produce and publish annual air quality status reports which are to be submitted annually to Defra. Defra assesses these annual status reports and expects local authorities to take any comments or requirements made by Defra into account.

Local authorities are primarily responsible to their local electorates and will have their own complaints processes. Citizens with concerns or complaints about the way in which a local authority undertakes local air quality statutory duties are therefore advised to raise the issue with the local authority. Ultimately a local authority failing to fulfil statutory duties could be taken to court by interested parties. If a local authority fails to discharge its statutory air quality duties set out in the Environment Act 1995 the Secretary of State of the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has the power to direct a local authority to take such steps as may be specified in the directions.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton
Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
8th Mar 2021
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Vere of Norbiton on 20 November 2020 (HL10409), what organisation is responsible for dealing with complaints resulting from the annual air quality report produced by local authorities in England.

Local authorities have a statutory duty to review and assess air quality in their areas. Local authorities will determine what monitoring is necessary and decide where monitoring takes place with regard to statutory Local Air Quality Management guidance. Under the Local Air Quality Management Framework local authorities are expected to produce and publish annual air quality status reports which are to be submitted annually to Defra. Defra assesses these annual status reports and expects local authorities to take any comments or requirements made by Defra into account.

Local authorities are primarily responsible to their local electorates and will have their own complaints processes. Citizens with concerns or complaints about the way in which a local authority undertakes local air quality statutory duties are therefore advised to raise the issue with the local authority. Ultimately a local authority failing to fulfil statutory duties could be taken to court by interested parties. If a local authority fails to discharge its statutory air quality duties set out in the Environment Act 1995 the Secretary of State of the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has the power to direct a local authority to take such steps as may be specified in the directions.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton
Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
17th Nov 2020
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Vere of Norbiton on 23 October (HL9102), whether the Local Air Quality Management framework requires that local authorities monitor air quality in streets into which traffic has been displaced by road closures.

The Local Air Quality Management Framework is set out in Part IV of the Environment Act 1995. It requires local authorities to review and assess air quality within their boundaries, and to produce an annual report detailing any monitoring results and any air pollution issues they have identified. This includes assessing impacts of traffic measures which may include monitoring. Where an objective for a specific pollutant is exceeded the local authority must declare an Air Quality Management Area and produce an Air Quality Action Plan to address the exceedance.

Annual reports must be made available to the public and will usually be accessible on the local authority’s website. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs provides support for local authorities to carry out their statutory duties under the framework via statutory guidance and a dedicated helpline.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton
Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
16th Nov 2020
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether local authorities are required (1) to consider, and (2) to consult on, traffic displacement in advance of road closures; and whether local authorities are required to monitor congestion in streets adjacent to closed roads.

The Equality and Human Rights Commission have published the guidance document “Meeting the Equality Duty in Policy and Decision-Making” which is available to all public authorities. Their guide provides advice on how to assess the potential impact on people with protected characteristics of a public authority’s functions, including its policies, practices and decisions.

The Local Air Quality Management Framework is set out in Part IV of the Environment Act 1995. It requires local authorities to review and assess air quality within their boundaries, and to produce an annual report detailing any monitoring results and any air pollution issues they have identified. Where an objective for a specific pollutant is exceeded the local authority must declare an Air Quality Management Area and produce an Air Quality Action Plan to address the exceedance.

Annual reports must be made available to the public and will usually be accessible on the local authority’s website. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs provides support for local authorities to carry out their statutory duties under the framework via statutory guidance and a dedicated helpline.

Local traffic authorities have a statutory duty, under the Traffic Management Act 2004, to manage their networks with the aim of ‘securing the expeditious movement of traffic’. They are responsible for using their knowledge of traffic conditions and the road network in their area to decide on appropriate traffic management policies that balance the needs of local residents, emergency services, local businesses, and those who work in and visit the area. The Department has recently published statutory network management duty guidance for local authorities which emphasises the importance of consultation on road closures and other schemes.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton
Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
16th Nov 2020
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether details of the Local Air Quality Management framework are publicly available; if so, where; what steps they are taking to ensure that local authorities carry out their duties under this framework; and what steps citizens can take to ensure that local authorities are reviewing air quality.

The Equality and Human Rights Commission have published the guidance document “Meeting the Equality Duty in Policy and Decision-Making” which is available to all public authorities. Their guide provides advice on how to assess the potential impact on people with protected characteristics of a public authority’s functions, including its policies, practices and decisions.

The Local Air Quality Management Framework is set out in Part IV of the Environment Act 1995. It requires local authorities to review and assess air quality within their boundaries, and to produce an annual report detailing any monitoring results and any air pollution issues they have identified. Where an objective for a specific pollutant is exceeded the local authority must declare an Air Quality Management Area and produce an Air Quality Action Plan to address the exceedance.

Annual reports must be made available to the public and will usually be accessible on the local authority’s website. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs provides support for local authorities to carry out their statutory duties under the framework via statutory guidance and a dedicated helpline.

Local traffic authorities have a statutory duty, under the Traffic Management Act 2004, to manage their networks with the aim of ‘securing the expeditious movement of traffic’. They are responsible for using their knowledge of traffic conditions and the road network in their area to decide on appropriate traffic management policies that balance the needs of local residents, emergency services, local businesses, and those who work in and visit the area. The Department has recently published statutory network management duty guidance for local authorities which emphasises the importance of consultation on road closures and other schemes.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton
Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
16th Nov 2020
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Vere of Norbiton on 23 October (HL9101), whether the procedures local authorities should refer to in carrying out Equality Impact Assessment are publicly available; what assessment they have made of the timeframe in which Equality Impact Assessments should be carried out following an experimental road closure; and what steps (1) they, or (2) other affected parties, can take to ensure that such assessments are carried out.

The Equality and Human Rights Commission have published the guidance document “Meeting the Equality Duty in Policy and Decision-Making” which is available to all public authorities. Their guide provides advice on how to assess the potential impact on people with protected characteristics of a public authority’s functions, including its policies, practices and decisions.

The Local Air Quality Management Framework is set out in Part IV of the Environment Act 1995. It requires local authorities to review and assess air quality within their boundaries, and to produce an annual report detailing any monitoring results and any air pollution issues they have identified. Where an objective for a specific pollutant is exceeded the local authority must declare an Air Quality Management Area and produce an Air Quality Action Plan to address the exceedance.

Annual reports must be made available to the public and will usually be accessible on the local authority’s website. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs provides support for local authorities to carry out their statutory duties under the framework via statutory guidance and a dedicated helpline.

Local traffic authorities have a statutory duty, under the Traffic Management Act 2004, to manage their networks with the aim of ‘securing the expeditious movement of traffic’. They are responsible for using their knowledge of traffic conditions and the road network in their area to decide on appropriate traffic management policies that balance the needs of local residents, emergency services, local businesses, and those who work in and visit the area. The Department has recently published statutory network management duty guidance for local authorities which emphasises the importance of consultation on road closures and other schemes.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton
Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
12th Oct 2020
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether local authorities have any obligation to monitor the impact on air quality of road closures, whether experimental or permanent, including in adjacent roads to which traffic may be displaced.

It is for local authorities to ensure that any changes they propose to make to road layouts are delivered in line with relevant legislation, consultation and noticing requirements.

The Emergency Active Travel Fund (EATF) was announced on 9 May and included £225 million of funding in two tranches for local authorities in England. Alongside the funding, the Government published additional Network Management Duty guidance. This clearly set out what the Government expects local authorities to do in making changes to their road layouts to encourage cycling and walking in response to Covid-19 and to support a green restart and recovery. These measures included road closures, for example to create low-traffic neighbourhoods.

The guidance is clear that the Public Sector Equality Duty still applies, and in making any changes to their road networks, authorities must consider the needs of disabled people and those with other protected characteristics, for example by carrying out Equality Impact Assessments on proposed schemes.

It is for local authorities to ensure any such assessments are carried out in line with relevant procedures.

The Local Air Quality Management regime requires that local authorities review and assess air quality in their area. This will normally include monitoring pollution levels especially where the local authority assesses that air quality objectives may be exceeded.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton
Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
12th Oct 2020
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to publish regulations requiring (1) the assessment of the impact of experimental road closures on protected characteristic groups, and (2) the mitigating action in the event of an adverse impact on those groups.

It is for local authorities to ensure that any changes they propose to make to road layouts are delivered in line with relevant legislation, consultation and noticing requirements.

The Emergency Active Travel Fund (EATF) was announced on 9 May and included £225 million of funding in two tranches for local authorities in England. Alongside the funding, the Government published additional Network Management Duty guidance. This clearly set out what the Government expects local authorities to do in making changes to their road layouts to encourage cycling and walking in response to Covid-19 and to support a green restart and recovery. These measures included road closures, for example to create low-traffic neighbourhoods.

The guidance is clear that the Public Sector Equality Duty still applies, and in making any changes to their road networks, authorities must consider the needs of disabled people and those with other protected characteristics, for example by carrying out Equality Impact Assessments on proposed schemes.

It is for local authorities to ensure any such assessments are carried out in line with relevant procedures.

The Local Air Quality Management regime requires that local authorities review and assess air quality in their area. This will normally include monitoring pollution levels especially where the local authority assesses that air quality objectives may be exceeded.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton
Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
12th Oct 2020
To ask Her Majesty's Government (1) how traffic congestion has been monitored in England, (2) what data they have collected, and (3) what data they have published, about such monitoring since 2015.

The Department for Transport produces statistics on road congestion on the Strategic Road Network (SRN) and local ‘A’ roads in England. These statistics, used to monitor road congestion and journey time reliability, are compiled from journey time data from in-vehicle global positioning systems (GPS).

The statistics report two measures of congestion- average speed as an estimate of the physical level of congestion and average delay which is the difference between speed limit (SRN) or free flow (local ‘A’ roads) travel times and average journey times.

Statistics from April 2015 onwards for congestion on the SRN and January 2014 onwards for local ‘A’ roads are published online as part of the 'Road congestion and travel times' collection on gov.uk.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton
Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
12th Oct 2020
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether experimental road closures made under regulations relating to the COVID-19 pandemic require an Equality Impact Assessment, and if so, (1) whether the results of those Assessment must be published, (2) what the timeframe is for (a) completing and (b) publishing the Assessment, following the closures.

It is for local authorities to ensure that any changes they propose to make to road layouts are delivered in line with relevant legislation, consultation and noticing requirements.

The Emergency Active Travel Fund (EATF) was announced on 9 May and included £225 million of funding in two tranches for local authorities in England. Alongside the funding, the Government published additional Network Management Duty guidance. This clearly set out what the Government expects local authorities to do in making changes to their road layouts to encourage cycling and walking in response to Covid-19 and to support a green restart and recovery. These measures included road closures, for example to create low-traffic neighbourhoods.

The guidance is clear that the Public Sector Equality Duty still applies, and in making any changes to their road networks, authorities must consider the needs of disabled people and those with other protected characteristics, for example by carrying out Equality Impact Assessments on proposed schemes.

It is for local authorities to ensure any such assessments are carried out in line with relevant procedures.

The Local Air Quality Management regime requires that local authorities review and assess air quality in their area. This will normally include monitoring pollution levels especially where the local authority assesses that air quality objectives may be exceeded.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton
Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
12th Oct 2020
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to their confirmation that the public sector equality duty still applies in cases where roads have been closed under COVID-19 emergency legislation, whether this obliges local authorities to carry out an Equality Impact Assessment of their road closures.

It is for local authorities to ensure that any changes they propose to make to road layouts are delivered in line with relevant legislation, consultation and noticing requirements.

The Emergency Active Travel Fund (EATF) was announced on 9 May and included £225 million of funding in two tranches for local authorities in England. Alongside the funding, the Government published additional Network Management Duty guidance. This clearly set out what the Government expects local authorities to do in making changes to their road layouts to encourage cycling and walking in response to Covid-19 and to support a green restart and recovery. These measures included road closures, for example to create low-traffic neighbourhoods.

The guidance is clear that the Public Sector Equality Duty still applies, and in making any changes to their road networks, authorities must consider the needs of disabled people and those with other protected characteristics, for example by carrying out Equality Impact Assessments on proposed schemes.

It is for local authorities to ensure any such assessments are carried out in line with relevant procedures.

The Local Air Quality Management regime requires that local authorities review and assess air quality in their area. This will normally include monitoring pollution levels especially where the local authority assesses that air quality objectives may be exceeded.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton
Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
25th Feb 2020
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether a local authority is obliged to (1) inform, and (2) formally consult, (a) the emergency services, (b) the police, (c) waste disposal services, (d) businesses, (e) other institutions such as charities or schools, and (f) residents in the areas that are directly affected, when it proposes the permanent closure of a road or a permanent restriction on its use by motorised traffic.

Where a local authority wishes to close a road permanently, it is required to make a permanent traffic regulation order. A permanent order gives legal effect to the closure and any associated restrictions. The procedure for advertising and consulting on traffic regulation orders is set out in The Local Authorities' Traffic Orders (Procedure) (England and Wales) Regulations 1996.

Before the order can come into force, the regulations require the authority to publish a “notice of proposals” concerning the intended closure in a newspaper circulating in the area. The authority is also required to "take such other steps as it may consider appropriate for ensuring that adequate publicity about the order is given to persons likely to be affected by its provisions". There is then a 21-day period in which members of the public can object to the order.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton
Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
6th Feb 2020
To ask Her Majesty's Government what authority they have to review changes of road use introduced by local authorities which have proven to have a demonstrably large and negative effect on total emission levels.

Highway authorities are responsible for managing their road networks and for proposing and making all types of Traffic Orders. There is no specific legal requirement for highway authorities proposing to permanently close roads or divert traffic via Traffic Orders to assess the impact on emissions. There are requirements for them to consult, in some circumstances, local businesses, communities and those affected by the changes.

There are specific circumstances when referral of Traffic Orders is made to the Secretary of State, for example, in relation to extending experimental Traffic Orders or where the same road has been closed several times for special events. The Government has no authority to review changes made by Traffic Orders which may impact on emissions.

Elected authorities, including elected mayors, are not provided with any duties under transport legislation to monitor the impact of emissions in their areas of responsibility.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton
Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
6th Feb 2020
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether local authorities proposing to permanently close roads or divert traffic from existing routes have any obligation to (1) estimate, and (2) consider, the net impact of any such closures or diversions on total national emissions, rather than solely the roads subject to closure or reduction in use.

Highway authorities are responsible for managing their road networks and for proposing and making all types of Traffic Orders. There is no specific legal requirement for highway authorities proposing to permanently close roads or divert traffic via Traffic Orders to assess the impact on emissions. There are requirements for them to consult, in some circumstances, local businesses, communities and those affected by the changes.

There are specific circumstances when referral of Traffic Orders is made to the Secretary of State, for example, in relation to extending experimental Traffic Orders or where the same road has been closed several times for special events. The Government has no authority to review changes made by Traffic Orders which may impact on emissions.

Elected authorities, including elected mayors, are not provided with any duties under transport legislation to monitor the impact of emissions in their areas of responsibility.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton
Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
6th Feb 2020
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether any elected authorities, including elected mayors, other than local authorities have any responsibility to monitor the overall impact on emissions of individual road closures and changes in use introduced within those authorities' boundaries.

Highway authorities are responsible for managing their road networks and for proposing and making all types of Traffic Orders. There is no specific legal requirement for highway authorities proposing to permanently close roads or divert traffic via Traffic Orders to assess the impact on emissions. There are requirements for them to consult, in some circumstances, local businesses, communities and those affected by the changes.

There are specific circumstances when referral of Traffic Orders is made to the Secretary of State, for example, in relation to extending experimental Traffic Orders or where the same road has been closed several times for special events. The Government has no authority to review changes made by Traffic Orders which may impact on emissions.

Elected authorities, including elected mayors, are not provided with any duties under transport legislation to monitor the impact of emissions in their areas of responsibility.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton
Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
5th Feb 2024
To ask His Majesty's Government further to the Written Answers by Lord Markham on 4 January (HL1377) and 24 January (HL1768), under a realistic worst case scenario for Risk 54 (an unmitigated respiratory pandemic) in which 1.34 million people require hospital treatment, how many (1) additional mechanical ventilators, (2) non-invasive ventilators (BiPaP), and (3) NIV continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) units, would be required in addition to those currently held by hospital intensive care units; and what would be the estimated cost, at current prices, of replacing the equipment held in the COVID Strategic Care Unit Reserve.

The Department continues to plan and prepare for a range of pandemic and emerging infectious disease scenarios, including those caused by respiratory contact and vector-borne pathogens, both influenza and non-influenza related. These plans are built on lessons learned from exercises and incidents, including the COVID-19 pandemic.

NHS England routinely monitor the total number of ventilators available against the number of ventilators in use. NHS England published Adult critical care surge plan guidance in December 2023 which sets out the actions to ensure capacity is mobilised at a sufficient rate to meet increases in demand. In response to any pandemic, NHS England would implement the published surge planning guidance to review capacity and demand within the current context of the situation. A copy of this guidance is attached.

The Department’s COVID Strategic Intensive Care Unit Reserve was established to operate for a set lifespan in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, after which point it would close. Due to lower-than-expected demand for equipment from the stockpile by the National Health Service, the strategic pandemic intensive care unit reserve is now closing in March 2024 and there are no current plans to replace it. No estimate has been made of the cost of replacing it.

Lord Markham
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
5th Feb 2024
To ask His Majesty's Government further to the Written Answers on 24 January by Lord Markham (HL1769 and HL1770), how much the Department of Health and Social Care pays per pallet per week for equipment stored by NHS Supply Chain; whether the Department currently makes payments for storage to NHS Supply Chain other than, and in addition to, payments for the COVID Strategic Care Unit Reserve; and, if so, how many pallets were on average being paid for, per week, in 2023, over and above those storing the COVID Strategic Care Unit Reserve.

We are unable to provide the information requested as it is commercially sensitive.

Lord Markham
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
2nd Feb 2024
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Markham on 24 January (HL1768), how many of each of the categories of equipment contained in that answer (1) are being offered or have been offered for sale in the period up to 31 March, (2) have been destroyed, (3) are scheduled for destruction, and (4) have been donated, or will be donated, to medical charities for use overseas, including but not confined to Ukraine.

The COVID Strategic ICU Reserve was set up in April 2020, in response to shortages in key respiratory equipment and in anticipation of increased demand during the pandemic. Over the last two years, the National Health Service has not needed to access the reserve to manage increases in the numbers of respiratory patients. With lack of demand from the NHS, and increasing costs associated with storing and maintaining ageing equipment, the decision was taken to close the reserve by March 2024.

Information on the money raised from the auction of equipment is not currently available. The following table shows the planned disposal routes for equipment within the COVID Strategic Intensive Care Unit Reserve from 1 December 2023 to 31 March 2024:

Holdings at December 2023

Offered or offering for sale

Have been destroyed

Scheduled for destruction

Donated to medical charities for use overseas

Enteral feed pumps

1140

1025

10

0

0

Humidifiers

4714

1456

0

3258

0

Mechanical ventilator - Anaesthetic

53

17

0

36

0

Mechanical ventilator - Emergency

5093

1140

3159

792

0

Mechanical ventilator - ICU

3083

3075

0

0

0

Mechanical ventilator - Transport

949

148

0

789

0

Non-invasive Ventilator (NIV) bilevel positive airway pressure (BiPaP)

3339

3085

0

252

0

NIV continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP)

6682

0

702

5980

0

NIV high flow nasal oxygen (HFNO)

187

155

0

0

0

Oxygen concentrators

2874

2861

0

13

0

Oxygen regulators

1564

1461

0

0

0

Patient monitors

2439

2353

0

0

0

Suction pumps

307

289

0

0

0

Syringe drivers

21319

8000

9318

3976

0

Volumetric pumps

1588

1563

0

0

0

Notes:

  1. The table does not include equipment that has been deployed to the NHS across the United Kingdom since December 2023, and so the sum of the disposal columns will not equal the December 2023 holdings. Information reflects plans as of 5 February 2024.
  2. Until the final closure of the reserve in March 2024, we will continue to respond to requests from the NHS and overseas meaning these plans are subject to change.
Lord Markham
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
2nd Feb 2024
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Markham on 24 January (HL1768), how much money has been raised to date from the auction of equipment listed in that answer.

The COVID Strategic ICU Reserve was set up in April 2020, in response to shortages in key respiratory equipment and in anticipation of increased demand during the pandemic. Over the last two years, the National Health Service has not needed to access the reserve to manage increases in the numbers of respiratory patients. With lack of demand from the NHS, and increasing costs associated with storing and maintaining ageing equipment, the decision was taken to close the reserve by March 2024.

Information on the money raised from the auction of equipment is not currently available. The following table shows the planned disposal routes for equipment within the COVID Strategic Intensive Care Unit Reserve from 1 December 2023 to 31 March 2024:

Holdings at December 2023

Offered or offering for sale

Have been destroyed

Scheduled for destruction

Donated to medical charities for use overseas

Enteral feed pumps

1140

1025

10

0

0

Humidifiers

4714

1456

0

3258

0

Mechanical ventilator - Anaesthetic

53

17

0

36

0

Mechanical ventilator - Emergency

5093

1140

3159

792

0

Mechanical ventilator - ICU

3083

3075

0

0

0

Mechanical ventilator - Transport

949

148

0

789

0

Non-invasive Ventilator (NIV) bilevel positive airway pressure (BiPaP)

3339

3085

0

252

0

NIV continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP)

6682

0

702

5980

0

NIV high flow nasal oxygen (HFNO)

187

155

0

0

0

Oxygen concentrators

2874

2861

0

13

0

Oxygen regulators

1564

1461

0

0

0

Patient monitors

2439

2353

0

0

0

Suction pumps

307

289

0

0

0

Syringe drivers

21319

8000

9318

3976

0

Volumetric pumps

1588

1563

0

0

0

Notes:

  1. The table does not include equipment that has been deployed to the NHS across the United Kingdom since December 2023, and so the sum of the disposal columns will not equal the December 2023 holdings. Information reflects plans as of 5 February 2024.
  2. Until the final closure of the reserve in March 2024, we will continue to respond to requests from the NHS and overseas meaning these plans are subject to change.
Lord Markham
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
18th Jan 2024
To ask His Majesty's Government what were the contents of the COVID Strategic Intensive Care Unit Reserve on 31 December 2023.

The following table shows the contents of the COVID Strategic Intensive Care Unit Reserve as of the first week of December 2023, the latest period for which data is available:

Equipment

December 2023

Enteral feed pumps

1140

Humidifiers

4714

Mechanical ventilator - Anaesthetic

53

Mechanical ventilator - Emergency

5093

Mechanical ventilator - ICU

3083

Mechanical ventilator - Transport

949

Non-invasive Ventilator (NIV) bilevel positive airway pressure (BiPaP)

3339

NIV continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP)

6682

NIV high flow nasal oxygen (HFNO)

187

Oxygen concentrators

2874

Oxygen regulators

1564

Patient monitors

2439

Suction pumps

307

Syringe drivers

21319

Volumetric pumps

1588

Lord Markham
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
18th Jan 2024
To ask His Majesty's Government how much warehouse space was required to house (1) the total contents of the COVID Strategic Intensive Care Unit Reserve on 31 December 2023, and (2) the ventilators that make up part of that reserve.

The warehousing of the COVID Strategic Intensive Care Unit Reserve is managed by NHS Supply Chain on behalf of the Department. The requirement is based on number of pallets. On 31 December 2023, the reserve totalled 29,844 pallets, of which 3,317 related to ventilators.

Lord Markham
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
19th Dec 2023
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Markham on 15 December 2023 (HL453), whether their planning scenarios specifically include (1) a respiratory pandemic that creates greater demand for critical care than the COVID-19 pandemic, and (2) a respiratory pandemic that affects a different demographic, in particular one that disproportionately affects children and babies.

We cannot perfectly predict the characteristics of a future pandemic or know precisely which groups will be most affected by it. We are therefore strengthening our pandemic preparedness by considering the flexible and scalable response capabilities that can be adapted to any threat that the health and social care system may need to respond to.

The National Risk Register 2023 outlines the most serious threats facing the United Kingdom with an updated assessment of likelihood and potential impact. Risk 54 describes the risk from a pandemic and provides a reasonable worst-case scenario (RWCS) for an unmitigated respiratory pandemic, as well variations based on different pathogens with different routes of transmission. A copy of the register is attached.

The RWCS assumes that 50% of the UK’s population fall ill during the whole course of the pandemic, with approximately 1.34 million people estimated to require hospital treatment, possibly resulting in up to 840,000 deaths.

We continue to review our pandemic planning in response to information and lessons learned from COVID-19 and other disease outbreaks.

Lord Markham
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
19th Dec 2023
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Markham on 15 December 2023 (HL453), why they have decided to abolish the COVID Strategic Intensive Care Unit Reserve in March 2024 when they have not yet completed their preparation for a range of pandemic and emerging infectious disease scenarios.

The COVID Strategic Intensive Care Unit (ICU) Reserve was set up in April 2020, in response to shortages in key respiratory equipment and in anticipation of increased demand during the pandemic. Over the last two years, the National Health Service has not needed to access the reserve to manage increases in the numbers of respiratory patients. With lack of demand from the NHS, and increasing costs associated with storing and maintaining ageing equipment, the decision was taken to close the reserve by March 2024. Until then, the reserve will continue provide a reserve capable of supporting 1,000 ICU beds.

Lord Markham
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
20th Nov 2023
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Markham on 16 October (HL10484), what was the basis for setting the number of intensive care bays catered for in their current strategic reserve of intensive care unit equipment at 1,000; and how that figure relates to (1) the current number of 383 adult critical care beds across NHS England trusts and (2) the peak of 4,500 COVID-19 patients receiving critical care.

During winter 2022/23, the COVID Strategic Intensive Care Unit Reserve had a core holding equivalent to supporting 3,000 intensive care bays for up to six weeks, a level consistent with the demand peak of January 2021. Between October 2022 and March 2023, the number of COVID-19 patients requiring mechanical ventilation peaked at 232 and the National Health Service did not require additional equipment from the reserve to meet this demand. The current holding of 1,000 bays is sufficient to meet the demand seen across the last two winters and enables excess holdings to be disposed of ahead of the closure of the reserve in March 2024.

Lord Markham
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
20th Nov 2023
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Markham on 16 October (HL10485), over what period they plan to maintain the strategic reserve of intensive care unit equipment originally established in response to the COVID-19 pandemic; and whether, in considering the future of that strategic reserve, their planning scenarios include (1) a respiratory pandemic that creates greater demand for critical care than the COVID-19 pandemic, and (2) a respiratory pandemic that affects a different demographic, specifically one that disproportionately affects children and babies.

The COVID Strategic Intensive Care Unit Reserve will hold equipment on hand for emergency use in the National Health Service until March 2024. The Government continues to prepare for a range of pandemic and emerging infectious disease scenarios, in line with our revised assessment of the pandemic risk. This includes preparing for all five routes of disease transmission.

Lord Markham
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
2nd Oct 2023
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether intensive care unit capacity is secure in the event of a future respiratory pandemic, given current UK manufacturing capacity.

The Department continues to plan and prepare for a range of pandemic and emerging infectious disease scenarios, including those caused by respiratory (influenza and non-influenza), contact and vector-borne pathogens. The Department’s plans build on lessons learned from exercises and incidents, including the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Department currently holds a strategic reserve of intensive care unit equipment, originally established in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The strategic reserve holds both invasive and non-invasive ventilators, with supporting equipment which can be accessed by National Health Service trusts across the United Kingdom and provides capacity to provide support for up to 1,000 intensive care unit bays. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Department additionally procured a range of medicines to support intensive care, based on critical need and supply resilience. This included, but was not limited to, analgesia, sedation, and antibiotics. Options to maintain access to these products, including stockpiling for a future pandemic and potential volumes required, are currently being considered.

NHS England has published Adult Critical Care surge planning guidance, which sets out escalation thresholds and the actions required by trusts, systems, regional and national teams to support a response to any sudden increase in demand on services. A copy of this guidance is attached.

Lord Markham
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
2nd Oct 2023
To ask His Majesty's Government what intensive care unit stockpiles are in existence which are available and suitable for use for a future respiratory pandemic; and what plans they have to maintain these stockpiles and at what levels.

The United Kingdom currently stockpiles medicines, vaccines, respiratory equipment including ventilators, and clinical consumables for a future pandemic.

The Department holds a strategic reserve of Intensive Care Unit equipment, originally set up in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. It is currently scaled to provide support for up to 1,000 intensive care unit bays and holds both invasive and non-invasive ventilators which can be accessed by National Health Service trusts across the UK.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Department additionally procured a range of medicines to support intensive care, based on critical need and supply resilience. This included, but was not limited to, analgesia, sedation, and antibiotics. Options to maintain access to these products, including stockpiling for a future pandemic and potential volumes required, are currently being considered.

Lord Markham
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)
5th Sep 2023
To ask His Majesty's Government how many businesses and organisations had a wage bill of between £2 and £3 million in (1) 2021–22, and (2) 2022–23.

We estimate there were 11,100 and 12,200 employers with wage bills between £2m and £3m, in the 2021 to 2022 and 2022 to 2023 tax-years respectively.

Baroness Penn
Minister on Leave (Parliamentary Under Secretary of State)
20th Jul 2023
To ask His Majesty's Government how many organisations were liable for the apprenticeship levy in (1) 2018, (2) 2019, (3) 2020, (4) 2021, and (5) 2022.

Please find a table of the estimated number of employers paying the Apprenticeship Levy in each tax year below:

Tax Year

Number of Employers

2017 to 18

32,200

2018 to 19

31,400

2019 to 20

30,600

2020 to 21

30,400

2021 to 22

33,400

Baroness Penn
Minister on Leave (Parliamentary Under Secretary of State)