Asked by: Edward Morello (Liberal Democrat - West Dorset)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate his Department has made of the additional per-apprentice cost to employers delivering (a) apprenticeship in engineering and (b) other high-cost apprenticeships following the changes to apprenticeship funding in August 2025.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
As we introduce new products, such as apprenticeship units and foundation apprenticeships, we are also simplifying the Growth and Skills Levy, improving its transparency and making it more efficient.
Currently, levy-paying employer accounts can show large unspent balances (currently totalling around £6.5 billion) which far exceed our annual apprenticeship budget. This has led to an incorrect understanding that there are significant unspent funds available to spend. However, over the last four years, on average, 98% of the English apprenticeships budget has been spent.
The 10% government top-up is one cause of this problem and removing it, alongside reducing the expiry period to 12 months, means we can simplify the system and ensure levy balances are more closely aligned to the annual levy paid by employers. Existing funding will remain within accounts, with the changes applying only to new funds entering accounts.
We are also changing the government’s co-investment rate from 95% to 75% for levy-paying employers once they have exhausted all their funds. Levy-paying employers will still be able to benefit from a very generous government contribution once their funds are exhausted, but it is right that employers who utilise all their levy funds contribute more to apprenticeship training and assessment. This will support greater employer investment in skills overall and ensure funding is available to roll out further flexibility for business and increase opportunities for young people.
We will carefully monitor the impact of these changes once they take effect.
Asked by: Edward Morello (Liberal Democrat - West Dorset)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he has made an assessment on the potential impact of increasing employer co-investment to 25 per cent on the number of apprentices taken on by levy-paying employers.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
As we introduce new products, such as apprenticeship units and foundation apprenticeships, we are also simplifying the Growth and Skills Levy, improving its transparency and making it more efficient.
Currently, levy-paying employer accounts can show large unspent balances (currently totalling around £6.5 billion) which far exceed our annual apprenticeship budget. This has led to an incorrect understanding that there are significant unspent funds available to spend. However, over the last four years, on average, 98% of the English apprenticeships budget has been spent.
The 10% government top-up is one cause of this problem and removing it, alongside reducing the expiry period to 12 months, means we can simplify the system and ensure levy balances are more closely aligned to the annual levy paid by employers. Existing funding will remain within accounts, with the changes applying only to new funds entering accounts.
We are also changing the government’s co-investment rate from 95% to 75% for levy-paying employers once they have exhausted all their funds. Levy-paying employers will still be able to benefit from a very generous government contribution once their funds are exhausted, but it is right that employers who utilise all their levy funds contribute more to apprenticeship training and assessment. This will support greater employer investment in skills overall and ensure funding is available to roll out further flexibility for business and increase opportunities for young people.
We will carefully monitor the impact of these changes once they take effect.
Asked by: Edward Morello (Liberal Democrat - West Dorset)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department has made with Cabinet colleagues of the potential impact of removing the 10 per cent levy top-up on the affordability of apprenticeship training for small and medium-sized levy-paying employers.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
As we introduce new products, such as apprenticeship units and foundation apprenticeships, we are also simplifying the Growth and Skills Levy, improving its transparency and making it more efficient.
Currently, levy-paying employer accounts can show large unspent balances (currently totalling around £6.5 billion) which far exceed our annual apprenticeship budget. This has led to an incorrect understanding that there are significant unspent funds available to spend. However, over the last four years, on average, 98% of the English apprenticeships budget has been spent.
The 10% government top-up is one cause of this problem and removing it, alongside reducing the expiry period to 12 months, means we can simplify the system and ensure levy balances are more closely aligned to the annual levy paid by employers. Existing funding will remain within accounts, with the changes applying only to new funds entering accounts.
We are also changing the government’s co-investment rate from 95% to 75% for levy-paying employers once they have exhausted all their funds. Levy-paying employers will still be able to benefit from a very generous government contribution once their funds are exhausted, but it is right that employers who utilise all their levy funds contribute more to apprenticeship training and assessment. This will support greater employer investment in skills overall and ensure funding is available to roll out further flexibility for business and increase opportunities for young people.
We will carefully monitor the impact of these changes once they take effect.
Asked by: Edward Morello (Liberal Democrat - West Dorset)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to reduce delays and improve contact accessibility for Child Maintenance Service users in West Dorset constituency.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Child Maintenance Service (CMS) is committed to providing a modern, efficient, and accessible service for all customers.
Through the Service Modernisation Programme, CMS is expanding digital channels and self-service options, including online tools like Get Help Arranging Child Maintenance and My Child Maintenance Case (MCMC), available 24/7. It has improved communications via SMS, email, and clearer letters, and introduced online messaging for certain processes, with plans to extend this further. By promoting self-service, CMS frees resources for customers who prefer phone support. Recent call routing improvements ensure faster access to case-owning teams.
All changes undergo equality assessments to guarantee fair access to the service for all customers regardless of location.
The Government is reviewing the child maintenance calculation to ensure it reflects current and future trends. Any proposed reforms will undergo public consultation and parliamentary scrutiny.
CMS remains committed to delivering a reliable, fair, and responsive service for every parent.
Asked by: Edward Morello (Liberal Democrat - West Dorset)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Child Maintenance Service in ensuring timely case handling and communication with parents.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Child Maintenance Service (CMS) is committed to providing a modern, efficient, and accessible service for all customers.
Through the Service Modernisation Programme, CMS is expanding digital channels and self-service options, including online tools like Get Help Arranging Child Maintenance and My Child Maintenance Case (MCMC), available 24/7. It has improved communications via SMS, email, and clearer letters, and introduced online messaging for certain processes, with plans to extend this further. By promoting self-service, CMS frees resources for customers who prefer phone support. Recent call routing improvements ensure faster access to case-owning teams.
All changes undergo equality assessments to guarantee fair access to the service for all customers regardless of location.
The Government is reviewing the child maintenance calculation to ensure it reflects current and future trends. Any proposed reforms will undergo public consultation and parliamentary scrutiny.
CMS remains committed to delivering a reliable, fair, and responsive service for every parent.
Asked by: Edward Morello (Liberal Democrat - West Dorset)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the level of Child Maintenance Service support for separated parents in rural constituencies.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Child Maintenance Service (CMS) is committed to providing a modern, efficient, and accessible service for all customers.
Through the Service Modernisation Programme, CMS is expanding digital channels and self-service options, including online tools like Get Help Arranging Child Maintenance and My Child Maintenance Case (MCMC), available 24/7. It has improved communications via SMS, email, and clearer letters, and introduced online messaging for certain processes, with plans to extend this further. By promoting self-service, CMS frees resources for customers who prefer phone support. Recent call routing improvements ensure faster access to case-owning teams.
All changes undergo equality assessments to guarantee fair access to the service for all customers regardless of location.
The Government is reviewing the child maintenance calculation to ensure it reflects current and future trends. Any proposed reforms will undergo public consultation and parliamentary scrutiny.
CMS remains committed to delivering a reliable, fair, and responsive service for every parent.
Asked by: Edward Morello (Liberal Democrat - West Dorset)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to help improve the accuracy of Child Maintenance Service calculations.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Child Maintenance Service (CMS) is committed to providing a modern, efficient, and accessible service for all customers.
Through the Service Modernisation Programme, CMS is expanding digital channels and self-service options, including online tools like Get Help Arranging Child Maintenance and My Child Maintenance Case (MCMC), available 24/7. It has improved communications via SMS, email, and clearer letters, and introduced online messaging for certain processes, with plans to extend this further. By promoting self-service, CMS frees resources for customers who prefer phone support. Recent call routing improvements ensure faster access to case-owning teams.
All changes undergo equality assessments to guarantee fair access to the service for all customers regardless of location.
The Government is reviewing the child maintenance calculation to ensure it reflects current and future trends. Any proposed reforms will undergo public consultation and parliamentary scrutiny.
CMS remains committed to delivering a reliable, fair, and responsive service for every parent.
Asked by: Edward Morello (Liberal Democrat - West Dorset)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will remove the two-child benefit cap in the Autumn Budget.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Government is committed to tackling child poverty. The Child Poverty Taskforce is developing an ambitious Child Poverty Strategy which we will publish in the autumn.
Commitments made at the 2025 spending review, and since then, are the latest steps in our Plan for Change to put extra pounds in people’s pockets – a downpayment on our Child Poverty Strategy, building on expansion of free breakfast clubs, the national minimum wage boost and the cap on Universal Credit deductions through the Fair Repayment Rate.