Asked by: Ian Sollom (Liberal Democrat - St Neots and Mid Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of childcare grants for postgraduate students.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department does not routinely collect or hold information on the number of postgraduate students who have childcare responsibilities.
The government introduced new support packages for students starting postgraduate master’s degree courses from the 2016/17 academic year onwards and postgraduate doctoral degree courses from 2018/19 onwards.
These loans are not based on income and are intended to be a contribution to the cost of study. They can be used by students according to their personal circumstances to cover the costs of fees and living costs, including childcare. The new support packages have provided a significant uplift in support for postgraduate students while ensuring the student support system remains financially sustainable.
Asked by: Ian Sollom (Liberal Democrat - St Neots and Mid Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department has made of the contribution of independent training providers to the delivery of apprenticeships.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
Independent Training Providers (ITPs) play a vital role in England's skills system and deliver a significant proportion of apprenticeship training.
ITPs provide flexible, employer-responsive training that complements wider further education provision and enables apprenticeships to meet the needs of employers across the economy. Working with both large national employers and local small and medium-sized businesses, they support learners to develop the skills required by industry and local labour markets.
The sector has demonstrated significant improvements in quality and learner outcomes in recent years, reflecting the commitment of providers and their staff to delivering high-quality training. This focus on quality, alongside strong employer engagement, helps apprenticeships deliver value for learners, employers and taxpayers.
Operating across a wide range of sectors and regions, ITPs make an important contribution to supporting economic growth, improving workforce skills and ensuring apprenticeship opportunities remain accessible to employers and learners throughout the country.
Asked by: Ian Sollom (Liberal Democrat - St Neots and Mid Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what information her Department holds on the number of postgraduate students with childcare responsibilities.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department does not routinely collect or hold information on the number of postgraduate students who have childcare responsibilities.
The government introduced new support packages for students starting postgraduate master’s degree courses from the 2016/17 academic year onwards and postgraduate doctoral degree courses from 2018/19 onwards.
These loans are not based on income and are intended to be a contribution to the cost of study. They can be used by students according to their personal circumstances to cover the costs of fees and living costs, including childcare. The new support packages have provided a significant uplift in support for postgraduate students while ensuring the student support system remains financially sustainable.
Asked by: Ian Sollom (Liberal Democrat - St Neots and Mid Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many SMEs wanted to recruit an apprentice but were unable to do so in each of the last five academic years; and what information his Department holds on the reasons why recruitment did not take place.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
The department does not collect data on the number of SMEs that wanted to recruit an apprentice but were unable to.
Asked by: Ian Sollom (Liberal Democrat - St Neots and Mid Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what process is available to reinstate Access to Work claims closed because the customer was unable to contact the service due to their communication needs; and whether support will be backdated in such cases.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government) (Equalities)
Customers can contact Access to Work through a range of channels, including telephone, post, Video Relay Service (VRS), Relay UK, appointees and agreed third-party representatives. Email may also be used where this has been agreed as a reasonable adjustment.
Access to Work staff similarly use these channels to communicate with customers and to ensure that support is tailored to their individual circumstances and communication needs.
Where a decision has been made not to award Access to Work support, customers may request a reconsideration if they disagree with the decision. Requests are considered on a case-by-case basis, taking account of the customer's individual circumstances and communication requirements.
If, following reconsideration, it is determined that the customer is eligible for Access to Work support, an award may be backdated to the date of the original application.
Access to Work is not aware of any evidence that customers are unable to contact the service due to their communication needs. Customers can apply for Access to Work online or by telephone.
Asked by: Ian Sollom (Liberal Democrat - St Neots and Mid Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many Access to Work claims were closed in each of the last 12 months because the customer (a) could not be contacted and (b) did not complete identity and security checks; and how many of those customers had a recorded hearing impairment.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government) (Equalities)
This information is not readily available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Ian Sollom (Liberal Democrat - St Neots and Mid Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether his Department monitors response times to emails from Access to Work customers who have email recorded as a reasonable adjustment; and what the average response time was in the most recent period for which data is available.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government) (Equalities)
This information is not readily available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Ian Sollom (Liberal Democrat - St Neots and Mid Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to promote Higher Technical Qualifications as a route into skilled employment for young people who are unable to secure an apprenticeship due to demand for places exceeding supply.
Answered by Lilian Greenwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
Higher Technical Qualifications (HTQs) are promoted along with apprenticeships in the Skills For Life campaign, to show potential learners all available options. Schools and colleges should also provide impartial careers guidance that helps young people understand the full range of academic and technical pathways, including apprenticeships and HTQs. Information for prospective learners is available through Skills for Careers and Get careers Information and Advice, while a dedicated HTQ toolkit supports careers professionals and education providers to raise awareness of these routes.
Alongside this, through the Lifelong Learning Entitlement (LLE), the new higher education student finance system in England from January 2027, we are offering loan funding for modules of approved HTQs at levels 4 to 6.
To expand opportunities for young people and support our ambition of 50,000 more young people into apprenticeships by March 2029, from August we are fully funding apprenticeship training for eligible 16-24-year-olds, and we have introduced a new hiring payment of £2,000 for non-levy payers (typically SMEs) which take on 16-24 year old apprentices as new employees. We’ve also introduced foundation apprenticeships to provide entry level opportunities in sectors such as construction, hospitality and retail.
Asked by: Ian Sollom (Liberal Democrat - St Neots and Mid Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her department has made of the potential merits of expanding free childcare for working parents to (a) full-time PhD students and (b) full-time postgraduate students, regardless of subject.
Answered by Paul Waugh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
All families must have access to high-quality, affordable and flexible early education and care, giving every child the best start in life and delivering on our Plan for Change.
Student parents are eligible for the universal 15 hours of free early education, which is available to all 3 and 4-year-olds regardless of family circumstances.
Students who work in addition to studying may be eligible for 30 hours free childcare if they meet the income requirements. PhD stipends are non-taxable income and therefore do not count towards the income requirements of the 30 hours childcare entitlement.
The government recognises the value of parents continuing in education and provides a range of support options for students in higher education to support them with childcare.
Further information on the childcare offers available to parents is available at: https://beststartinlife.gov.uk/.
Asked by: Ian Sollom (Liberal Democrat - St Neots and Mid Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her department has made of the potential merits of treating stipends for PhD students as income for the purpose of calculating entitlement to free childcare hours.
Answered by Paul Waugh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
It is our ambition that all families have access to high-quality, affordable and flexible early education and care, giving every child the best start in life and delivering on our Plan for Change.
Students who undertake paid work alongside their studies may qualify for the 30 hours childcare entitlement, provided they meet the relevant earnings criteria. As PhD stipends are non-taxable, they are not treated as income for the purposes of meeting the eligibility requirements for the 30 hours entitlement.
Student parents can access the universal 15 hours of early education, which is available to all 3 and 4-year-old children regardless of their family's circumstances.
The government recognises the importance of supporting parents who continue their education and offers a range of support for those studying in higher education.