Asked by: Josh Fenton-Glynn (Labour - Calder Valley)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of skills levels on advanced manufacturing businesses in Calder Valley constituency.
Answered by Chris McDonald - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
This Government recognises the importance of skills for manufacturing across the UK, including for businesses in West Yorkshire’s Calder Valley. Through our new Modern Industrial Strategy we are investing an extra £1.2 billion yearly by 2028-29 to develop workforce capabilities and career opportunities.
The accompanying Advanced Manufacturing Sector Plan outlines further government support for building a skilled, inclusive workforce through skills reforms including shorter apprenticeships, sector-wide reskilling, and changing public perceptions of manufacturing.
DBT works closely with Department for Education and Skills England. Skills England published two reports this summer, the Skills for growth and opportunity report, and the Assessment of priority skills to 2030, providing invaluable evidence to shape skills policy, including for the manufacturing sector.
Asked by: Josh Fenton-Glynn (Labour - Calder Valley)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, how many social media accounts their Department operates; and how much their Department spent on social media (a) subscriptions and (b) advertisements on each social media platform in each of the last three years.
Answered by Justin Madders
The Government communicates across a range of media channels in order to reach its target audience effectively. Channels are selected based on whether they will reach the intended audience on a specific issue to have the most impact. Social media is an essential part of government communications and is used to inform the public directly about matters which may affect their lives or interests.
DBT's spend for the last three calendar years on social media subscriptions was as follows (table):
| 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
X/Twitter Premium annual subscription | £0 | £0 | £99 |
DBT's spend for the last three calendar years on social media advertising by platform was as follows (table):
| 2022 | 2023 | 2024 |
LINKEDIN IRELAND LIMITED | £2,655,074 | £2,066,426 | £1,979,092 |
META PLATFORMS IRELAND LIMITED | £432,192 | £318,433 | £247,498 |
TWITTER UK LTD | £165,370 | £32,554 |
|
NEXTDOOR EUROPE UK LIMITED |
| £12,500 | £9,727 |
SNAP GROUP LIMITED |
| £8,500 | £11,364 |
TOTAL | £3,252,636 | £2,438,413 | £2,247,681 |