Lord Gilbert of Panteg

The Government is currently making plans to deliver an ambitious programme of measures to strengthen electoral integrity. We will make an announcement on our intentions in due course.

Details of the total value of apprenticeship levy paid by employers each month is published by HMRC in their Tax & National Insurance Contributions receipts publication, which can be found online here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/hmrc-tax-and-nics-receipts-for-the-uk.

Employers in England who pay the apprenticeship levy don’t use digital vouchers, but access funds for apprenticeship training by registering for an apprenticeship service account. The funds in employers’ accounts reflect the ‘English percentage’ of an employer’s levy contribution and include a 10% top-up from the government. Figures for the total value of levy balances in employers’ apprenticeship service accounts at the financial year end can be found in the table below:

The funds in apprenticeship service accounts are available for levy-paying employers to use for 24 months before they begin to expire on a rolling, month-by-month basis. Employers began to pay the apprenticeship levy in April 2017 and unused levy funds began to expire in May 2019. Figures for the funds which have expired from employers' levy accounts are shown in the table below:

The department’s annual apprenticeship budget for England is set by HM Treasury and, although closely linked, is distinct from the total levy income collected. The levy has been set at a level to fund demand for apprenticeships in employers of all sizes.

We do not anticipate that all employers who pay the levy will need or want to use all the funds available to them, but they are able to if they wish. As well as funding new apprenticeships in levy-paying employers, income from the levy funds new apprenticeships in employers that do not pay the levy, existing apprentices that started in previous years, English and maths tuition for apprentices and additional payments to employers, providers and apprentices.

I refer the noble Lord to the answer I gave on 20 July 2021 to Question HL1599.

We remain committed to English language, as demonstrated by the manifesto commitment to boost English language teaching. However, our response to the COVID-19 outbreak is our priority at present. We will provide an update on English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) in due course.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government continues to work closely with the Department for Education and other government departments on the provision of ESOL.

I refer the noble Lord to the answer I gave on 2 June 2021 to Question HL434.

This government remains committed to English language as demonstrated by the manifesto commitment to boost English language teaching.

Our response to the COVID-19 outbreak is our priority at present. We will provide an update on English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) in due course.

The department also remains committed to strengthening communities through integration. Since publication, we have made significant progress on the commitments in the Integrated Communities Action Plan. This includes providing over 18,000 learner places through our Integrated Communities English Language Programme (£4.5 million) and Coordination Fund (£1.2 million), and setting up of five Integration Areas.

We continue to build upon the Integration Area Programme and are working hard to boost English language provision, including through the ESOL for Integration Fund.

This government remains committed to English language as demonstrated by the manifesto commitment to boost English language teaching.

We know that language skills are crucial to help people integrate into life in England, as well as to break down barriers to work and career progression. This is why we want to support all adults in England to secure the English language skills they need.

The department funds English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) provision through the Adult Education Budget (AEB). Currently, approximately 50% of the AEB is devolved to 7 Mayoral Combined Authorities and the Mayor of London, acting where appropriate through the Greater London Authority. These authorities are now responsible for the provision of AEB-funded adult education, including ESOL, for their residents and allocation of the AEB to providers. The Education and Skills Funding Agency is responsible for the remaining AEB in non-devolved areas.

In 2019/20, 116,100 adult learners were supported through the AEB, across devolved and non-devolved areas to improve their levels of English through fully and part funded ESOL courses.

Our response to the COVID-19 outbreak is our priority at present. We will provide an update on ESOL in due course.

We are working across Government and engaging industry to prevent all forms of online child sexual exploitation and abuse.

The Government is continuing to engage with technology companies around the Voluntary Principles to Counter Online Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse, a framework of principles launched by the Five Country Ministerial partners in March 2020. These are a set of 11 actions tech firms should take to ensure children are not sexually exploited on their platforms, Principle 10 includes how companies should support opportunities to share relevant expertise, helpful practices, data and tools where appropriate and feasible.

The Technology Coalition brings together companies across the technology industry, including social media companies, and have announced their work on Project Protect. Project Protect sets out their plans for technological innovation and sharing best practices across industry to prevent and eradicate child sexual exploitation and abuse. Government officials are engaging with the Technology Coalition on their priorities and upcoming work on this project.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport has recently published a £2.4m Invitation to Tender for a new project to address barriers to data sharing and support innovation and competition in the detection of online harm, as part of the National Data Strategy. As part of the project, the provider will analyse the current data landscape and the economic and social benefits of opening up online harms data, and then test a number of potential practical solutions.

The Government and the Information Commissioner’s Office keep legislation under constant review to ensure it keeps pace with technical and societal changes. There are powers in the Data Protection Act 2018, overseen by Parliament, to make changes using secondary legislation where appropriate.

The Government is currently reviewing the timetable for secondary legislation on electoral registers to ensure that elected representatives and political parties can continue to use the electoral register for the purposes of democratic engagement. We will discuss plans with the Parliamentary Parties Panel and other stakeholders in due course.