Asked by: Nicholas Dakin (Labour - Scunthorpe)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether apprenticeship levy-paying employers will continue to be able to use half of the funds that they contribute to the apprenticeship levy; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Anne Milton
Levy-paying employers are able to use all of the funds that they contribute to the apprenticeship levy and which are available to them in their apprenticeship service account. In addition, employers receive a 10% top-up to the funds entering their account every month which they are also able to spend on apprenticeship training and assessment.
We continue to keep all aspects of funding policy under review.
Asked by: Nicholas Dakin (Labour - Scunthorpe)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to help apprenticeship levy-paying employers to use more of the levy funding available to them than the 15 per cent that they used between 2017 and 2019; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Anne Milton
Spending on apprenticeships is demand-led. Employers can choose the type, level and quantity of apprenticeships that they offer, as well as when they offer the apprenticeships, to meet their current and future skills needs.
Between May 2017 and April 2019, levy-paying employers spent 18% of the funds available to them on the training and assessment of new apprentices. In addition, levy-paying employers will also have benefitted from ongoing funding for apprenticeships for their employees which started prior to the introduction of the levy. They will also benefit from additional payments to support apprentices employed with levy-payers (such as English and Maths teaching and payments to support disadvantaged learners), and 95% of the funding for training for any apprenticeships started once their levy funds have been exhausted.
The Education and Skills Funding Agency works closely with employers, for example through webinars and employer roadshows, to encourage them to increase the number of apprenticeships that they offer and make the most of the long-term benefits that apprenticeships can bring to their organisations. We have ongoing face-to-face support for over 1,000 of the largest levy-paying employers through our national account managers, and ongoing support via telephone for small and medium-sized enterprises to encourage them to invest their levy funds.
To further support all employers to make the long-term, sustainable investment in training, we have increased the amount that levy-paying employers can transfer to other employers from 10% to 25%.
We do not anticipate that all levy-payers will use all the funds in their accounts. Income from the levy is also used to fund apprenticeship training for non-levy paying employers.
Asked by: Nicholas Dakin (Labour - Scunthorpe)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the reasons for the reduction in retail sector apprenticeship starts between 2012 and 2017.
Answered by Anne Milton
The retail framework had around 1,000 starts in 2017/18, with a further 8,300 on the new retail standards. Two of the largest supermarkets were involved in the design of these standards.
It is important to recognise that apprenticeships are paid jobs and can be subject to wider labour market and economic pressures. The impact of a number of companies closing down, online shopping and automation means that there has been a general decrease in recruitment within the retail sector.
In 2018, I hosted a roundtable with employers in the retail sector, including John Lewis and Greene King, to explore some of the challenges and opportunities for apprenticeships in retail, and we continue to work closely with employers to better understand these.
Earlier this year, I met with the British Retail Consortium, and I am in regular contact with ministers from the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy on the issue.
Asked by: Nicholas Dakin (Labour - Scunthorpe)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 20 June 2019 to Question 267319 on Apprentices: Taxation, how frequently his Department plans to publish expiry of funds information for the apprenticeship levy.
Answered by Anne Milton
We do not currently intend to publish expiry of funds information for the apprenticeship levy as a matter of course.
Asked by: Nicholas Dakin (Labour - Scunthorpe)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will sign his Department up to the UK Steel charter.
Answered by Anne Milton
The department’s commercial activities comply with current government policy on steel procurement as set out in Cabinet Office guidance, Procurement Policy Note 11/16.
The department is happy to commit to supporting the charter where this is relevant to our commercial activities and only where consistent with the relevant regulations.
The department is reviewing the charter and the steps within it, and will discuss with other departments as appropriate in due course.
Asked by: Nicholas Dakin (Labour - Scunthorpe)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether his Department has had discussions with the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy on the UK Steel charter.
Answered by Anne Milton
The department’s commercial activities comply with current government policy on steel procurement as set out in Cabinet Office guidance, Procurement Policy Note 11/16.
The department is happy to commit to supporting the charter where this is relevant to our commercial activities and only where consistent with the relevant regulations.
The department is reviewing the charter and the steps within it, and will discuss with other departments as appropriate in due course.
Asked by: Nicholas Dakin (Labour - Scunthorpe)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans he has to invest in ESOL provision for (a) refugees and (b) migrants.
Answered by Anne Milton
The government recognises that learning English is essential to enabling refugees to rebuild their lives. The government has committed to developing a new strategy for English for speakers of other languages in 2019. The strategy will provide a shared vision for all publicly funded English language provision, including addressing the needs of refugees and migrants. Funding for all programmes beyond 2019/20, including any potential funding for this strategy, will be set during the upcoming Spending Review.
Asked by: Nicholas Dakin (Labour - Scunthorpe)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to improve access to English for Speakers of Other Languages for refugees.
Answered by Anne Milton
The government recognises that learning English is essential to enabling refugees to rebuild their lives. The government has committed to developing a new strategy for English for speakers of other languages in 2019. The strategy will provide a shared vision for all publicly funded English language provision, including addressing the needs of refugees and migrants. Funding for all programmes beyond 2019/20, including any potential funding for this strategy, will be set during the upcoming Spending Review.
Asked by: Nicholas Dakin (Labour - Scunthorpe)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much apprenticeship levy was paid by levy employers in (a) May 2017 and expired in April 2019 and (b) June 2017 and expired in May 2019 because the funds had not been used.
Answered by Anne Milton
When employers pay the Apprenticeship Levy, their contribution (as well as a 10% top up) is made available to them via the digital apprenticeship service to spend on apprenticeships in England.
We recognise that employers want and need flexibility. Employers have 24 months to spend their levy and levy-paying employers can transfer 25% of funds to other employers.
The amount of funds entering employers’ digital apprenticeship service accounts in May 2017 was £135 million, of which £11 million in unspent funds expired in May 2019. This was the first month of expiry of funds. The amount of funds entering employer’ accounts in June 2017 was £152 million, for which the expiry of unspent funds will occur at the end of June 2019.
These figures are for employers in England and include the 10% government top up. The proportion of an employer’s levy contributions made available as funds in their digital apprenticeship service account depends on how many of their employees live in England and the proportion of their pay bill paid to these employees.
Unspent funds are used to support existing apprenticeships learners, levy paying employers who spend more than the funds available in their accounts and to fund training for non-levy paying employers.
We do not currently intend to publish expiry of funds information on a monthly basis.