Asked by: Paul Kohler (Liberal Democrat - Wimbledon)
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 availability of high-quality apprenticeships for young people in the (a) digital and (b) STEM sectors.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
This government is transforming the apprenticeships offer into a new growth and skills offer, which will offer greater flexibility to employers and learners across the country, including those in the digital and STEM sectors, and support the industrial strategy.
As a first step, the government has introduced new foundation apprenticeships, which are an employment-based training offer that give young people a route into careers in critical sectors, enabling them to earn a wage while developing vital skills. The first seven foundation apprenticeships became available in August 2025 focussed on four industrial strategy and priority areas, including digital and engineering and manufacturing.
From April 2026, the government will enable employers to also use the growth and skills levy for new short courses in areas such as digital, artificial intelligence and engineering, to support Industrial Strategy sectors.
Asked by: Paul Kohler (Liberal Democrat - Wimbledon)
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 levels of access to (a) lifelong learning and (b) reskilling opportunities for adults seeking employment in emerging industries.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
We are continuing to invest in education and skills training for adults (19 and over) through the Adult Skills Fund (ASF), spending £1.4 billion in the 2025/26 academic year, ensuring that adults can access the education and training they need to get into employment or progress in work. The ASF supports a range of courses for adults of all ages including those relating to new and emerging industries, such as digital technologies.
Currently, 68% of the ASF is devolved to 12 Mayoral Strategic Authorities and the Greater London Authority (GLA). These authorities are responsible for the provision of ASF-funded adult education for their residents, the allocation of the ASF to learning providers, and deciding how the ASF best meets the needs of the local economy. By honouring our commitments to combine and further devolve adult skills funding, we give those with local knowledge the power they need to make decisions that are best for their areas.
This government is also transforming the apprenticeships offer into a new growth and skills offer, which will give greater flexibility to employers and to learners throughout their careers.
From April 2026, the government will also enable employers to use the growth and skills levy for new short courses in areas such as digital, artificial intelligence and engineering, to support Industrial Strategy sectors. This new flexible offer will support employed learners to update or improve relevant aspects of their skills base, with the support of their employer.
Additionally, in August 2025 the government reduced the apprenticeship minimum duration to 8 months so that shorter duration apprenticeships are now possible. We expect this flexibility to open-up more opportunities, including where the apprentice already has relevant prior learning or experiences that reduces their time needed to train. This change will enable more adults with prior career experience to access apprenticeships and achieve occupational competence more quickly.
Lastly, the Lifelong Learning Entitlement (LLE) will launch in academic year 2026/27 and will support individuals to learn, upskill and retrain across their working lives. Learners will be able to use this new entitlement more flexibly than ever before to fund individual modules as well as full courses at levels 4 to 6, regardless of whether they are provided in colleges, universities or independent providers.
Asked by: Paul Kohler (Liberal Democrat - Wimbledon)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the data release entitled Number of children in Universal Credit households, by School Year and 2024 Parliamentary Constituency, November 2024, published on 5 June 2025, if she will publish this data by local authority.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The requested data was published here on 6 June 2025, as an additional sheet in the spreadsheet entitled “Number of children in Universal Credit households, by School Year and 2024 Parliamentary Constituency, November 2024”.
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/free-school-meals-expansion-impact-on-poverty-levels
Asked by: Paul Kohler (Liberal Democrat - Wimbledon)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people (a) of all ages and (b) under 22 years of age receive the Limited Capability for Work and Work-Related Activity element of Universal Credit in the (i) London Borough of Merton and (ii) the London Borough of Kingston upon Thames.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Quarterly statistics for the number of People on Universal Credit with a health condition or disability restricting their ability to work in Great Britain are published on Stat-Xplore. The latest release provides figures up to December 2024 which can be broken down by ‘Age (in bands and single year)’, Westminster Parliamentary Constituency and Local Authority.
Users can log in or access Stat-Xplore as a guest and, if needed, can access guidance on how to extract the information required.
Asked by: Paul Kohler (Liberal Democrat - Wimbledon)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people (a) of all ages and (b) under 22 years of age receive the Limited Capability for Work and Work-Related Activity element of Universal Credit in Wimbledon constituency.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Quarterly statistics for the number of People on Universal Credit with a health condition or disability restricting their ability to work in Great Britain are published on Stat-Xplore. The latest release provides figures up to December 2024 which can be broken down by ‘Age (in bands and single year)’, Westminster Parliamentary Constituency and Local Authority.
Users can log in or access Stat-Xplore as a guest and, if needed, can access guidance on how to extract the information required.
Asked by: Paul Kohler (Liberal Democrat - Wimbledon)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to help reduce occupational exposure to (a) ultrafine particles and (b) toxic emissions for (i) baggage handlers, (ii) ground staff (iii) and freight workers at Heathrow airport.
Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The UK has a robust and well-established occupational safety and health regulatory framework in place to protect workers from the health risks associated with exposure to hazardous substances in the workplace.
The Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) (as amended) Regulations 2002, enforced by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), require employers in GB to protect workers from the health risks associated with exposure to hazardous substances including chemicals. Under COSHH, employers have a duty to assess the risk and ensure that the exposure of their employees to substances hazardous to health is either prevented or, where this is not reasonably practicable, adequately controlled.
HSE has not visited Heathrow Airport to look at this issue specifically. HSE expect all employers to ensure they follow the requirements of COSHH and act accordingly to meet their statutory duties.
The Department for Transport (DfT) seeks to minimise the impact of aviation on people’s health and wellbeing, including those who work at airports, in the context of other government priorities. It is in regular contact on issues of air quality with other government departments and their agencies, including the Department of Health and Social Care.
While there are currently no legal limits for ultra fine particulate concentrations, air quality at Heathrow Airport is closely monitored and is reported in its Sustainability Reports. Emissions from aircraft are strictly regulated by ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organization). ICAO sets global standards to limit emissions of oxides of nitrogen (NOx), particulates and some other air pollutants from aircraft engines.
The UK has played a leading role in developing these standards and supports the aviation industry's actions to cut airport-related emissions. This includes operating aircraft more efficiently, introducing new lower emission technologies and practices, reducing vehicle emissions within the airport boundary, and improving public transport links to airports.