Asked by: Robert Halfon (Conservative - Harlow)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of extending levelling up premium payments to teachers in training with initial teacher training providers in disadvantaged communities.
Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)
Mathematics, physics, chemistry and computing secondary school teachers in the first five years of their career who work in eligible schools have been able to claim Levelling Up Premium (LUP) payments of up to £3,000 after tax since September 2022. For the 2024/25 and 2025/26 academic years, the department is doubling the LUP payments to eligible school teachers to up to £6,000 per year after tax and extending the offer to key science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) and technical subject teachers in all further education colleges for the first time.
A new school teacher receiving a £6,000 LUP will have an income equivalent of at least a £38,570 starting salary next year, even before accounting for the next pay award.
The number of teachers that have received LUP payments by region are below:
| Sum of claims by academic year | |
Region | 2022/23 | 2023/2024 |
East of England | 337 | 371 |
East Midlands | 421 | 401 |
London | 1112 | 1170 |
North East | 238 | 251 |
North West | 762 | 790 |
South East | 304 | 314 |
South West | 241 | 246 |
West Midlands | 603 | 594 |
Yorkshire and The Humber | 597 | 603 |
Total | 4615 | 4740 |
The number of teachers that have received LUP payments by subject are below:
| Sum of claims by academic year | |
Subject | 2022/23 | 2023/24 |
Mathematics | 2518 | 2609 |
Physics | 459 | 456 |
Chemistry | 1044 | 1101 |
Computing | 595 | 574 |
Total | 4615 | 4740 |
The LUP is primarily designed to incentivise the retention of specialist teachers in the disadvantaged schools it targets, but it may also support recruitment by encouraging teachers to take up posts in these schools.
It is too early to fully evaluate the impact of the LUP, but it is possible to draw on evidence from the predecessor pilots which informed it. For example, a University College London (UCL) evaluation of the Mathematics and Physics Teacher Retention Payments pilot found that teachers who received these £2,000 after tax payments were 23% less likely to leave teaching. Furthermore, an evaluation of Early Career Payments assessed they reduced the likelihood of teachers leaving by 37% for the £5,000 payments, and 58% for the £7,500 payments.
Mathematics, physics, chemistry and computing trainees starting school initial teacher teaching (ITT) in the 2024/25 academic year can already benefit from tax free bursaries worth £28,000 and scholarships worth £30,000. These ITT incentives are a national offer and are not differentiated sub-nationally. This is because teachers often teach in a different school or area to that they trained in. The Levelling Up Premium is paid to school teachers once they are qualified and is therefore targeted sub-nationally to incentivise them to work in the schools most in need.
Asked by: Robert Halfon (Conservative - Harlow)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the impact of the levelling up premium payments for school teachers on recruitment of teachers in shortage subjects.
Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)
Mathematics, physics, chemistry and computing secondary school teachers in the first five years of their career who work in eligible schools have been able to claim Levelling Up Premium (LUP) payments of up to £3,000 after tax since September 2022. For the 2024/25 and 2025/26 academic years, the department is doubling the LUP payments to eligible school teachers to up to £6,000 per year after tax and extending the offer to key science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) and technical subject teachers in all further education colleges for the first time.
A new school teacher receiving a £6,000 LUP will have an income equivalent of at least a £38,570 starting salary next year, even before accounting for the next pay award.
The number of teachers that have received LUP payments by region are below:
| Sum of claims by academic year | |
Region | 2022/23 | 2023/2024 |
East of England | 337 | 371 |
East Midlands | 421 | 401 |
London | 1112 | 1170 |
North East | 238 | 251 |
North West | 762 | 790 |
South East | 304 | 314 |
South West | 241 | 246 |
West Midlands | 603 | 594 |
Yorkshire and The Humber | 597 | 603 |
Total | 4615 | 4740 |
The number of teachers that have received LUP payments by subject are below:
| Sum of claims by academic year | |
Subject | 2022/23 | 2023/24 |
Mathematics | 2518 | 2609 |
Physics | 459 | 456 |
Chemistry | 1044 | 1101 |
Computing | 595 | 574 |
Total | 4615 | 4740 |
The LUP is primarily designed to incentivise the retention of specialist teachers in the disadvantaged schools it targets, but it may also support recruitment by encouraging teachers to take up posts in these schools.
It is too early to fully evaluate the impact of the LUP, but it is possible to draw on evidence from the predecessor pilots which informed it. For example, a University College London (UCL) evaluation of the Mathematics and Physics Teacher Retention Payments pilot found that teachers who received these £2,000 after tax payments were 23% less likely to leave teaching. Furthermore, an evaluation of Early Career Payments assessed they reduced the likelihood of teachers leaving by 37% for the £5,000 payments, and 58% for the £7,500 payments.
Mathematics, physics, chemistry and computing trainees starting school initial teacher teaching (ITT) in the 2024/25 academic year can already benefit from tax free bursaries worth £28,000 and scholarships worth £30,000. These ITT incentives are a national offer and are not differentiated sub-nationally. This is because teachers often teach in a different school or area to that they trained in. The Levelling Up Premium is paid to school teachers once they are qualified and is therefore targeted sub-nationally to incentivise them to work in the schools most in need.
Asked by: Robert Halfon (Conservative - Harlow)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate her Department has made of the number of teachers who have received levelling up premium payments for school teachers since May 2022 by (a) region and (b) subject.
Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)
Mathematics, physics, chemistry and computing secondary school teachers in the first five years of their career who work in eligible schools have been able to claim Levelling Up Premium (LUP) payments of up to £3,000 after tax since September 2022. For the 2024/25 and 2025/26 academic years, the department is doubling the LUP payments to eligible school teachers to up to £6,000 per year after tax and extending the offer to key science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) and technical subject teachers in all further education colleges for the first time.
A new school teacher receiving a £6,000 LUP will have an income equivalent of at least a £38,570 starting salary next year, even before accounting for the next pay award.
The number of teachers that have received LUP payments by region are below:
| Sum of claims by academic year | |
Region | 2022/23 | 2023/2024 |
East of England | 337 | 371 |
East Midlands | 421 | 401 |
London | 1112 | 1170 |
North East | 238 | 251 |
North West | 762 | 790 |
South East | 304 | 314 |
South West | 241 | 246 |
West Midlands | 603 | 594 |
Yorkshire and The Humber | 597 | 603 |
Total | 4615 | 4740 |
The number of teachers that have received LUP payments by subject are below:
| Sum of claims by academic year | |
Subject | 2022/23 | 2023/24 |
Mathematics | 2518 | 2609 |
Physics | 459 | 456 |
Chemistry | 1044 | 1101 |
Computing | 595 | 574 |
Total | 4615 | 4740 |
The LUP is primarily designed to incentivise the retention of specialist teachers in the disadvantaged schools it targets, but it may also support recruitment by encouraging teachers to take up posts in these schools.
It is too early to fully evaluate the impact of the LUP, but it is possible to draw on evidence from the predecessor pilots which informed it. For example, a University College London (UCL) evaluation of the Mathematics and Physics Teacher Retention Payments pilot found that teachers who received these £2,000 after tax payments were 23% less likely to leave teaching. Furthermore, an evaluation of Early Career Payments assessed they reduced the likelihood of teachers leaving by 37% for the £5,000 payments, and 58% for the £7,500 payments.
Mathematics, physics, chemistry and computing trainees starting school initial teacher teaching (ITT) in the 2024/25 academic year can already benefit from tax free bursaries worth £28,000 and scholarships worth £30,000. These ITT incentives are a national offer and are not differentiated sub-nationally. This is because teachers often teach in a different school or area to that they trained in. The Levelling Up Premium is paid to school teachers once they are qualified and is therefore targeted sub-nationally to incentivise them to work in the schools most in need.
Asked by: Robert Halfon (Conservative - Harlow)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many medicine by presentations included within the Voluntary Patient Access Scheme have had NHS List Price increase approved by their Department since 1 January 2020; and what was the average percentage increase for any such increases.
Answered by Will Quince
Between 1 January 2020 and 14 October 2022, members of the Voluntary Scheme for Branded Medicines Pricing and Access have received approval for an increase to the National Health Service list price for 35 medicines, for 120 presentations. The majority of price increases have been concentrated in specific market segments particularly impacted by global cost increases in the active pharmaceutical ingredient.
Price increase requests are assessed in line with Scheme’s rules, which ensure companies cannot make excess profits by setting a return on sales target of 6% for standard price increase requests.
Asked by: Robert Halfon (Conservative - Harlow)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, for what reason her Department included branded (a) generic and (b) biosimilar medicines that delivered savings to the NHS within the current voluntary scheme for branded medicines pricing and access scheme.
Answered by Will Quince
Medicines which are required to be prescribed by brand name, including some branded generics and biosimilars, are not interchangeable. Therefore, competitive forces will not act in the same way as for generic medicines and price regulation is justified. The inclusion of these medicines in the Voluntary Scheme for Branded Medicines Pricing and Access was agreed with industry in 2019.
Asked by: Robert Halfon (Conservative - Harlow)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans her Department has to carry out an impact assessment on the effect of an increased voluntary scheme for branded medicine rate to a projected 23.7 per cent in 2023 upon the supply of medicines to the NHS.
Answered by Will Quince
The Department has no plans to carry out an impact assessment on the 2023 payment percentage. The Department’s standard practice is to set the payment percentage based on measured sales. The payment percentage projected for 2023 is in line with Department projections shared with industry when the Voluntary Scheme for Branded Medicines Pricing and Access (VPAS) was agreed.
We have seen no evidence that increased VPAS payments have or will impact on the supply of medicines to the National Health Service. Where payment rates may put pressure on the profitability of individual products, there are provisions in the scheme for companies to apply for a price increase.
Asked by: Robert Halfon (Conservative - Harlow)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will make it her policy to publish data comparing the voluntary scheme for branded medicines pricing and access repayments against leading European countries with similar access or rebate schemes in each year since 2015.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
We have no plans to do so.
Prices paid for medicines internationally are generally confidential. It is therefore not possible to make an accurate comparison of the net price of medicines between the UK and other countries, with or without rebate rates.
Asked by: Robert Halfon (Conservative - Harlow)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will make a comparative estimate of the annual savings that (a) unbranded generic, (b) branded generic and (c) biosimilar medicines have contributed to the NHS drug bill compared to branded prices had those medicines not been available for each year since 2012 for which data is available.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
The current Voluntary Scheme for Branded Medicines Pricing and Access expenditure forecast assumes that average spend at patent expiry will decrease by 70% for a non-biologic medicine or 45% for a biologic medicine. The Secretary of State has also commissioned further policy advice on this matter. These assumptions will be reviewed ahead of the negotiation of a new Scheme.
Asked by: Robert Halfon (Conservative - Harlow)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Voluntary scheme for branded medicines pricing and access, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of an exemption from payments for new active substances from that scheme.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
The Voluntary Scheme for Branded Medicines Pricing and Access includes a 36 month exemption from payments for drugs containing a new active substance, starting once the marketing authorisation has been granted. Treatment of new active substances under a future voluntary scheme is subject to negotiation.
Asked by: Robert Halfon (Conservative - Harlow)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many people are enrolled on a T Level qualification in Harlow constituency.
Answered by Andrea Jenkyns
There were 106 students funded for T Levels in the 2021/22 academic year at Harlow College, the only provider offering T Levels in the constituency in 2021. The department has not published any figures for T Level student numbers in the 2022/23 academic year. We would expect to publish figures at institution level in spring 2023.