Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the economic effect of the Apprenticeship Levy on businesses in (a) England (b) the East Midlands (c) Mansfield constituency, since the levy was introduced.

During 2016/17 academic year, provisional data shows the following apprenticeship starts for Mansfield, the East Midlands and England:

Annual investment in apprenticeships in England will be £2.45bn in 19/20; double what was spent in 2010-11. Treasury ministers engage with the Secretary of State for Education on a regular basis to monitor the Government’s public investment in skills, and the impact it has had on businesses. Since the introduction of the Levy, 86% of employers said apprenticeships developed skills relevant to their organisation and 78% reported improved productivity (Apprenticeships evaluation 2017, November 2017).