Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to the Government's report, Fixing the Foundations: creating a more prosperous nation, Cm9098, published July 2015, what steps he has taken to increase the quantity and quality of apprenticeships in accordance with that report's recommendations.

Almost 2.4 million apprenticeship starts were delivered in the last Parliament and we will build on that success and deliver 3 million in this Parliament. We will introduce an apprenticeship levy to increase employer investment in apprenticeships. We are increasing the quality of apprenticeships through more rigorous assessment and grading at the end of the apprenticeship. The Enterprise Bill will protect the term ‘apprenticeship’ in law to prevent misuse. From next April, employers of apprentices under the age of 25 will no longer be required to pay National Insurance contributions for those employees.