Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate he has made of the amount which the proposed apprenticeship levy will raise in (a) Warrington and (b) the North-West.

Apprenticeships are a cornerstone of our skills system. The levy will drive growth in quality and quantity in apprenticeships and further details will be set out at the Spending Review. Provisional information shows that there have been 6,470 apprenticeship starts in Warrington North since May 2010. There have been over 78,000 apprenticeship starts in the North West over the same period with a 51% increase in starts from 2009/10 to 2013/14. The levy will ensure we can build on that success over the next five years by putting the funding of apprenticeships in the hands of employers in the North West.