Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how often (a) Ministers and (b) officials in his Department have held meetings with (i) Ministers and (ii) officials in the Department of Work and Pensions on skills gaps and needs; and if he will make a statement.

Ministers in the department meet regularly with ministers of other government departments to discuss interrelated policy areas, including skills needs. The department’s officials also have regular engagement with the Department of Work and Pensions on a range of skills issues. This includes discussions on the National Retraining Scheme, which will give adults the skills they need to thrive as the economy changes, and Skills Advisory Panels, which will bring together local representatives to identify and address local skills gaps.