Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many apprentices employed by (a) his Department and (b) its executive agencies and associated bodies are aged (i) 16 to 18, (ii) 19 to 24 and (iii) 25 years or older; and how many of those apprentices employed in each form of body and of each age group were previously employed by the Government.

Whilst the Department and its agencies do not currently have any apprentices, the Department is supportive of encouraging take up of apprentices in the healthcare sector, recognising the benefits they can bring to both healthcare delivery and to individuals seeking to pursue a career in health. We have mandated Health Education England to double the number of apprenticeships in the National Health Service and social care sectors. NHS Employers also play an important role in realising the benefits of using apprenticeship programmes to create a skilled NHS workforce and lead on a number of programmes to encourage take up across the NHS.

The Department is actively looking at the possibility of implementing the Civil Service Fast Track Apprenticeship Scheme and/or the Civil Service Operational Delivery Apprenticeship Scheme in 2015-16.

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency is looking a starting an apprenticeship scheme as part of its future plans.

Public Health England is planning to launch an apprenticeship scheme for disabled people and the Movement to Work Scheme in the next financial year.