Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he has taken to introduce (a) a right to lifelong learning in digital skills and (b) a right for all employees to request leave for training.

The government recognises the importance of digital skills to employability and participation in society. To help tackle digital exclusion, from 2020, we will fully fund adults with no or low digital skills to undertake new improved digital qualifications free of charge. These will be based on new national standards which set out the digital skills people need to get on in life and work.

In the interim, we will continue to support the provision of basic digital skills training for adults in colleges and community learning settings through the Adult Education Budget and other programmes.

With regard to requesting leave for training or study, an employee can request time off if they have worked for their employer for at least 26 weeks, if the training will support them in their job role, and if the organisation they work for has at least 250 staff.