Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many apprenticeship starts in the food and farming sector her Department estimates there will be in each of the next five academic years.

We aim to treble the number of apprenticeships started annually in food and farming from about 6,000 now to 18,000 by 2020. Defra will work closely with the Apprenticeship Delivery Board and the National Apprenticeship Service to support employers in the sector to engage successfully with apprenticeships. The introduction of the apprenticeship levy in 2017 is expected to provide an opportunity for growth in apprenticeships.