Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what plans the Department have to provide additional funding to support the delivery of the dental hygienist apprenticeship where the cost of clinical training exceeds the apprenticeship funding band.

To ensure the overall affordability of the programme, the maximum government contribution to the cost of any apprenticeship, including the level 6 dental hygienist standard, is £27,000. Employers are able to negotiate a price for their apprentice’s training and assessment with the training providers, in the knowledge that the funding band sets the maximum that government is prepared to contribute towards the training and assessment for each apprenticeship.