Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, what policies to encourage the provision of apprenticeships by organisations in receipt of Homes and Communities Agency funding (a) are currently in operation and (b) have been in operation at any point since 2009 but are no longer in operation.

(a) The Homes and Communities Agency has run its own apprenticeship scheme since 2012 and eight individuals have completed apprenticeships during this time. Of these, all are permanently employed, including two by the Agency. A further apprentice is in their second year on the current scheme.

The Homes and Communities Agency will recruit more apprentices from May 2017. It will endeavour to meet its target number of eighteen apprentices by 31 August 2018.

The Homes and Communities Agency manages the Home Building Fund on behalf of the government. It is a £3 billion fund to increase the number of homes built in England. The Home Building Fund does not currently have provisions that apply regarding apprenticeships but this is something that will be considered at the six month review. The Homes and Communities Agency's Accelerated Construction programme, which aims to speed up the rate at which homes are built on publicly owned land, places contractors under an enforceable obligation to produce an Employment and Skills Plan that sets out the process by which they can ensure that skills development and employment initiatives are integrated within their construction scheme for the development.

(b) This information is not held centrally and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.