Question to the Department for Education:

To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to ensure that any Apprenticeship Levy underspend is retained in the areas where it is raised, in order to address local skills gaps.

There are no plans to ring fence any funds for specific areas. This would prevent employers in higher demand areas that are currently developing apprenticeship programmes from accessing available funds.

We are working with providers so that apprenticeships meet employers’ skills needs and support productivity across the country.