Asked by: Sarah Pochin (Reform UK - Runcorn and Helsby)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of trends in the level of British industrial capacity on young people’s future employment and skills opportunities.
Answered by Blair McDougall - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Our modern Industrial Strategy focuses on eight sectors with the greatest potential to raise national levels of investment and productivity, spread prosperity to all parts of the country, make us all more secure, and seize the opportunities of net zero. The Strategy sets out our plans to deliver more opportunities for people at all stages of life, including young people, to learn and earn in our high-growth sectors. Additionally, we are investing £820 million for the Youth Guarantee meaning young people aged 16-24 are set to benefit from further support into employment and learning, and also announced a £725 million investment to deliver more apprenticeships for young people and help match skills training with local job opportunities.
Asked by: Manuela Perteghella (Liberal Democrat - Stratford-on-Avon)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of redundancy on access to levy-funded leadership development for experienced NHS staff; and whether he plans to introduce mitigations to prevent the loss of training opportunities following involuntary redundancy.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
No assessment has been made of the potential impact of redundancy on access to levy-funded development for experienced National Health Service staff.
The Department for Education issues guidance for all apprentices who are at risk of redundancy, which is available on their website. This sets out the terms for supporting apprentices at risk of redundancy and for continuing to fund their apprenticeships following redundancy.
To further bolster training opportunities for experienced NHS staff, NHS England is expanding some national leadership and development offers, increasing flexible and mid-career offers, and widening access based on skills and potential rather than linear progression. Additional targeted outreach and career support are being used in places to encourage participation from experienced staff, including during periods of organisational change.
Asked by: Tom Hayes (Labour - Bournemouth East)
Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what steps her Department is taking to increase the competitiveness of the (a) visual effects and (b) animation industry.
Answered by Ian Murray - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Government has prioritised film and television as a high-growth sub-sector in the Industrial Strategy and Creative Industries Sector Plan.
Many of the interventions in the £75 million Screen Growth Package we announced in the Sector Plan will benefit VFX and animation. For example, we are scaling up the UK Global Screen Fund to £18 million per year, which will include a new majority co-production strand for UK animation. Through the Sector Plan, we will ensure that the UK continues to develop world-class talent, facilities and innovation in animation and VFX, including through £10 million to expand capacity and apprenticeships at the National Film & Television School, and £25 million for five new CoSTAR labs advancing augmented reality and motion capture technologies.
In addition, we continue to offer generous and stable tax credits - including the new credit for VFX costs in film and TV we introduced last year, and recent changes to R&D credits which now better recognise artists' roles in addressing scientific and technological challenges. In addition, the British Business Bank is increasing financial backing for the Creative Industries opening new opportunities for screen businesses and IP creators.
DCMS remains in close contact with UK Screen Alliance and Animation UK on the sector's opportunities and challenges.
Asked by: James Cartlidge (Conservative - South Suffolk)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to his Department's press release entitled Cutting-edge drone degree to train military forces of the future unveiled, published on 21 January, for how many years has the undergraduate drone degree been financially forecasted.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
The Army has provided a one-off payment of £240,000 to the New Model Institute for Technology and Engineering (NMITE) to initiate development of the undergraduate drone degree. This funding enabled NMITE to recruit academic staff and design the course which will offer students the opportunity to learn cutting-edge drones technology driven by lessons from Ukraine.
On current plans, the Army intends to sponsor serving-military personnel on the three year degree and multiple personnel on shorter modular courses. These costs will be met through existing Defence personnel development budgets, in line with routine investment in our people through training and apprenticeships.
The Army will continue to support personnel undertaking this degree as long as the course remains relevant and no suitable alternative exists elsewhere in the UK. This supports the Army’s wider ambition to upskill hundreds of personnel in drone technology over time.
Longer term, the vision is to replicate this model in additional UK locations where there is a strong cluster of military, academia, and the drone industry.
NMITE, as the accredited provider, is responsible for funding and delivering the course, including any future cohorts. As NMITE is an independent higher education provider, the Ministry of Defence does not hold details of NMITE’s own operating or delivery costs.
Asked by: Earl of Clancarty (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to encourage the introduction of further university level non-academic heritage craft skills courses across the country.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The government recognises the importance of heritage craft skills and supports their development through apprenticeships, vocational qualifications and partnerships with sector bodies.
Higher education institutions in England are autonomous and independent, and so they are responsible for determining the courses they offer. The government does not intervene in academic content. However, we encourage collaboration between universities, further education providers and heritage organisations to embed practical craft skills where appropriate, including through vocational and foundation degrees.
Asked by: Earl of Clancarty (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to provide funds to microbusinesses in the heritage craft industry to support apprentices' salaries and training periods under makers as part of their increased allocation for apprenticeships, including for skills on the Heritage Crafts Red List of Endangered Crafts.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Employer satisfaction with apprenticeships is very high: 83% of employers are satisfied with their apprenticeship programme; and 77% report improved productivity.
The government is investing an additional £725m to transform the apprenticeship levy into a growth and skills levy, and provides a range of financial support to small and medium sized businesses (SMEs) in all sectors to take on apprentices.
We pay £1,000 to both employers and training providers when they take on apprentices aged under 19, or 19-to-24-year-old apprentices who have an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) or have been, or are, in care. Employers are also not required to pay anything towards employees’ National Insurance for all apprentices aged up to age 25 (when the employee’s wage is below £50,270 a year).
Additionally, the government will fully fund apprenticeship training for non-levy paying employers (essentially SMEs) for all eligible people aged under 25 from the start of the next academic year in August. At the moment, this only happens for apprentices aged 16 to 21 and apprentices aged 22-24 who have an EHCP or have been, or are, in local authority care.
To help prospective apprentices find apprenticeship opportunities, they can search and apply for apprenticeships on our Find an apprenticeship service which is used by thousands of employers.
Asked by: Baroness Freeman of Steventon (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to provide funding to scale up the apprenticeship website matchMAKER by Heritage Crafts to allow it to include profiles of apprentices looking for apprenticeships as well as a list of available apprenticeships.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Employer satisfaction with apprenticeships is very high: 83% of employers are satisfied with their apprenticeship programme; and 77% report improved productivity.
The government is investing an additional £725m to transform the apprenticeship levy into a growth and skills levy, and provides a range of financial support to small and medium sized businesses (SMEs) in all sectors to take on apprentices.
We pay £1,000 to both employers and training providers when they take on apprentices aged under 19, or 19-to-24-year-old apprentices who have an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) or have been, or are, in care. Employers are also not required to pay anything towards employees’ National Insurance for all apprentices aged up to age 25 (when the employee’s wage is below £50,270 a year).
Additionally, the government will fully fund apprenticeship training for non-levy paying employers (essentially SMEs) for all eligible people aged under 25 from the start of the next academic year in August. At the moment, this only happens for apprentices aged 16 to 21 and apprentices aged 22-24 who have an EHCP or have been, or are, in local authority care.
To help prospective apprentices find apprenticeship opportunities, they can search and apply for apprenticeships on our Find an apprenticeship service which is used by thousands of employers.
Asked by: Baroness Freeman of Steventon (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether apprenticeships within priority heritage building crafts will include funding for the apprentice's salary and a compensation grant to SME employers to address reduced productivity linked to the apprenticeship.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Employer satisfaction with apprenticeships is very high: 83% of employers are satisfied with their apprenticeship programme; and 77% report improved productivity.
The government is investing an additional £725m to transform the apprenticeship levy into a growth and skills levy, and provides a range of financial support to small and medium sized businesses (SMEs) in all sectors to take on apprentices.
We pay £1,000 to both employers and training providers when they take on apprentices aged under 19, or 19-to-24-year-old apprentices who have an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) or have been, or are, in care. Employers are also not required to pay anything towards employees’ National Insurance for all apprentices aged up to age 25 (when the employee’s wage is below £50,270 a year).
Additionally, the government will fully fund apprenticeship training for non-levy paying employers (essentially SMEs) for all eligible people aged under 25 from the start of the next academic year in August. At the moment, this only happens for apprentices aged 16 to 21 and apprentices aged 22-24 who have an EHCP or have been, or are, in local authority care.
To help prospective apprentices find apprenticeship opportunities, they can search and apply for apprenticeships on our Find an apprenticeship service which is used by thousands of employers.
Asked by: James Cartlidge (Conservative - South Suffolk)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to his Department's press release entitled Cutting-edge drone degree to train military forces of the future unveiled, published on 21 January 2026, what the total cost is of delivering the undergraduate drone degree.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
The Army has provided a one-off payment of £240,000 to the New Model Institute for Technology and Engineering (NMITE) to initiate development of the undergraduate drone degree. This funding enabled NMITE to recruit academic staff and design the course which will offer students the opportunity to learn cutting-edge drones technology driven by lessons from Ukraine.
On current plans, the Army intends to sponsor serving-military personnel on the three year degree and multiple personnel on shorter modular courses. These costs will be met through existing Defence personnel development budgets, in line with routine investment in our people through training and apprenticeships.
The Army will continue to support personnel undertaking this degree as long as the course remains relevant and no suitable alternative exists elsewhere in the UK. This supports the Army’s wider ambition to upskill hundreds of personnel in drone technology over time.
Longer term, the vision is to replicate this model in additional UK locations where there is a strong cluster of military, academia, and the drone industry.
NMITE, as the accredited provider, is responsible for funding and delivering the course, including any future cohorts. As NMITE is an independent higher education provider, the Ministry of Defence does not hold details of NMITE’s own operating or delivery costs.
Asked by: James Cartlidge (Conservative - South Suffolk)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to his Department's press release entitled Cutting-edge drone degree to train military forces of the future unveiled, published on 21 January, how much has been spent on implementing the undergraduate drone degree as of 22 January 2026.
Answered by Al Carns - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence) (Minister for Veterans)
The Army has provided a one-off payment of £240,000 to the New Model Institute for Technology and Engineering (NMITE) to initiate development of the undergraduate drone degree. This funding enabled NMITE to recruit academic staff and design the course which will offer students the opportunity to learn cutting-edge drones technology driven by lessons from Ukraine.
On current plans, the Army intends to sponsor serving-military personnel on the three year degree and multiple personnel on shorter modular courses. These costs will be met through existing Defence personnel development budgets, in line with routine investment in our people through training and apprenticeships.
The Army will continue to support personnel undertaking this degree as long as the course remains relevant and no suitable alternative exists elsewhere in the UK. This supports the Army’s wider ambition to upskill hundreds of personnel in drone technology over time.
Longer term, the vision is to replicate this model in additional UK locations where there is a strong cluster of military, academia, and the drone industry.
NMITE, as the accredited provider, is responsible for funding and delivering the course, including any future cohorts. As NMITE is an independent higher education provider, the Ministry of Defence does not hold details of NMITE’s own operating or delivery costs.