Asked by: Greg Smith (Conservative - Mid Buckinghamshire)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps his department is taking to reduce youth unemployment in light of recent job losses in the hospitality sector, the largest employer of young people.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Government recognises the importance of the Hospitality in providing employment for young people. At Budget, we announced more than £1.5 billion of investment over the next three years, funding £820m for the Youth Guarantee to support young people to earn or learn, and an additional £725 million for the Growth and Skills Levy. Through the expanded Youth Guarantee, young people aged 16-24 across Great Britain are set to benefit from further support into employment and learning.
We are supporting more than 50,000 young people into apprenticeships in England by fully funding apprenticeship training costs for all eligible 16-24-year-olds, removing the need for non-levy paying employers to co-fund these learners. We are also expanding foundation apprenticeships into sectors such as hospitality and retail, where young people are traditionally recruited.
Asked by: Wendy Morton (Conservative - Aldridge-Brownhills)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the Budget 2025 on (a) investment and (b) hiring decisions by small and medium-sized enterprises.
Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
We are cutting borrowing and debt, and supporting the Bank of England by tackling the persistent high inflation that dampens investment in the UK and slows economic growth. The Government set out its overall approach for supporting SMEs in the Small Business Strategy published in July 2025 and built on this with targeted reforms to support small businesses at Autumn Budget 2025. We are supporting employment and skills by changing the rules to fully fund SME apprenticeships training costs for eligible people under the age of 25. At the Budget we announced an Entrepreneurship which includes the largest ever injection of capital into the British Business Bank. Over the next five years, the British Business Bank will enable up to an additional £10 billion in small business lending through guarantees. We are also doubling the eligibility of our enterprise tax incentives to boost scale-ups and consulting on plans to reduce business energy prices.
Asked by: Damien Egan (Labour - Bristol North East)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to encourage businesses in Bristol North East to partner with education providers to deliver vocational training and Post-16 skills programmes to local young people.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The government works with employer representative bodies (ERBs) and local partners to strengthen collaboration between businesses and education providers. Through ERB-led Local Skills Improvement Plans (LSIPs), we encourage employers to help shape the local post-16 technical education offer, so training meets labour market needs. Statutory guidance for the development of these plans was published on 18 November.
Business West is leading the development of the local LSIP working with the West of England Combined Authority, local businesses and delivery partners. The plan will be published in Summer 2026. Businesses are supported to partner with colleges and training providers to deliver vocational programmes, apprenticeships, and national initiatives such as Skills Bootcamps and T Levels.
Asked by: Sarah Olney (Liberal Democrat - Richmond Park)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps his Department is taking to help tackle youth unemployment, in the context of trends in the level of employment in the hospitality sector.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Government recognises the importance of the Hospitality in providing employment for young people. At Budget, we announced more than £1.5 billion of investment over the next three years, funding £820m for the Youth Guarantee to support young people to earn or learn, and an additional £725 million for the Growth and Skills Levy. Through the expanded Youth Guarantee, young people aged 16-24 across Great Britain are set to benefit from further support into employment and learning.
We are supporting more than 50,000 young people into apprenticeships in England by fully funding apprenticeship training costs for all eligible 16-24-year-olds, removing the need for non-levy paying employers to co-fund these learners. We are also expanding foundation apprenticeships into sectors such as hospitality and retail, where young people are traditionally recruited.
Asked by: Saqib Bhatti (Conservative - Meriden and Solihull East)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps his Department is taking to reduce youth unemployment in the context of the hospitality sector.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Government recognises the importance of the Hospitality in providing employment for young people. At Budget, we announced more than £1.5 billion of investment over the next three years, funding £820m for the Youth Guarantee to support young people to earn or learn, and an additional £725 million for the Growth and Skills Levy. Through the expanded Youth Guarantee, young people aged 16-24 across Great Britain are set to benefit from further support into employment and learning.
We are supporting more than 50,000 young people into apprenticeships in England by fully funding apprenticeship training costs for all eligible 16-24-year-olds, removing the need for non-levy paying employers to co-fund these learners. We are also expanding foundation apprenticeships into sectors such as hospitality and retail, where young people are traditionally recruited.
Asked by: Jim McMahon (Labour (Co-op) - Oldham West, Chadderton and Royton)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many additional apprenticeships will be created from funding to provide free placements for employers taking on apprentices under 25 years old.
Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)
From the next academic year, the government will fully fund apprenticeship training for eligible people aged under 25 at non-levy paying employers. At the moment, this only happens for apprentices aged 16-21 and apprentices aged 22-24 who have an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) or have been, or are, in local authority care. This change will make it easier for those employers to engage with apprenticeships by cutting costs and reducing bureaucracy for both them and their training providers.
This is an important step in the government’s ambition to support 50,000 more young people into apprenticeships, which will also be supported by expanding foundation apprenticeships into sectors that traditionally recruit young people and £140 million to pilot new approaches to better connect young people aged 16–24, especially those who are NEET, to local apprenticeship opportunities.
Asked by: Dan Norris (Independent - North East Somerset and Hanham)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what progress she has made on increasing skills via apprenticeships, technical colleges and regional training programmes.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The government is transforming apprenticeships into a new growth and skills offer, providing greater flexibility for employers and learners while supporting the industrial strategy. In August, new foundation apprenticeships for young people in targeted sectors and shorter-duration options were introduced to help more people gain high-quality skills and drive business innovation.
The government has also launched 10 construction technical excellence colleges (TECs) and will expand the programme to clean energy, advanced manufacturing, digital technologies, and defence. Selection for these TECs begins by the end of 2025, with delivery from April 2026.
Providers nationwide are funded to develop training aligned with local needs. In 2025/26, 67% of the £1.44 billion adult skills fund was devolved to 13 strategic authorities for locally tailored provision.
Local Skills Improvement Plans (LSIPs) unite employers, educators, and leaders to match local skills provision to demand. The Business West Chamber of Commerce leads the West of England and North Somerset LSIP.
Asked by: Jim McMahon (Labour (Co-op) - Oldham West, Chadderton and Royton)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what measures are in place to help increase defence supply chain apprenticeships in the North West.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
As part of the Defence Industrial Strategy, we launched a £182 million skills package which includes initiatives that will support apprenticeships in the defence sector, including the North West. This includes the Graduate and Apprenticeship Clearing System, which will help those candidates who narrowly missed out on a apprenticeship with a defence prime to find other opportunities within the defence supply chain.
This will build on the successful apprentice ecosystem that exists in the North West, including BAE Systems’ Skills Academy at Samlesbury and the Submarine Academy for Skills and Knowledge in Barrow-in-Furness.
Asked by: Chris Hinchliff (Labour - North East Hertfordshire)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what plans the Government has to help ensure that local communities receive long-term economic benefits from new AI and data centre developments.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
TechUK estimate that the gross value added of data centres is currently £4.7bn in the UK. This government encourages data centre developers to consider the local benefits that data centre build can bring, especially in areas with favourable conditions for heat offtake, or where skills and training can be provided. Last year, the government reformed the National Planning Policy framework to ensure that local planning authorities integrate data centres into an area’s local plan, ensuring alignment with local and national long-term economic goals.
Through the AI Growth Zones initiative, we aim to crowd-in tens of billions of pounds in private investment and drive growth through job creation and by creating opportunities such as creating skills and apprenticeships pathways, R&D partnerships with local universities and creating investment opportunities for British businesses to participate in major AI projects.
We are ensuring that local communities benefit by providing £5m for each AI Growth Zone to support skills and adoption in the area, and by ensuring that local authorities keep 100% of all business rates generated by sites where pre-existing arrangements do not exist.
Asked by: Damien Egan (Labour - Bristol North East)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to address gaps in Post-16 education and skills training provision in Bristol North East.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The Post-16 Education and Skills Strategy sets out our vision for a world-leading skills system which breaks down barriers to opportunity, meets student and employers’ needs; widens access to high-quality education and training; supports innovation, research, and development; and improves people’s lives.
The government has established Skills England to ensure we have the highly trained workforce needed to deliver the national, regional and local skills needs of the next decade.
Local Skills Improvement Plans (LSIPs) are employer-led strategies designed to ensure post-16 technical education and vocational training align with local labour market needs. Business West is leading the development of the local LSIP working with the West of England Combined Authority, local businesses and delivery partners. The plan will be published in Summer 2026. Businesses are supported to partner with colleges and training providers to deliver vocational programmes, apprenticeships, and national initiatives such as Skills Bootcamps and T Levels.