Asked by: Freddie van Mierlo (Liberal Democrat - Henley and Thame)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of expanding the National Curriculum to embed (a) critical and creative thinking, (b) problem solving, (c) communication and (d) collaboration skills to support the next generation of innovators and entrepreneurs.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The government response to the Curriculum and Assessment Review sets out our plan to ensure that all pupils develop the knowledge and skills that we know are essential for life, work and innovation.
When refreshing the national curriculum, we will identify where subject-specific disciplinary skills are not clearly described or not emphasised adequately, and then ensure that these are properly reflected in those subjects’ programmes of study. For example, creative thinking in computing, critical thinking in history or problem solving in maths.
Furthermore, we will be extending citizenship to primary schools to introduce important financial literacy to pupils from an earlier age; reforming computing education to equip more young people with the digital skills they need for the future; and creating a new oracy framework to help pupils become confident, fluent speakers, setting them up for leadership roles in the workplace.
Asked by: Baroness Stedman-Scott (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to improve labour market transitions for graduates and strengthen the capacity of the economy to absorb new labour market entrants.
Answered by Baroness Sherlock - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Economic growth is the Government’s first mission: creating good jobs, raising living standards and improving public services. We are committed to ensuring that there is a vibrant and diverse labour market in the UK which offers good jobs for graduates and new labour market entrants. As part of our plan to Get Britain Working, we committed to reforming our public employment service through building a Jobs and Careers Service and as set out to the House of Commons on 8 December 2025, the Work and Pensions Secretary announced the expansion of our Youth Guarantee.
The Post-16 Education and Skills White Paper, published in October 2025, outlined our plan to deliver the skilled workforce our economy needs and provides graduate focused reforms that will ensure graduates have pathways into priority sectors with real labour market demand. The reforms include more flexible opportunities for graduates to retrain or upskill, more provision for blended learning and employer aligned courses and regionally expanded training aligned to priority sectors, delivered through Skills England and Strategic Authorities. Graduates in areas like digital, engineering, defence, and construction will benefit from more tailored pathways and employer partnerships.
Asked by: Baroness Stedman-Scott (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking in response to the findings of PwC’s Youth Employment Index regarding the role of long-term sickness in driving youth economic inactivity.
Answered by Baroness Sherlock - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Long-term sickness continues to be the most common reason for economic inactivity in the working age population. Good work is generally good for health and wellbeing, so we want everyone to get work and get on in work, whoever they are and wherever they live. Backed by £240 million investment, the Get Britain Working White Paper launched in November 2024 is driving forward approaches to tackling economic inactivity.
Young disabled people and young people with health conditions are a diverse group so access to the right work and health support, in the right place, at the right time, is key. We therefore have a range of specialist initiatives to support individuals to stay in work and get back into work, including those that join up employment and health systems. Existing measures include support from Work Coaches and Disability Employment Advisers in Jobcentres and Access to Work grants, as well as joining up health and employment support around the individual through Employment Advisors in NHS Talking Therapies, Individual Placement and Support in Primary Care and WorkWell.
Additionally, the Youth Guarantee and Pathways to Work will guarantee specialist support for young people with long-term health conditions and disabled young people. We have announced an £820 million funding package for the Youth Guarantee to overhaul support and give a generation of young people a brighter future.
We set out our plan for the “Pathways to Work Guarantee” in our Pathways to Work Green Paper and we are building towards our guaranteed offer of personalised work, health and skills support for disabled people and those with health conditions on out of work benefits. The guarantee is backed by £1 billion a year of new, additional funding by the end of the decade. We anticipate the guarantee, once fully rolled out, will include: a support conversation to identify next steps, one-to-one caseworker support, periodic engagement, and an offer of specialist long-term work health and skills support.
In recognition of employers’ vital role in addressing health-related economic activity, we appointed Sir Charlie Mayfield to lead the independent Keep Britain Working Review. The Report was published on 5 November. In partnership with DBT and DHSC, we are immediately launching Vanguards to test new employer-led approaches to support individuals to stay in work and develop a Healthy Workplace Standard, putting Sir Charlie’s key recommendations into action from day one. Additionally, the JWHD has developed a digital information service for employers, continues to oversee the Disability Confident Scheme, and continues to increase access to Occupational Health.
The NHS 10 Year Health Plan, published in July, stated our intention to break down barriers to opportunity by delivering the holistic support that people need to access and thrive in employment by ensuring a better health service for everyone, regardless of condition or service area. It outlines how the neighbourhood health service will join up support from across the work, health and skills systems to help address the multiple complex challenges that often stop people finding and staying in work.
Additionally, Alan Milburn will author an independent report to tackle the persistently high numbers of young people out of work, education and training. The report will examine why increasing numbers of young people are falling out of work or education before their careers have begun, with a particular focus on the impact of mental health conditions and disability. It will make recommendations for policy response to help young people with health conditions access work, training or education, ensuring they are supported to thrive and are not sidelined. It will complement the Timms Review by focusing specifically on the links between youth mental health, economic inactivity and the benefit system.
Asked by: Lord Reid of Cardowan (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the adequacy of current apprenticeship standards in meeting the UK’s future workforce needs in the digital and green industries.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
One of Skills England’s priorities is co-creating and refining a set of education and training products with employers and other partners, including occupational standards, apprenticeships and technical qualifications. Skills England is working with employers and other experts as well as analysing data to ensure apprenticeships and technical qualifications meet the needs of the current and future workforce.
Apprenticeships and technical education in the digital route play a crucial role in developing the next generation of skilled tech professionals, equipping them with the technical expertise and practical experience needed to thrive in a rapidly evolving industry.
Skills England have approved 34 digital apprenticeship standards representing a range of technical roles (e.g. digital support, network and telecoms, cyber, software design and development, data and AI) and unlike most occupations, they underpin a range of industries and employment sectors.
Skills England also has regular meetings with other government departments including DESNZ and DWP to ensure technical education supports Industrial Strategy priority sectors such as Digital and Clean Energy in order to drive growth.
The government’s Clean Energy Superpower mission includes challenging targets to provide lower cost, clean, secure power, with good jobs. The government published a Clean Energy Industries Sector Plan in June and a Clean Energy Jobs Plan in October. These documents set out how the government will contribute to the skills pipeline by making sure skills gaps in green industries are filled through a package of recruitment and training.
Asked by: Anneliese Dodds (Labour (Co-op) - Oxford East)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to help improve levels of media literacy among vulnerable children who are more at risk online.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
On 5 November, the independent Curriculum and Assessment Review published its final report which includes recommendations for a refreshed curriculum and assessment system in England. The government responded to this report and the response includes a commitment to ensure children are more digitally literate. This will be achieved by including media literacy in the new primary citizenship curriculum, and strengthening it in both the English curriculum, English language GCSE and in history. Furthermore, a refreshed computing curriculum will build digital confidence from an early age, including essential content on artificial intelligence.
Work is now underway to deliver a new curriculum and assessment system that is ambitious for every child, rich in knowledge and strong on skills.
Asked by: Lee Dillon (Liberal Democrat - Newbury)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to improve the quality and supply of industry placements for T Levels.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
T Levels are providing fantastic opportunities for young people to progress into skilled jobs and careers, and 96% of students completed their industry placement last year.
The department supports employers to host high quality placements through guidance, workshops and direct support. The department’s digital ’Connect’ service supports local providers and employers to connect with each other and our updated delivery approaches allow greater flexibility for providers to design a high quality placement experience.
We provide targeted support for industry placements in specific areas, with seven industry placement coordinators currently in local NHS integrated care systems, and an employer support fund supporting small and medium-sized enterprises and priority sectors with the essential costs of hosting a placement.
The national ’Skills for Life’ campaign raises awareness of skills development and promotes T Levels, ensuring businesses and learners understand their value, and our network of over 1,000 T Level Ambassadors builds T Level understanding and engagement in the business community.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment she has made of the impact of app-only banking policies on older and digitally excluded customers; and whether she will require banks operating in the UK to provide non-digital routes for account opening, account restoration, and investment services, particularly for customers without access to smartphones.
Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government works closely with the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), the independent regulator of the UK’s financial services sector, to ensure that all customers get the right support with their financial products and services.
FCA guidance highlights the actions firms should take to understand the needs of customers who may be vulnerable, including older and disabled people, and to consider these needs appropriately. This includes offering multiple channels of communication to their customers where possible.
Banking is changing, with many customers benefitting from the convenience and flexibility of managing their finances remotely. While decisions on how specific services are delivered remain commercial matters for individual banks and building societies, the Government recognises the importance of face-to-face banking to communities and is committed to championing sufficient access for customers.
The Government is working closely with industry on a commitment to roll out 350 banking hubs across the UK by the end of this Parliament, which will provide individuals and businesses across the country with cash and banking services. Over 240 hubs have been announced so far, and 200 are already open. The Government has also worked with industry to ensure that customers do not need their own digital device to access banking hub services.
More widely, the Government recently published a Financial Inclusion Strategy which seeks to ensure that people have the opportunity to make the most of the benefits of digital services, alongside continued access to the in-person services they need. Beyond the continued rollout of banking hubs, the Strategy has also launched an industry-led inclusive design working group which will examine and address accessibility issues in product design.
The Government has also published a Digital Inclusion Action Plan which includes a focus on improving digital connectivity, access, skills, and confidence.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions her Department has had with the Financial Conduct Authority regarding the absence of explicit rules governing app-only banking; and what steps are being taken to ensure that banks continue to provide non-digital access for customers who are elderly, rural, disabled, or digitally excluded.
Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government works closely with the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), the independent regulator of the UK’s financial services sector, to ensure that all customers get the right support with their financial products and services.
FCA guidance highlights the actions firms should take to understand the needs of customers who may be vulnerable, including older and disabled people, and to consider these needs appropriately. This includes offering multiple channels of communication to their customers where possible.
Banking is changing, with many customers benefitting from the convenience and flexibility of managing their finances remotely. While decisions on how specific services are delivered remain commercial matters for individual banks and building societies, the Government recognises the importance of face-to-face banking to communities and is committed to championing sufficient access for customers.
The Government is working closely with industry on a commitment to roll out 350 banking hubs across the UK by the end of this Parliament, which will provide individuals and businesses across the country with cash and banking services. Over 240 hubs have been announced so far, and 200 are already open. The Government has also worked with industry to ensure that customers do not need their own digital device to access banking hub services.
More widely, the Government recently published a Financial Inclusion Strategy which seeks to ensure that people have the opportunity to make the most of the benefits of digital services, alongside continued access to the in-person services they need. Beyond the continued rollout of banking hubs, the Strategy has also launched an industry-led inclusive design working group which will examine and address accessibility issues in product design.
The Government has also published a Digital Inclusion Action Plan which includes a focus on improving digital connectivity, access, skills, and confidence.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether the Government plans to publish guidance or minimum service standards to help tackle financial exclusion arising from digital-only banking models.
Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government works closely with the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), the independent regulator of the UK’s financial services sector, to ensure that all customers get the right support with their financial products and services.
FCA guidance highlights the actions firms should take to understand the needs of customers who may be vulnerable, including older and disabled people, and to consider these needs appropriately. This includes offering multiple channels of communication to their customers where possible.
Banking is changing, with many customers benefitting from the convenience and flexibility of managing their finances remotely. While decisions on how specific services are delivered remain commercial matters for individual banks and building societies, the Government recognises the importance of face-to-face banking to communities and is committed to championing sufficient access for customers.
The Government is working closely with industry on a commitment to roll out 350 banking hubs across the UK by the end of this Parliament, which will provide individuals and businesses across the country with cash and banking services. Over 240 hubs have been announced so far, and 200 are already open. The Government has also worked with industry to ensure that customers do not need their own digital device to access banking hub services.
More widely, the Government recently published a Financial Inclusion Strategy which seeks to ensure that people have the opportunity to make the most of the benefits of digital services, alongside continued access to the in-person services they need. Beyond the continued rollout of banking hubs, the Strategy has also launched an industry-led inclusive design working group which will examine and address accessibility issues in product design.
The Government has also published a Digital Inclusion Action Plan which includes a focus on improving digital connectivity, access, skills, and confidence.
Asked by: Lord Mott (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they have taken to assess the impact of the partnership with Google to train civil servants and provide free technology to public sector organisations, announced on 9 July, on the commitments in the Strategic Defence Review 2025.
Answered by Baroness Lloyd of Effra - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Government views the recent partnership with Google as a strategic step in strengthening civil service digital skills and modernising public services. While this partnership is at an early stage, introducing Google as a major supplier supports diversification and competition in line with the Cloud First Policy, while strengthening public sector buying power to secure better value and innovation.