Asked by: Andrew Selous (Conservative - South West Bedfordshire)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if the Government will make an assessment of the potential merits of using public service obligation air routes to introduce zero emissions regional flights in the UK.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The Government published the Jet Zero Strategy in 2022 which sets out it’s approach to achieving net zero aviation by 2050. The Strategy considers the potential for zero emission flight alongside other measures. This includes exploring the feasibility of using zero emission aircraft on existing UK government funded PSO routes, as well as noting the balance between reducing aviation emissions and ensuring value for money on routes supported by public funding.
As part of the Jet Zero Council, the Department has established a dedicated Delivery Group to convene activity across Government, industry and academia on the development of zero emission flight.
The Government is also investing £685 million between 2022 and 2035 through the Aerospace Technology Institute (ATI) Programme to co-fund, with industry, the development of zero-carbon and ultra-efficient aircraft technology. A recent example, announced at the seventh meeting of the Jet Zero Council in February, was £113 million of joint government and industry investment in R&D projects to develop liquid hydrogen combusting jet engines and high-end lightweight batteries for small aircraft.
ATI funding is also supporting the current flight testing by ZeroAvia of a 19- seater aircraft using hydrogen propulsion. If successfully brought to market such aircraft could provide zero emission flight on regional and sub-regional routes.
Asked by: Wera Hobhouse (Liberal Democrat - Bath)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he plans to take to help encourage the development and use of zero-emission aircraft.
Answered by Jesse Norman
The Government published the Jet Zero Strategy in 2022 which sets out it’s approach to achieving net zero aviation by 2050. The Strategy considered the potential for zero emission flight alongside other measures.
The Government is investing a record £685 million over three years into R&D in the UK Aerospace Sector through the Aerospace Technology Institute (ATI) Programme. As part of the programme, the Department announced in February £113 million of co-investment with industry in three Rolls Royce led projects on hydrogen in aviation, as well as funding towards Vertical Aerospace, who are developing a battery-electric aircraft in the South- West of England.
As part of the Jet Zero Council, the Department has established a dedicated Delivery Group to convene activity across Government, industry and academia on the development of Zero Emission Flight.
Asked by: Charlotte Nichols (Labour - Warrington North)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to ensure the aviation industry achieves net zero by 2050.
Answered by Jesse Norman
DfT published the Jet Zero Strategy in 2022, setting out the Government’s approach to achieving net zero CO2 emissions by 2050 (or “Jet Zero”) for UK aviation. The Strategy focuses on the rapid development of technologies in a way that maintains the benefits of air travel, whilst maximising the opportunities that decarbonisation brings for the UK.
The Strategy confirmed the Government’s aim for the UK to become a world-leader in zero emission flight and to build a thriving sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) industry. The Department’s target is to deliver at least 10% SAF in the UK jet fuel mix by 2030. On top of existing programmes and support, the Government has made £165 million available to support industry to accelerate the commercialisation of SAF plants in the UK.
The Government is also supporting the development of new and zero emission aircraft technology through the Aerospace Technology Institute and will provide £685 million of funding over the next three years, an increase of £235 million over the previous period.
The Strategy includes an in-sector CO2 emissions reduction trajectory from 2025 to 2050, against which the Department will monitor the sector’s progress on an annual basis from 2025. The Department has also committed to reviewing the overall Strategy every five years, which will allow the Department to adapt it’s approach based on progress made.
Asked by: David Warburton (Independent - Somerton and Frome)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, when his Department’s contract with Leonardo Aerospace to deliver MBDA Sea Venom and Thales Lightweight Multirole missile systems is due to expire.
Answered by Alex Chalk - Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice
The contract with Leonardo Aerospace to deliver MBDA Sea Venom and Thales Lightweight Multirole Missile systems is due to expire in February 2025.
Asked by: Chi Onwurah (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne Central)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, with reference to the ONS dataset on Business Enterprise Research and Development UK: 2021, published on 22 November 2022, whether she has made an assessment of the reasons for the decline in research and development employment in (a) transport manufacturing and (b) aerospace manufacturing since 2018.
Answered by George Freeman
Table 5 of the ONS BERD release included figures for R&D employment in UK businesses by broad product group. This included the following estimates:
| 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 |
Total UK R&D employment | 596,000 | 614,000 | 629,000 | 712,000 |
Transport | 30,000 | 28,000 | 29,000 | 27,000 |
Aerospace | 15,000 | 14,000 | 14,000 | 13,000 |
The new ONS BERD data shows different product groups with different changes within an overall increase in total R&D employment. The ONS figures provide the current best estimate of R&D at the total UK level which have been validated against other available data. However, there is less data for validation and increased uncertainty in the estimates below the total BERD figures. The Government looks forward to further improvements from the ONS in how the BERD statistics are compiled in future releases.
Asked by: Toby Perkins (Labour - Chesterfield)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what specific steps she has taken to increase the numbers of students studying (a) bricklaying, (b) joinery, (c) plastering, (d) civil engineering, (e) plumbing and (f) roofing.
Answered by Robert Halfon
To support more employers and learners to access apprenticeships the department is increasing funding in England to £2.7 billion by 2024/25. Employers have designed over 650 high-quality apprenticeship standards, across every sector, to support them to develop the skilled workforces they need. There are a range of apprenticeship standards available in these specific sectors such as:
T Levels include one or more occupational specialisms to provide students with the knowledge and skills needed for a particular area. For example, students taking the Onsite Construction T Level can choose from specialisms in Bricklaying or Plastering, and the Design and Development for Engineering and Manufacturing T Level includes specialisms in Mechanical or Electrical engineering. Other T Levels available include Accounting, Engineering and Digital, with Craft and Design, Media, Broadcast and Production available from September.
The department has introduced Skills Bootcamps which offer free, flexible courses of up to 16 weeks, giving people the opportunity to build up sector-specific skills, with an offer of a job interview on completion. Skills Bootcamps around the country are available in many sectors covering digital, construction, arboriculture and agriculture, engineering, design for backstage theatre and many others.
We have also launched the Free Courses for Jobs offer which allows eligible adults to access over 400 Level 3 qualifications (A level equivalent) for free, in subject areas including engineering, construction, digital, health and social care and accounting.
In Higher Education (HE), the Strategic Priorities Grant is supporting teaching and students in HE, including expensive to deliver subjects, such as science and engineering. We are investing an additional £750 million over the next three years to support high quality teaching and facilities including in science and engineering. This includes the largest increase in government funding for the HE sector to support students and teaching in over a decade.
Careers education, information, advice and guidance is a crucial first step to supporting individuals to access excellent education and skills training. Driven nationally by the internationally recognised Gatsby Benchmarks, secondary schools and colleges are embedding career learning in the curriculum and providing young people with tailored advice and guidance, including more opportunities to learn about skills and apprenticeships. Through our National Careers Service digital offer and campaigns, such as Get the Jump and Skills for Life, we are bringing together information about education and training courses into one place for learners of all ages.
Asked by: Toby Perkins (Labour - Chesterfield)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she is taking steps to increase the number of people studying (a) accounting, (b) architecture and (c) quantity surveying.
Answered by Robert Halfon
To support more employers and learners to access apprenticeships the department is increasing funding in England to £2.7 billion by 2024/25. Employers have designed over 650 high-quality apprenticeship standards, across every sector, to support them to develop the skilled workforces they need. There are a range of apprenticeship standards available in these specific sectors such as:
T Levels include one or more occupational specialisms to provide students with the knowledge and skills needed for a particular area. For example, students taking the Onsite Construction T Level can choose from specialisms in Bricklaying or Plastering, and the Design and Development for Engineering and Manufacturing T Level includes specialisms in Mechanical or Electrical engineering. Other T Levels available include Accounting, Engineering and Digital, with Craft and Design, Media, Broadcast and Production available from September.
The department has introduced Skills Bootcamps which offer free, flexible courses of up to 16 weeks, giving people the opportunity to build up sector-specific skills, with an offer of a job interview on completion. Skills Bootcamps around the country are available in many sectors covering digital, construction, arboriculture and agriculture, engineering, design for backstage theatre and many others.
We have also launched the Free Courses for Jobs offer which allows eligible adults to access over 400 Level 3 qualifications (A level equivalent) for free, in subject areas including engineering, construction, digital, health and social care and accounting.
In Higher Education (HE), the Strategic Priorities Grant is supporting teaching and students in HE, including expensive to deliver subjects, such as science and engineering. We are investing an additional £750 million over the next three years to support high quality teaching and facilities including in science and engineering. This includes the largest increase in government funding for the HE sector to support students and teaching in over a decade.
Careers education, information, advice and guidance is a crucial first step to supporting individuals to access excellent education and skills training. Driven nationally by the internationally recognised Gatsby Benchmarks, secondary schools and colleges are embedding career learning in the curriculum and providing young people with tailored advice and guidance, including more opportunities to learn about skills and apprenticeships. Through our National Careers Service digital offer and campaigns, such as Get the Jump and Skills for Life, we are bringing together information about education and training courses into one place for learners of all ages.
Asked by: Toby Perkins (Labour - Chesterfield)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what specific steps she has taken to increase the numbers of students studying horticultural subjects.
Answered by Robert Halfon
To support more employers and learners to access apprenticeships the department is increasing funding in England to £2.7 billion by 2024/25. Employers have designed over 650 high-quality apprenticeship standards, across every sector, to support them to develop the skilled workforces they need. There are a range of apprenticeship standards available in these specific sectors such as:
T Levels include one or more occupational specialisms to provide students with the knowledge and skills needed for a particular area. For example, students taking the Onsite Construction T Level can choose from specialisms in Bricklaying or Plastering, and the Design and Development for Engineering and Manufacturing T Level includes specialisms in Mechanical or Electrical engineering. Other T Levels available include Accounting, Engineering and Digital, with Craft and Design, Media, Broadcast and Production available from September.
The department has introduced Skills Bootcamps which offer free, flexible courses of up to 16 weeks, giving people the opportunity to build up sector-specific skills, with an offer of a job interview on completion. Skills Bootcamps around the country are available in many sectors covering digital, construction, arboriculture and agriculture, engineering, design for backstage theatre and many others.
We have also launched the Free Courses for Jobs offer which allows eligible adults to access over 400 Level 3 qualifications (A level equivalent) for free, in subject areas including engineering, construction, digital, health and social care and accounting.
In Higher Education (HE), the Strategic Priorities Grant is supporting teaching and students in HE, including expensive to deliver subjects, such as science and engineering. We are investing an additional £750 million over the next three years to support high quality teaching and facilities including in science and engineering. This includes the largest increase in government funding for the HE sector to support students and teaching in over a decade.
Careers education, information, advice and guidance is a crucial first step to supporting individuals to access excellent education and skills training. Driven nationally by the internationally recognised Gatsby Benchmarks, secondary schools and colleges are embedding career learning in the curriculum and providing young people with tailored advice and guidance, including more opportunities to learn about skills and apprenticeships. Through our National Careers Service digital offer and campaigns, such as Get the Jump and Skills for Life, we are bringing together information about education and training courses into one place for learners of all ages.
Asked by: Toby Perkins (Labour - Chesterfield)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has taken recent steps to help increase the number of people studying (a) broadcast and print media, (b) subjects related to theatre, (c) graphic design, (d) tourism and (e) sport and leisure.
Answered by Robert Halfon
To support more employers and learners to access apprenticeships the department is increasing funding in England to £2.7 billion by 2024/25. Employers have designed over 650 high-quality apprenticeship standards, across every sector, to support them to develop the skilled workforces they need. There are a range of apprenticeship standards available in these specific sectors such as:
T Levels include one or more occupational specialisms to provide students with the knowledge and skills needed for a particular area. For example, students taking the Onsite Construction T Level can choose from specialisms in Bricklaying or Plastering, and the Design and Development for Engineering and Manufacturing T Level includes specialisms in Mechanical or Electrical engineering. Other T Levels available include Accounting, Engineering and Digital, with Craft and Design, Media, Broadcast and Production available from September.
The department has introduced Skills Bootcamps which offer free, flexible courses of up to 16 weeks, giving people the opportunity to build up sector-specific skills, with an offer of a job interview on completion. Skills Bootcamps around the country are available in many sectors covering digital, construction, arboriculture and agriculture, engineering, design for backstage theatre and many others.
We have also launched the Free Courses for Jobs offer which allows eligible adults to access over 400 Level 3 qualifications (A level equivalent) for free, in subject areas including engineering, construction, digital, health and social care and accounting.
In Higher Education (HE), the Strategic Priorities Grant is supporting teaching and students in HE, including expensive to deliver subjects, such as science and engineering. We are investing an additional £750 million over the next three years to support high quality teaching and facilities including in science and engineering. This includes the largest increase in government funding for the HE sector to support students and teaching in over a decade.
Careers education, information, advice and guidance is a crucial first step to supporting individuals to access excellent education and skills training. Driven nationally by the internationally recognised Gatsby Benchmarks, secondary schools and colleges are embedding career learning in the curriculum and providing young people with tailored advice and guidance, including more opportunities to learn about skills and apprenticeships. Through our National Careers Service digital offer and campaigns, such as Get the Jump and Skills for Life, we are bringing together information about education and training courses into one place for learners of all ages.
Asked by: Toby Perkins (Labour - Chesterfield)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what specific steps she has taken to increase the number of students studying (a) aeronautical, (b) chemical, (c) civil, (d) computer, (e) electrical and (f) mechanical engineering.
Answered by Robert Halfon
To support more employers and learners to access apprenticeships the department is increasing funding in England to £2.7 billion by 2024/25. Employers have designed over 650 high-quality apprenticeship standards, across every sector, to support them to develop the skilled workforces they need. There are a range of apprenticeship standards available in these specific sectors such as:
T Levels include one or more occupational specialisms to provide students with the knowledge and skills needed for a particular area. For example, students taking the Onsite Construction T Level can choose from specialisms in Bricklaying or Plastering, and the Design and Development for Engineering and Manufacturing T Level includes specialisms in Mechanical or Electrical engineering. Other T Levels available include Accounting, Engineering and Digital, with Craft and Design, Media, Broadcast and Production available from September.
The department has introduced Skills Bootcamps which offer free, flexible courses of up to 16 weeks, giving people the opportunity to build up sector-specific skills, with an offer of a job interview on completion. Skills Bootcamps around the country are available in many sectors covering digital, construction, arboriculture and agriculture, engineering, design for backstage theatre and many others.
We have also launched the Free Courses for Jobs offer which allows eligible adults to access over 400 Level 3 qualifications (A level equivalent) for free, in subject areas including engineering, construction, digital, health and social care and accounting.
In Higher Education (HE), the Strategic Priorities Grant is supporting teaching and students in HE, including expensive to deliver subjects, such as science and engineering. We are investing an additional £750 million over the next three years to support high quality teaching and facilities including in science and engineering. This includes the largest increase in government funding for the HE sector to support students and teaching in over a decade.
Careers education, information, advice and guidance is a crucial first step to supporting individuals to access excellent education and skills training. Driven nationally by the internationally recognised Gatsby Benchmarks, secondary schools and colleges are embedding career learning in the curriculum and providing young people with tailored advice and guidance, including more opportunities to learn about skills and apprenticeships. Through our National Careers Service digital offer and campaigns, such as Get the Jump and Skills for Life, we are bringing together information about education and training courses into one place for learners of all ages.