Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether she plans to publish a response to the Patient Coalition for AI, Data and Digital Tech in Health's report entitled Public and Patient Experience of the NHS app, published on 27 March 2024, in the context of its recommendations on retaining (a) face-to-face and (b) telephone appointments.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We recognise that digital skills levels are not universal, including amongst those people who need our health services the most. NHS England is therefore collaborating with local organisations and charities to include NHS App support in their outreach programmes. Alongside this, we have a priority programme to develop secure and safe ways for families and carers to access the NHS App on behalf of other people. The efficiency that the NHS App brings to frontline health services frees up staff to reach people who cannot access digital services via face-to-face and telephone appointments which will continue to be available.
The Department is not planning to publish a formal response to the report, but will use the recommendations to inform ongoing work to improve the App.
People can currently log in to the NHS App with their face ID or fingerprint and can be remembered on their device too. We are introducing more automated ID checks and new forms of login in the next 6 months, to make it even quicker for people to register and log in to the NHS App across a range of devices. This includes our web version that people without smartphones can access.
In the short term, we are making it easier to read information in the medical record, appointment lists, test results and prescription information. NHS England is making strategic changes in how the data is sent from system suppliers which will allow it to be more clearly presented.
We are updating plans to help frontline staff support their patients to use the NHS App, through training and support. This will be backed up by improvements to existing help pages and support processes and redesigning the contact form to make sure queries can be quickly resolved.
NHS England will work closely with frontline staff, Patient Participation Groups and our large App Ambassador network so that they can explain the NHS App to patients. This network will be expanded so that awareness of the support offer is raised further as suggested in the report.
Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of the Patient Coalition for AI, Data and Digital Tech in Health report entitled Public and Patient Experience of the NHS app, published on 27 March 2024.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
We recognise that digital skills levels are not universal, including amongst those people who need our health services the most. NHS England is therefore collaborating with local organisations and charities to include NHS App support in their outreach programmes. Alongside this, we have a priority programme to develop secure and safe ways for families and carers to access the NHS App on behalf of other people. The efficiency that the NHS App brings to frontline health services frees up staff to reach people who cannot access digital services via face-to-face and telephone appointments which will continue to be available.
The Department is not planning to publish a formal response to the report, but will use the recommendations to inform ongoing work to improve the App.
People can currently log in to the NHS App with their face ID or fingerprint and can be remembered on their device too. We are introducing more automated ID checks and new forms of login in the next 6 months, to make it even quicker for people to register and log in to the NHS App across a range of devices. This includes our web version that people without smartphones can access.
In the short term, we are making it easier to read information in the medical record, appointment lists, test results and prescription information. NHS England is making strategic changes in how the data is sent from system suppliers which will allow it to be more clearly presented.
We are updating plans to help frontline staff support their patients to use the NHS App, through training and support. This will be backed up by improvements to existing help pages and support processes and redesigning the contact form to make sure queries can be quickly resolved.
NHS England will work closely with frontline staff, Patient Participation Groups and our large App Ambassador network so that they can explain the NHS App to patients. This network will be expanded so that awareness of the support offer is raised further as suggested in the report.
Asked by: David Evennett (Conservative - Bexleyheath and Crayford)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department are taking to encourage businesses to invest in skills training.
Answered by Luke Hall - Minister of State (Education)
This government is committed to delivering a world-leading skills system which is employer-focused, high-quality, and fit for the future. The department’s reforms are backed with an investment of £3.8 billion over the course of this Parliament to strengthen higher and further education to help more people get good jobs, upskill and retrain throughout their lives and to improve national productivity.
Over 5,000 employers have been involved in the development of nearly 700 high-quality apprenticeships to meet their industry skills needs. To support employers of all sizes offer apprenticeships, the government has increased investment in apprenticeships to over £2.7 billion in the 2024/25 financial year. This includes investing a further £60 million to meet overall increased employer demand for apprenticeships and encourage small-medium enterprises (SMEs) to take on young apprentices.
From April, the department pays 100% of training costs when SMEs take on new apprentices aged 16-21. Additionally, larger employers can now transfer more of their levy funds (50% increased from 25%) to support businesses of all sizes, which will help more employers to invest in apprenticeship training.
Skills Bootcamps offer free, flexible courses of up to 16 weeks, giving people the chance to build sector-specific skills with an offer of a job interview on completion. Training providers work with employers to ensure training is designed to teach the skills employers need. To date, over 1000 employers have been involved in Skills Bootcamps. Employers play a range of roles from supporting the design and delivery of the training, to recruiting learners that complete training into a job, or an apprenticeship. Employers can also use Skills Bootcamps to upskill their existing employees, subject to a 10% contribution for SMEs and 30% contribution for large employers.
Institutes of Technology bring education and business closer together, creating unique collaborations between colleges, universities and industry which deliver higher-level technical education with a clear route to high skilled employment. The department has provided £300 million of capital funding for infrastructure and industry standard equipment to increase capacity to deliver level 4/5 technical skills. In addition, employer partners were encouraged to provide additional support (monetary and in kind) which for the wave 2 competition was set at 35% of value of capital expenditure.
In October 2023, the department launched a new website called Skills for Careers that provides a single digital front door to information about skills training options and careers. A link to Skills for Careers can be found here: https://www.skillsforcareers.education.gov.uk/pages/skills-for-life. From Skills for Careers, users are guided through government’s skills offer from apprenticeships to Skills Bootcamps, A levels to Multiply. The website provides an overview of each option along with information about writing job applications and CVs.
Across all areas of England, employer-led Local Skills Improvement Plans (LSIPs) have helped engage thousands of local businesses and have brought them together with local providers and stakeholders to collaboratively agree and deliver actions to address local skills needs. By giving employers a more strategic role in the skills system, LSIPs are helping to drive greater employer investment in skills and ensure businesses are more actively involved in the planning, design and delivery of skills provision.
Departmental officials are also working with the Office for Investment and Department for Business and Trade to provide support for investors to navigate the skills system at a national and local level and encourage take-up of government funded skills programmes and employer investment in skills, as well as build strategic partnerships with local education and training providers. Whilst it is not a core part of their role, some of the designated employer representative bodies leading the LSIPs have engaged with inward investors as part of developing and implementing their LSIPs.
Asked by: Marsha De Cordova (Labour - Battersea)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps his Department it taking to help ensure that disabled people have access to reasonable adjustments in the workplace.
Answered by Mims Davies - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
All employers have a duty under the Equality Act 2010 to make ‘reasonable adjustments’ in the workplace where a disabled person would otherwise be put at a substantial disadvantage compared with their colleagues. The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) is responsible for enforcing the Equality Act and providing guidance on reasonable adjustments.
For disabled people who require adjustments which are beyond reasonable adjustments, Access to Work (AtW) can provide a grant for the disability related extra costs of working a disabled employee may face. To support employers an AtW case manager will contact the customer’s employer ahead of making an AtW award to offer advice on reasonable adjustments an employer can provide and the support available under the AtW scheme.
DWP has worked with stakeholders to develop a series of Adjustments Passports and Planners to support disabled people, and those with a health condition, with the transitions into employment and between jobs. The Adjustments Passport and Planners provide individuals with an up to date document of their adjustments and working requirements and empower the holder to have more structured conversations about their disability with their employer. They also raise awareness of Access to Work, and where an application is made, help to reduce the need for another assessment, enabling support to be put in place more quickly.
The Disability Confident scheme provides employers with the knowledge, skills, and confidence they need to attract, recruit, retain and develop disabled people in the workplace. When an employer signs-up to the Disability Confident scheme, they agree to commitments which include anticipating and providing reasonable adjustments as required. They also agree to support any existing employee who acquires a disability or long-term health condition, enabling them to stay in work. The scheme provides resources for members including the recently published Disability Confident Manager’s Guide which explains how managers can make and review reasonable adjustments, consider flexible working, and includes examples of other types of adjustments.
As part of the government's response to the Health is Everyone’s Business Consultation, DWP has developed a digital service for employers, offering tailored guidance on health and disability. The service is called Support with Employee Health and Disability and is live across GB, testing very well with employers. Developed with small and medium enterprise (SME) employers, using user centred design principles, the service offers a simple, interactive and highly usable resource which helps employers to feel more confident having conversations about health and disability, as well as understanding and fulfilling their legal obligations on topics such as reasonable adjustments, and signposting to sources of expert support.
The fit note includes an option to allow a healthcare professional to indicate that a patient ‘may be fit for work subject to the following advice’ and provide general details of the functional effect of the individual’s condition and recommend common types of workplace adjustments. However, over 10 million fit notes each year are issued in England without any such advice, resulting in a missed opportunity to help people get the appropriate support they may need to remain in work.
That is why we announced funding in the 2023 Autumn Statement to test new ways of providing individuals receiving a fit note with tailored support, including referral to support through their local WorkWell service pilot. To support this, we launched a Call for Evidence to seek views on how the current fit note process works and the support required to facilitate meaningful work and health conversations and help people start, stay and succeed in work.
Asked by: Seema Malhotra (Labour (Co-op) - Feltham and Heston)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent steps she has taken to help increase engagement between employers and further education colleges.
Answered by Luke Hall - Minister of State (Education)
The department wants providers to continue to offer high-quality, relevant provision and to build upon the already fantastic work they do in partnership with local employers. The coming decade will see substantial economic change and as the economy changes, so will the skills needs of learners and employers. The department recognises that this will play out in different ways across the country and that is why the department introduced Local Skills Improvement Plans (LSIPs) to support local innovation and growth so that every part of the country can succeed in its own unique way.
The department is delighted that across all areas of England, employer-led LSIPs have already helped engage thousands of local businesses and have brought them together with local providers and stakeholders to collaboratively agree and deliver actions to address local skills needs. By building locally owned LSIPs from the ground up, the department is reshaping the skills system to better support people to train for, and succeed in, their local labour market.
The department welcomes the excellent engagement currently taking place between the designated employer representative bodies (ERBs) leading the LSIPs and local providers of technical education and training. It has meant that in summer 2023, all 38 areas of England published a plan, which was approved by the Secretary of State for Education, setting out local skills priorities and actions across the next three years. Moving forward, the ERBs leading the implementation and review of the LSIPs are continuing to work closely with local providers and stakeholders to deliver the priority actions set out in the LSIPs. Indeed, each ERB will provide a public annual progress report in June 2024 and 2025 setting out progress made since publication of the LSIPs.
LSIPs are working alongside the department’s wider reforms to further education (FE) funding and accountability, enabling a step change in how FE provision meets local skills needs. To help ensure the success of the programme, and as part of this government’s commitment to continue to invest significantly into FE, the department provided a dedicated £165 million Local Skills Improvement Fund (LSIF) to support providers to work collaboratively to respond to the needs identified in the LSIPs.
Provider projects the department is funding through the LSIF include training to plug key skills gaps in digital, net zero and green, construction, artificial intelligence and health and social care, all of which were identified as priorities by employers through the LSIPs.
Together, LSIPS and the LSIF are galvanising and bringing employers and providers closer together to spread opportunity for young people, skills for businesses and growth for all areas of this country.
Asked by: Seema Malhotra (Labour (Co-op) - Feltham and Heston)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent steps she has taken to ensure careers advisors have knowledge of level 4 and 5 qualifications.
Answered by Luke Hall - Minister of State (Education)
The National Careers Service (NCS) provides free, up to date, impartial information, advice and guidance on careers, skills and the Labour Market in England. It helps customers make informed choices about their career and learning options, whatever their age, ethnic group and background.
Over 760 careers advisers support customers to be:
The department has commissioned the Career Development Institute (CDI) to develop a bespoke Continuing Professional Development programme for careers advisers. In addition, the department regularly disseminates key information and updates via bulletins and newsletters to careers advisers in the community to ensure they have up to date information, including changes to the NCS website.
The Careers and Enterprise Company has developed case studies which showcase the affordable and successful delivery of the personal guidance. Through investing in Careers Leaders, the department is supporting schools to become better commissioners of careers professionals. The CDI is doing excellent work to put in place programmes to train and upskill careers professionals, including a new focus on digital skills.
The Gatsby Charitable Foundation has agreed funding for a new three-year programme to be delivered by the CDI to raise the profile of technical education among careers advisers working in schools and colleges across England. Careers advisers play a key role in helping young people define their career goals, understand their own strengths and development needs and decide on the right pathway to gain the skills needed to reach their goals. This new programme will raise careers advisers’ awareness and understanding of technical education pathways so they can confidently discuss them as options for the young people they work with.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to improve access to artificial intelligence training.
Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)
The department is committed to creating a world-leading skills system which is employer-focused, high-quality and fit for the future.
The department will continue its work to ensure that the education system is able to adapt to deliver upskilling and to provide the skills that learners need for the workplaces of the future, including jobs that will be impacted by, or require the use of, artificial intelligence (AI).
World class T Levels are boosting access to high-quality technical education for thousands of young people and creating a skilled workforce for the future. 18 T Levels are available in a range of in-demand subject areas, including T Levels in digital subjects, which have been designed by employers and will help to equip students with the skills and knowledge required for great careers in the digital industry.
Employers have designed over 30 high-quality apprenticeships in digital occupations, including Level 7 Artificial Intelligence Data Specialist, which will provide cutting edge skills in AI. Since it was introduced in May 2020, starts in this standard have grown from 100 in the 2020/21 academic year to 350 in the 2022/23 academic year.
The Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education (IfATE) are revising the Level 7 Artificial Intelligence Data Specialist standard this year to ensure it meets employers’ needs. They have also developed Level 5 in Data Engineering and are currently developing Level 6 Machine Learning Engineer. These standards include high levels of content regarding the application and use of AI.
IfATE are also hosting workshops with a range of stakeholders to discuss the impact of AI on skills requirement across the economy and will be updating the Digital Skills and Characteristics Framework with AI-related content when it is revised next year. This will ensure all employers are thinking about the use and impact of AI when developing or revising occupational standards.
Skills Bootcamps are delivering skills training for the digital sector in 2024/25 in each English region. There are also online Skills Bootcamps in AI Marketing and Content Creation and AI and Machine Learning.
Higher Technical Qualifications (HTQs) provide the skills needed for a range of specialist digital occupations, such as cyber security technologist and software developer. There are 56 digital HTQs currently approved for teaching and a further ten approved for teaching from September 2024. HTQs provide a range of opportunities and pathways to build up the skills needed for AI-related roles.
In higher education, the department is working with the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology to deliver new postgraduate AI and data science conversion courses to boost skills and diversity in AI jobs. The government is also investing £117 million in doctoral training for AI researchers.
In 2023, the department’s Unit for Future Skills (UFS) developed a Science and Technology Jobs and Skills Dashboard to understand the supply and demand of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics skills to develop critical technologies like AI and quantum. This data will support improved access to relevant training.
The UFS has also undertaken analysis which attempts to quantify the impact of AI on the UK job market. It shows the occupations, sectors and geographic areas expected to be most affected by AI and large language models, as well as the training routes that typically lead to these highly affected jobs.
Digital and computing skills will play an important role for individuals developing and using AI in the future workforce. The department is harnessing government and external expertise through the Digital and Computing Skills Education Taskforce to increase the number of people taking digital and computing qualifications and attract a diverse range of individuals into digital jobs.
Asked by: Gregory Campbell (Democratic Unionist Party - East Londonderry)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the lessons learned for her Department of the implementation of the skills electrification project element of the emerging skills projects.
Answered by Luke Hall - Minister of State (Education)
The Skills Electrification Project was part of the Emerging Skills Projects, which were pilot projects funded by the department to identify future skills needs and develop high-quality modular courses to help address future skills gaps in key sectors. The Skills Electrification Project, as well as the other emerging skills projects, were developed and run by the Advanced Manufacturing Catapult and completed in March 2022.
The department recognises the changing nature of skills needs, the importance of emerging skills such as electrification and assesses skills needs for such sectors. For example, the National Grid estimates the electricity network workforce will grow by 400,000 roles by 2050. This includes 260,000 brand new roles, and 140,000 to replace natural attrition such as retirement. This is on top of the existing shortage of crucial workers in the sector.
To help meet those needs there are three apprenticeship standards that directly serve the electricity networks sector: community energy specialist (Level 4), building energy management systems (Level 4) and power networks craftsperson (Level 3).
Free Courses for Jobs also offers a range of qualifications in electrical disciplines, as well as digital engineering and electrotechnical installation.
T Levels in engineering and construction teach young people some of the skills that are crucial to the growth of the UK’s energy networks. Relevant T Levels in engineering, manufacturing, and construction can lead to crucial occupations such as civil engineering technician, electrical engineering technician and technical surveyor.
Asked by: Catherine West (Labour - Hornsey and Wood Green)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he is taking to help support women in Hornsey and Wood Green constituency to return to work after a career break.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Local Jobcentre teams are supporting residents into work and helping those in work to progress to higher paid jobs. We are working with local and national employers to help fill vacancies quickly, delivering Sector-Based Work Academy Programmes (SWAPs), recruitment days, Job Fairs, and work trials, all of which can help support women to return to work after a career break.
In addition, one to one support from a Work Coach and Contracted Employment Programmes, the department also offers help with CVs and employability skills, mentoring circles for people aged 50 plus and support with childcare costs. Where a Work Coach identifies a barrier to securing or progressing in employment, they can use the Flexible Support Fund (FSF) to procure clothing, tools, digital devices, and to help with travel to work costs.
In Haringey, we are working with the Construction Youth Trust to support more women into construction roles, with referrals made by Jobcentres across the borough, and funding available to support women who want to work in this sector.
To help facilitate signposting discussions with claimants, staff have access to a database of national and local support information, the District Provision Tool as well as the new Managed Jobs and Opportunities which ensures that claimants can access tailored support where required. This includes provision aimed at women across London such as Dress for Success, a service that supports women to improve their confidence when attending interviews and Smart Works, a UK charity that provides high quality interview clothes and interview training to unemployed women.
We are also working with Transport for London and the College of North East London on their Women into Transportation and Engineering provision. This provides two weeks of pre-employment training, covering CV writing, and workplace skills, plus a Smart Works coaching and styling appointment designed to give participants the confidence to apply for the roles offered within the programme
Asked by: Tobias Ellwood (Conservative - Bournemouth East)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, how much levelling up funding his Department has allocated to Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole council.
Answered by Jacob Young - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities)
BCP Council have received a variety of levelling up support since 2019, including through some specific awards such as: