Asked by: Zarah Sultana (Labour - Coventry South)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the impact of trends in the level of funding of Adult and Community Education since 2010 on that sector; and whether she plans to restore funding to 2010 levels.
Answered by Luke Hall - Minister of State (Education)
The department is continuing to invest in education and skills training for adults through the Adult Education Budget (AEB), the Multiply programme and Skills Bootcamps.
The AEB is worth £1.34 billion in 2023/24 and approximately 60% of the AEB is devolved to nine Mayoral Combined Authorities (MCA) and the Greater London Authority (GLA). These authorities are now responsible for the provision of AEB-funded adult education for their residents. The Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) is responsible for the remaining AEB in non-devolved areas.
In ESFA AEB areas, the department applied a 2.2% increase to the final earnings for all AEB formula-funded provision, excluding associated learner and learning support, in 2022/23 and 2023/24. The department also applied a 20% boost on top of earnings for all AEB formula-funded provision in six sector subject areas: Engineering, Manufacturing Technologies, Transport Operations and Maintenance, Building and Construction, ICT for Practitioners, and Mathematics and Statistics. Additionally, in 2024/25, as part of the AEB transition to the Adult Skills Fund, the department will introduce five new funding rates that will apply to the ESFA Adult Skills Fund with 78% of qualifications seeing a funding increase.
Prior to devolution, the Community Learning portion of the AEB amounted to approximately £230 million in 2018/19. The department does not collect data on what MCAs and the GLA currently spend on Community Learning.
In 2024/25, as part of the Adult Skills Fund, the term Tailored Learning brings together what was the AEB Community Learning, formula-funded AEB non-regulated learning, which was previously delivered through the adult skills, and new employer-facing innovative provision that is not qualification based.
The department is also providing up to £270 million directly to local areas in England to deliver innovative interventions to improve adult numeracy through the Multiply programme. The department is also building the evidence base on what works to improve adult numeracy, including through randomised control trials.
Skills Bootcamps are 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 upon completion. This is supported by £550 million over the current Spending Review period as well as £170 million in grant funding to MCAs and local areas in 2024/25.
Spend by the department on further education is reported through publication of the Annual Report and Accounts. This can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/dfe-annual-reports.
Asked by: Maria Eagle (Labour - Garston and Halewood)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the budget is for the Engineering Biology Project at the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory in the (a) 2023-24, (b) 2024-25 and (c) 2025-26 financial year.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
I refer the right hon. Member to the answer I gave her on 2 April 2024 to Question 19791.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will take steps to (a) recruit and (b) train more (i) medical physicists and (ii) clinical engineers.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The number of Scientist Training Programme (STP) trainees in Medical Physics and Clinical Engineering has tended to increase, with larger increases in recent years. The number of Higher Specialist Scientist Training (HSST) trainees has remained fairly constant. The following two tables show the number of trainees in the Medical Physics and Clinical Engineering STP each year since 2011, and the number of Medical Physics and Clinical Engineering trainees in HSST each year since 2014, respectively:
Year | Medical Physics STP | Clinical Engineering STP |
2011 | 61 | 8 |
2012 | 60 | 14 |
2013 | 67 | 13 |
2014 | 72 | 18 |
2015 | 72 | 8 |
2016 | 66 | 9 |
2017 | 73 | 20 |
2018 | 76 | 16 |
2019 | 86 | 13 |
2020 | 77 | 17 |
2021 | 83 | 25 |
2022 | 103 | 12 |
2023 | 118 | 21 |
2024 | 117 | 15 |
Note: The data for 2024 is subject to change, and without the Wales numbers.
Year | Medical Physics HSST | Clinical Engineering HSST |
2014 | 14 | 1 |
2015 | 29 | 1 |
2016 | 26 | 2 |
2017 | 23 | 2 |
2018 | 12 | 2 |
2019 | 15 | 4 |
2020 | 16 | 0 |
2021 | 15 | 2 |
2022 | 11 | N/A |
2023 | 17 | 2 |
2024 | 8 | 2 |
Notes:
- the data for 2024 is subject to change, and without the Wales numbers; and
- data is not available for the year 2022.
The NHS Long Term Workforce Plan sets out the future National Health Service workforce requirements, and includes healthcare science figures, though this is not broken down into Medical Physics and Clinical Engineering workforce targets. The plan assesses that education and training places for healthcare scientists need to increase by 20 to 34%, reaching between 930 and 1,039 places by 2033/34. The ambition set out in this plan is to increase training places for healthcare scientists by 32%, to over 1,000 places, by 2031/32. We will work towards achieving this ambition by increasing training places by 13%, to over 850, by 2028/29.
The workforce plan also sets out the ambition to retain up to 130,000 more staff across the NHS over the next 15 years, through measures to improve staff’s experience of working in the NHS. This applies to all NHS staff groups, including medical physicists and clinical engineers.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if she will take steps to help raise awareness of careers in (a) medical physics and (b) clinical engineering.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
Promoting healthcare science careers is a vital part of our NHS Health Careers team’s work, covering 350 careers in the National Health Service. Almost 240,000 people accessed information on healthcare science careers over the last 12 months.
As part of National Careers Week and Healthcare Science Week, an estimated 10,000 students heard directly from a range of NHS staff, including an apprentice Clinical Engineer and other healthcare scientists, as their stories were shown in classrooms across the country.
We will continue to promote all healthcare science careers, including Medical Physics and Clinical Engineering, as part of our work to raise awareness of all careers in the NHS, and encouraging people to join the NHS workforce. There are several case studies promoting careers in Medical Physics and Clinical Engineering on the National School of Healthcare Science website.
Asked by: Maria Eagle (Labour - Garston and Halewood)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much funding his Department provided for the engineering biology project at the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory in each financial year since 2019.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
I refer the right hon. Member to the answer I gave her on 2 April 2024 to Question 19791.
Asked by: Neil O'Brien (Conservative - Harborough)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what staff networks there are in her Department.
Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The following staff-led support networks currently operate in the Department:
- EnABLE, a disability and long-term conditions network;
- Autism Network;
- Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Network;
- Dyslexia and Dyspraxia Network;
- Race Equality Matters Network;
- Prism, an LGBT+ network;
- Women’s Network;
- Parents’ Network;
- Age Diversity Network;
- Carers’ Network;
- Care Leavers’ Network;
- Social Mobility Network;
- Men’s Health Network;
- Christian Network;
- Jewish Network;
- Muslim Network;
- Hinduism and Sikhism Group;
- Humanists Network;
- Diversity and Inclusion Analytical Network;
- Domestic Abuse Support Group;
- Working Through Cancer Network; and
- Mental Health First Aid.
The following networks support and promote professional development and operational delivery:
- International Network;
- Flexible Working Network;
- Green Network;
- Social Workers Network;
- Health Science and Engineering Network;
- IT User Engagement Group;
- Clinicians’ Network;
- Nutritionist Network;
- Perspectives Network;
- History Network;
- Culture and Engagement Champions Network;
- Active Travel Network;
- International Network;
- First Aid Network;
- Administrative Officer and Executive Officer Network;
- Personal Assistant Network;
- Senior Executive Officer and Higher Executive Officer Network;
- G6 and G7 Network; and
- Direct Appointment Scheme Network.
Asked by: Maria Eagle (Labour - Garston and Halewood)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many people were employed in the weapons support team at Defence Equipment and Support in each year since 2019.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The number of Full Time Equivalent (FTE) employed within the complex weapons delivery, complex weapons portfolio, weapons engineering and weapons support future enterprise teams in each Financial Year (FY) since 2019 as at 31 March, is detailed in the table below. The figures include civilian and military employees and workforce substitutes.
Figures for 2023-24 will not be available until the end of the FY.
Financial Year | Complex Weapons Delivery | Complex Weapons Portfolio | Weapons Engineering | Future Enterprise |
2018-19 | Team did not exist | 21.33 | 115.46 | Team did not exist |
2019-20 | 4.00 | 21.22 | 126.94 | Team did not exist |
2020-21 | 5.00 | 12.00 | 119.68 | 12.11 |
2021-22 | 5.00 | 14.81 | 132.25 | 24.03 |
2022-23 | 18.65 | 12.65 | 130.25 | 30.89 |
Note: The numbers employed in the Weapons Support team is not held in the format requested and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Maria Eagle (Labour - Garston and Halewood)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many people were employed in the complex weapons delivery team at Defence Equipment and Support in each year since 2019.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The number of Full Time Equivalent (FTE) employed within the complex weapons delivery, complex weapons portfolio, weapons engineering and weapons support future enterprise teams in each Financial Year (FY) since 2019 as at 31 March, is detailed in the table below. The figures include civilian and military employees and workforce substitutes.
Figures for 2023-24 will not be available until the end of the FY.
Financial Year | Complex Weapons Delivery | Complex Weapons Portfolio | Weapons Engineering | Future Enterprise |
2018-19 | Team did not exist | 21.33 | 115.46 | Team did not exist |
2019-20 | 4.00 | 21.22 | 126.94 | Team did not exist |
2020-21 | 5.00 | 12.00 | 119.68 | 12.11 |
2021-22 | 5.00 | 14.81 | 132.25 | 24.03 |
2022-23 | 18.65 | 12.65 | 130.25 | 30.89 |
Note: The numbers employed in the Weapons Support team is not held in the format requested and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Maria Eagle (Labour - Garston and Halewood)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many people were employed in the complex weapons portfolio team at Defence Equipment and Support in each year since 2019.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The number of Full Time Equivalent (FTE) employed within the complex weapons delivery, complex weapons portfolio, weapons engineering and weapons support future enterprise teams in each Financial Year (FY) since 2019 as at 31 March, is detailed in the table below. The figures include civilian and military employees and workforce substitutes.
Figures for 2023-24 will not be available until the end of the FY.
Financial Year | Complex Weapons Delivery | Complex Weapons Portfolio | Weapons Engineering | Future Enterprise |
2018-19 | Team did not exist | 21.33 | 115.46 | Team did not exist |
2019-20 | 4.00 | 21.22 | 126.94 | Team did not exist |
2020-21 | 5.00 | 12.00 | 119.68 | 12.11 |
2021-22 | 5.00 | 14.81 | 132.25 | 24.03 |
2022-23 | 18.65 | 12.65 | 130.25 | 30.89 |
Note: The numbers employed in the Weapons Support team is not held in the format requested and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Maria Eagle (Labour - Garston and Halewood)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many people were employed in the weapons support future enterprise team at Defence Equipment and Support in each year since 2019.
Answered by James Cartlidge - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)
The number of Full Time Equivalent (FTE) employed within the complex weapons delivery, complex weapons portfolio, weapons engineering and weapons support future enterprise teams in each Financial Year (FY) since 2019 as at 31 March, is detailed in the table below. The figures include civilian and military employees and workforce substitutes.
Figures for 2023-24 will not be available until the end of the FY.
Financial Year | Complex Weapons Delivery | Complex Weapons Portfolio | Weapons Engineering | Future Enterprise |
2018-19 | Team did not exist | 21.33 | 115.46 | Team did not exist |
2019-20 | 4.00 | 21.22 | 126.94 | Team did not exist |
2020-21 | 5.00 | 12.00 | 119.68 | 12.11 |
2021-22 | 5.00 | 14.81 | 132.25 | 24.03 |
2022-23 | 18.65 | 12.65 | 130.25 | 30.89 |
Note: The numbers employed in the Weapons Support team is not held in the format requested and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.