Asked by: Lord Hunt of Kings Heath (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the cost in time and resources to schools and colleges in preparing for the aborted T- levels in hairdressing and barbering.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department wrote to all T Level providers in January informing them that a combined T Level in Hairdressing, Barbering and Beauty Therapy (HBBT) would no longer be introduced. This decision was taken following discussions with employers and representatives of the hair and beauty sector.
The time and resources spent in preparing for the introduction of this T Level will vary from provider to provider. To minimise any impacts, the department is allowing providers who have received capital funding for specialist equipment and/or buildings and facilities improvement relating to HBBT, to retain these grants to be used for future courses in this subject area.
Providers will receive the normal 16-19 funding for their students, and this can be used to support those who switch to alternative Level 3 courses.
Asked by: Lord Hunt of Kings Heath (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government how much they have spent on the development and management of the proposed T-levels in hairdressing and barbering.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The decision to no longer introduce a combined T Level in Hairdressing, Barbering and Beauty Therapy was taken following discussions with employers and representatives of the hair and beauty sector. The feedback the department has had from the hair sector representatives has led the department to the conclusion that the best route is for learners to progress into their industry through completion of an existing level 2 or level 3 apprenticeship or a level 2 classroom-based qualification.
The beauty sector has fed back that a good quality level 3 classroom-based progression route is desirable. Therefore, the department has decided to explore introducing a T Level which focuses on the beauty sector, with the expectation that this could be introduced after 2025. The department will update stakeholders in due course following scoping work and engagement with the beauty sector and T Level providers.
Payment of the development charge made to the Awarding Organisation to date is £450,990 (excluding VAT). This is for the development of the originally scoped Hairdressing, Barbering and Beauty Therapy T Level. The department anticipates that a substantial proportion of that content will remain relevant in any future T Level focussed on beauty.
Asked by: Lord Hunt of Kings Heath (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what are their reasons for scrapping plans to introduce T-levels in hairdressing and barbering.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The decision to no longer introduce a combined T Level in Hairdressing, Barbering and Beauty Therapy was taken following discussions with employers and representatives of the hair and beauty sector. The feedback the department has had from the hair sector representatives has led the department to the conclusion that the best route is for learners to progress into their industry through completion of an existing level 2 or level 3 apprenticeship or a level 2 classroom-based qualification.
The beauty sector has fed back that a good quality level 3 classroom-based progression route is desirable. Therefore, the department has decided to explore introducing a T Level which focuses on the beauty sector, with the expectation that this could be introduced after 2025. The department will update stakeholders in due course following scoping work and engagement with the beauty sector and T Level providers.
Payment of the development charge made to the Awarding Organisation to date is £450,990 (excluding VAT). This is for the development of the originally scoped Hairdressing, Barbering and Beauty Therapy T Level. The department anticipates that a substantial proportion of that content will remain relevant in any future T Level focussed on beauty.
Asked by: Lord Hunt of Kings Heath (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government when they plan to publish proposals for a beauty therapy qualification.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The decision to no longer introduce a combined T Level in Hairdressing, Barbering and Beauty Therapy was taken following discussions with employers and representatives of the hair and beauty sector. The feedback the department has had from the hair sector representatives has led the department to the conclusion that the best route is for learners to progress into their industry through completion of an existing level 2 or level 3 apprenticeship or a level 2 classroom-based qualification.
The beauty sector has fed back that a good quality level 3 classroom-based progression route is desirable. Therefore, the department has decided to explore introducing a T Level which focuses on the beauty sector, with the expectation that this could be introduced after 2025. The department will update stakeholders in due course following scoping work and engagement with the beauty sector and T Level providers.
Payment of the development charge made to the Awarding Organisation to date is £450,990 (excluding VAT). This is for the development of the originally scoped Hairdressing, Barbering and Beauty Therapy T Level. The department anticipates that a substantial proportion of that content will remain relevant in any future T Level focussed on beauty.
Asked by: Fleur Anderson (Labour - Putney)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what recent steps she has taken to support the hairdressing, barbering, and beauty sector.
Answered by Kevin Hollinrake - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
The Chancellor announced in the 2023 Autumn Statement business rates support worth £4.3 billion over the next 5 years, including an extension of the 75 per cent relief for retail properties – a £2.4bn tax cut building on the previous £3.7 billion worth of business rates relief and nearly £8 billion of energy support in 2021 and 2022, along with £16bn business rates support throughout Covid-19. We’re also working with the British Beauty Council and others on improving the sector's talent pipeline.
Overall, the sector is growing. The number of businesses in the sector in 2023 are 17% above 2017 levels[1], while output increased 1.1% in 2022 compared with 2021.[2]
[1] ONS - UK business: activity, size and location, 2023. Statistics relate to SIC 9602.
[2] ONS - GDP output approach – low-level aggregates, December 2023.
Asked by: John McNally (Scottish National Party - Falkirk)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many disguised employment enforcement actions have been taken by HMRC against hairdressing salons in the last 12 months.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
The specific data requested is not available as HMRC systems do not segment data in away that would allow the required analysis. As such this information would only be available at disproportionate cost.
In addition, HMRC does not disclose data that could prejudice the assessment or collection of tax.
More generally, HMRC does however publish some customer compliance related information as part of the annually published report and accounts, which also includes data around Compliance activity.
Asked by: John McNally (Scottish National Party - Falkirk)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what information her Department holds on the number of (a) hairdressing and (b) barber salons there are.
Answered by Kevin Hollinrake - Minister of State (Department for Business and Trade)
ONS data[1] shows that the number of business premises in the hairdressing and beauty sector totalled 50,485 in 2023. This is an increase of 1.8% compared with 2022 and 17.4% above 2017 levels.
Additional data from the Local Data Company[2] shows that the number of hairdressers fell by 425 in September 2023 compared with a year earlier, while the number of barbers increased by 815.
[1] ONS – UK business activity, size and location – 2023. Data relates to SIC 9602.
[2] https://britishbeautycouncil.com/british-beauty-council-ldc-new-report/
Asked by: Lucy Powell (Labour (Co-op) - Manchester Central)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the Employer Skills Survey 2019, how many skill-shortage vacancies were reported in England in the (a) creative industries and (b) digital and technology sector; and how many such vacancies were reported in the previous survey.
Answered by Robert Halfon
The Employer Skills Survey (ESS) has run biennially since 2011, providing a vital source of intelligence on the skills issues employers face. The survey captures the density and incidence of skills shortage vacancies.
The survey provides a breakdown of all key metrics by 13 sectors.
For the creative industries sector, the closest published sector code is arts and other services. This covers arts, entertainment and recreation and other service activities including performing arts, libraries and museums, gambling and betting, sports facilities, amusement and recreation activities, activities of religious, political, trade union and professional membership organisations, and personal services, such as hairdressing, beauty, textile cleaning, well-being activities and funeral activities. In England, in 2019 there was a total of 8,229 skill shortage vacancies in this sector, and in 2017 there was a total of 12,410 skill shortage vacancies in this sector.
For the digital and technology sector, the closest published sector code is information and communications. This covers television, film and music production, broadcasting, telecommunications, computer programming, publishing, software and computer games and consultancy and information service activities, such as data processing and hosting. In England, in 2019 there were 9,075 skill shortage vacancies in this sector, and in 2017 there was 10,064 skill shortage vacancies in this sector.
In its current format, the ESS is not able to provide representative data for a more granular level of sector than the above. The department is exploring the feasibility of including breakdowns by two and four digit Standard Industrial Classification codes for future publications of the ESS data.
Asked by: Lucy Powell (Labour (Co-op) - Manchester Central)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the Employer Skills Survey 2019, how many skill-shortage vacancies were reported in England in the (a) creative industries and (b) digital and technology sector.
Answered by Robert Halfon
The Employer Skills Survey (ESS) has run biennially since 2011, providing a vital source of intelligence on the skills issues employers face. The survey captures the density and incidence of skills shortage vacancies.
The survey provides a breakdown of all key metrics by 13 sectors.
For the creative industries sector, the closest published sector code is arts and other services. This covers arts, entertainment and recreation and other service activities including performing arts, libraries and museums, gambling and betting, sports facilities, amusement and recreation activities, activities of religious, political, trade union and professional membership organisations, and personal services, such as hairdressing, beauty, textile cleaning, well-being activities and funeral activities. In England, in 2019 there was a total of 8,229 skill shortage vacancies in this sector, and in 2017 there was a total of 12,410 skill shortage vacancies in this sector.
For the digital and technology sector, the closest published sector code is information and communications. This covers television, film and music production, broadcasting, telecommunications, computer programming, publishing, software and computer games and consultancy and information service activities, such as data processing and hosting. In England, in 2019 there were 9,075 skill shortage vacancies in this sector, and in 2017 there was 10,064 skill shortage vacancies in this sector.
In its current format, the ESS is not able to provide representative data for a more granular level of sector than the above. The department is exploring the feasibility of including breakdowns by two and four digit Standard Industrial Classification codes for future publications of the ESS data.
Asked by: John McNally (Scottish National Party - Falkirk)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether the Government has plans to (a) consider the hairdressing and barber industry for Mandatory Registration or (b) devolve that decision to the devolved Administrations; and if his Department will hold discussions with his counterparts in the devolved Administrations on the potential merits of devolving licensing of the hair and barber industry.
Answered by Paul Scully
The Department regularly engages with the devolved administrations and officials on a variety of issues.