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 the (a) budget and (b) outturn spending were for (i) 16-19 learning, (ii) Adult Education Budget, (iii) Adult Skills Fund, (iv) free courses for jobs, (v) skills bootcamps, (vi) Multiply, (vii) Advanced Learner Loans, (viii) Advanced Learner Loans Bursary Fund, (ix) Apprenticeships and (x) all other programmes to support further education and adult skills in the financial year (A) 2022-23 and (B) 2023-24.
Answered by Luke Hall - Minister of State (Education)
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
Asked by: Steve McCabe (Labour - Birmingham, Selly Oak)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the Veterans’ Career Development Fund on employment levels for veterans.
Answered by Johnny Mercer - Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Minister for Veterans' Affairs)
This Government is committed to making sure that our veterans and their families have equitable access and opportunity to a full range of career options after leaving military service, including access to the qualifications, training and skills development they may need to progress in their careers.
The recently announced Op PROSPER backed by £2.1 million in government funding includes the £700,000 Veterans’ Career Development Fund grant, which makes funding available to organisations providing qualifications, training and skills development to veterans and their families in locally based communities across the country.
The Veterans’ Career Development Fund is administered as a grant by the Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust, and includes a planned evaluation of the overall Op PROSPER programme and its outcomes.
Asked by: Lord Blunkett (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask His Majesty's Government how much money (1) was raised by the apprenticeships levy, and (2) was passed onto the devolved nations from levy receipts, in each financial year since 2017–18.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
Monthly receipts data for the Apprenticeship Levy is published by HM Revenue and Customs in their Tax and NIC Receipts publication which can be found online[1] at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/hmrc-tax-and-nics-receipts-for-the-uk
While the Apprenticeship Levy is UK wide, apprenticeship policy and spending is devolved. From FY2017-18 to FY2019-20, the devolved administrations received a population share of the Office for Budget Responsibility’s apprenticeship Levy forecast. Beyond 2019-20, the devolved administrations received funding through the Barnett formula in relation to English apprenticeship spending. The Block Grant Transparency publication which is available on GOV.UK sets out all Barnett consequentials generated at both departmental and programme level. It is for the devolved administrations to allocate their funding in devolved areas as they see fit, including investing in their skills programmes.
[1] HM Revenue & Customs (2024), HMRC tax receipts and National Insurance contributions for the UK
Asked by: Julian Knight (Independent - Solihull)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many staff have left the Education and Skills Funding Agency in each year since its creation.
Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)
The department centrally holds some of the information requested.
In as far as data is centrally held, I refer the hon. Member to the Civil Service statistics, for Education and Skills Funding Agency, Standards and Testing Agency and Teaching Regulation Agency, at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/civil-service-statistics and https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/publicsectorpersonnel/datasets/civilservicestatistics.
The Declaration on Government Reform (2021) stated: "There is however more we must do to attract a broader range of people to the privilege of public service... It should be natural for people with careers and skills built in business to serve in government for a period, and for those in public service to spend time in organisations which are not dependent on public money... We will develop new entry routes from industry, academia, the third sector and the wider public sector, with flexibility to suit those who want to build a career in government and those who want a shorter tour of duty”.
Asked by: Julian Knight (Independent - Solihull)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many staff have left the Standards and Testing Agency in each year since its creation.
Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)
The department centrally holds some of the information requested.
In as far as data is centrally held, I refer the hon. Member to the Civil Service statistics, for Education and Skills Funding Agency, Standards and Testing Agency and Teaching Regulation Agency, at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/civil-service-statistics and https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/publicsectorpersonnel/datasets/civilservicestatistics.
The Declaration on Government Reform (2021) stated: "There is however more we must do to attract a broader range of people to the privilege of public service... It should be natural for people with careers and skills built in business to serve in government for a period, and for those in public service to spend time in organisations which are not dependent on public money... We will develop new entry routes from industry, academia, the third sector and the wider public sector, with flexibility to suit those who want to build a career in government and those who want a shorter tour of duty”.
Asked by: Julian Knight (Independent - Solihull)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many staff have left the Teaching Regulation Agency in each year since its creation.
Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)
The department centrally holds some of the information requested.
In as far as data is centrally held, I refer the hon. Member to the Civil Service statistics, for Education and Skills Funding Agency, Standards and Testing Agency and Teaching Regulation Agency, at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/civil-service-statistics and https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/publicsectorpersonnel/datasets/civilservicestatistics.
The Declaration on Government Reform (2021) stated: "There is however more we must do to attract a broader range of people to the privilege of public service... It should be natural for people with careers and skills built in business to serve in government for a period, and for those in public service to spend time in organisations which are not dependent on public money... We will develop new entry routes from industry, academia, the third sector and the wider public sector, with flexibility to suit those who want to build a career in government and those who want a shorter tour of duty”.
Asked by: Alison McGovern (Labour - Wirral South)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people entered employment through the people and skills strand of the European Social Fund in each year since its inception until its end.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
Asked by: Lord Carlile of Berriew (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the role of international students in subsidising domestic students in universities.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
International student fee income made up 43% of the overall UK higher education (HE) sector fee income in 2021/22 (£10.4 billion of £24.4 billion). The fee income from international students can be used by providers to subsidise the costs of delivering courses to domestic students for whom tuition fees are capped at £9,250.
Domestic students continue to make up the vast majority of students within universities. International students made up only 15% of all undergraduate entrants at UK providers in 2021/22.
It is important that the department promotes a sustainable HE funding system that responds to the needs of the economy and that is fair to students and to taxpayers. The government keeps the HE funding system under continuous review to ensure that this remains the case, and to provide many different opportunities for learners to acquire vital skills.
In 2022/23, the total income of the HE sector in England was £43.9 billion, up from £29.1 billion in 2015/16. Of the £43.9 billion, approximately £16.3 billion was provided by the government. Over the current Spending Review period, the government is investing £1.3 billion in capital funding to support teaching and research.
Asked by: Steve McCabe (Labour - Birmingham, Selly Oak)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of taking further steps with private sector employers to help support more veterans into employment.
Answered by Johnny Mercer - Minister of State (Cabinet Office) (Minister for Veterans' Affairs)
This Government is committed to making sure that our veterans and their families have equitable access and opportunity to a full range of career options after leaving military service, and to working with employers to make this vision a reality.
The recently announced Op PROSPER backed by £2.1 million in government funding will work closely with employers and industry bodies to establish new clear and accessible routes for veterans and their families into employment which makes the most of their skills and capabilities, in key industries at the forefront of innovation and economic growth.
We have also introduced and continued 12-month National Insurance relief for eligible employers recruiting veterans in their first civilian role after leaving military service, which is of benefit to all businesses and employers across the country.
This work is supported by the OVA-launched Employers Guide to Hiring Veterans which showcases innovation and best practice and the OVA-hosted Veteran Employers’ Group brings together leading employers from across the UK.
Asked by: Lord Weir of Ballyholme (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what was the total expenditure on special educational needs in England in 2023–24; and what is their forecast expenditure for 2024–25.
Answered by Baroness Barran - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.
Local authorities spent £7.9 billion on education for children and young people with complex special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) in the 2022/23 financial year. The Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) also allocated a further £1.0 billion on funding for SEND places directly to providers in that financial year. The outturn data for expenditure in the last financial year (2023/24) is not yet available but is due to be published later in 2024. Planned expenditure reported by local authorities for that year was £9.4 billion and the ESFA’s expenditure was £1.1 billion.
These figures do not include the amounts spent by mainstream schools and colleges from their budgets on children and young people with lower level SEND. The department does not collect this expenditure information from individual schools and colleges.