Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether the procedures required for recognition as a Higher Technical Qualification have been changed, or are in line to be changed, as a result of (1) the creation of Skills England and the abolition of the Institute for Apprenticeship and Technical Education, and (2) the transfer of Skills England to the Department for Work and Pensions.

Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

Following its creation, Skills England continues to accept Higher Technical Qualification (HTQ) applications on a rolling basis. This function moved with Skills England when it transferred to be an executive agency of the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many people were enrolled on courses leading to Higher Technical Qualifications in the academic years 2023–4 and 2024–5.

Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

As of September 2025, there were 281 qualifications approved as Higher Technical Qualifications (HTQs). These encompass thirteen occupational routes:

• Agriculture, Environmental and Animal Care
• Business and Administration
• Care Services
• Catering and Hospitality
• Construction and the Built Environment
• Creative and Design
• Digital
• Education and Early Years
• Engineering and Manufacturing
• Health and Science
• Legal, Finance and Accounting
• Protective Services
• Sales, Marketing and Procurement.

The list of approved qualifications is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/approved-higher-technical-qualifications.

In the 2023/24 academic year, the second year of the HTQ rollout, the department estimates that 4,370 students were enrolled on HTQs based on data from the Higher Education Statistics Agency and Individualised Learner Record student records.

Data covering participation and completion rates for HTQs in the 2024/25 academic year is not currently available.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many qualifications are currently approved as Higher Technical Qualifications.

Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

As of September 2025, there were 281 qualifications approved as Higher Technical Qualifications (HTQs). These encompass thirteen occupational routes:

• Agriculture, Environmental and Animal Care
• Business and Administration
• Care Services
• Catering and Hospitality
• Construction and the Built Environment
• Creative and Design
• Digital
• Education and Early Years
• Engineering and Manufacturing
• Health and Science
• Legal, Finance and Accounting
• Protective Services
• Sales, Marketing and Procurement.

The list of approved qualifications is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/approved-higher-technical-qualifications.

In the 2023/24 academic year, the second year of the HTQ rollout, the department estimates that 4,370 students were enrolled on HTQs based on data from the Higher Education Statistics Agency and Individualised Learner Record student records.

Data covering participation and completion rates for HTQs in the 2024/25 academic year is not currently available.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government which private special education schools closed in England in (1) 2024, and (2) 2025; and in which region were they located.

Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

In 2024 there were 2,458 private schools in England, of which 804 were special schools.

During 2024, 58 private schools closed, of which 18 were special schools.

Between 1 January and 15 October 2025, 60 private schools have closed, of which 6 were special schools.

The table below shows the special schools that closed in England in 2024. Of these, 9 schools closed on or before 4 July 2024, and 9 schools closed on or after 5 July 2024:

The following special schools closed in England in 2025:

Children whose place in a private school has been deemed necessary by a local authority will not be affected by tax changes. If an education, health and care plan names a private school, the local authority must fund that place. Where this is the case, local authorities will be able to reclaim the VAT on the fees from HMRC via the Section 33 VAT refund scheme.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many private schools closed in England in (1) 2024 and (2) 2025; and in each year, how many of them were special education schools.

Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

In 2024 there were 2,458 private schools in England, of which 804 were special schools.

During 2024, 58 private schools closed, of which 18 were special schools.

Between 1 January and 15 October 2025, 60 private schools have closed, of which 6 were special schools.

The table below shows the special schools that closed in England in 2024. Of these, 9 schools closed on or before 4 July 2024, and 9 schools closed on or after 5 July 2024:

The following special schools closed in England in 2025:

Children whose place in a private school has been deemed necessary by a local authority will not be affected by tax changes. If an education, health and care plan names a private school, the local authority must fund that place. Where this is the case, local authorities will be able to reclaim the VAT on the fees from HMRC via the Section 33 VAT refund scheme.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many private schools there were in England in 2024; and how many of them were special education schools.

Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

In 2024 there were 2,458 private schools in England, of which 804 were special schools.

During 2024, 58 private schools closed, of which 18 were special schools.

Between 1 January and 15 October 2025, 60 private schools have closed, of which 6 were special schools.

The table below shows the special schools that closed in England in 2024. Of these, 9 schools closed on or before 4 July 2024, and 9 schools closed on or after 5 July 2024:

The following special schools closed in England in 2025:

Children whose place in a private school has been deemed necessary by a local authority will not be affected by tax changes. If an education, health and care plan names a private school, the local authority must fund that place. Where this is the case, local authorities will be able to reclaim the VAT on the fees from HMRC via the Section 33 VAT refund scheme.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many civil servants were employed by the Department for Education in (1) 2011, (2) 2016, (3) 2021, and (4) 2024.

Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

Data on the number of civil servants employed by the Department for Education (including its executive agencies), as at 31 March, are available in the published Civil Service Statistics in Table 20 of the respective statistical releases for 2011, 2016, 2021, and 2024. These statistics are published by the Cabinet Office and can be accessed at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/civil-service-statistics.

Data by year requested is available below (numbers are rounded to the nearest 10):

• 2024: 8,600
• 2021: 7,930
• 2016: 3,550
• 2011: 2,780

The role of the department has changed over this period. The increase in headcount reflects organisational growth, such as the transfer of the higher and further education briefs to the department in 2016, the creation of the Education and Skills Funding Agency in 2017, and the expansion of delivery responsibilities in areas including academies, skills and further education.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answers by Baroness Smith of Malvern on 12 November (HL11389 and HL11390), how many qualifications were approved as Higher Technical Qualifications as of (1) September 2023, and (2) September 2024.

Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

In September 2023 there were 154 qualifications awarded the Higher Technical Qualification (HTQ) quality mark, and in September 2024 there were 227 qualifications awarded the HTQ quality mark.

The department’s data on learner enrolments does not distinguish between HTQs that were approved but had not yet started delivery, and those that were live and available but attracted no student enrolments. The department does not therefore have sufficient data to specify how many live HTQs had no students enrolled in any given academic year.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answers by Baroness Smith of Malvern on 12 November (HL11389 and HL11390), how many of the qualifications approved as Higher Technical Qualifications in September had no students enrolled in the 2023–24 academic year.

Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

In September 2023 there were 154 qualifications awarded the Higher Technical Qualification (HTQ) quality mark, and in September 2024 there were 227 qualifications awarded the HTQ quality mark.

The department’s data on learner enrolments does not distinguish between HTQs that were approved but had not yet started delivery, and those that were live and available but attracted no student enrolments. The department does not therefore have sufficient data to specify how many live HTQs had no students enrolled in any given academic year.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they conducted an impact assessment of the effect on recruitment of 16-21 year old apprentices by non-levy-paying employers of the decision to (1) increase the apprentice wage for 16-17 year olds by 6 per cent, and (2) raise the national minimum wage for 18-20 year olds by 8.5 per cent; if so, what were the results of that assessment; and if not, why.

Answered by Baroness Lloyd of Effra - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

The Department for Business and Trade will publish a comprehensive impact assessment alongside the legislation introducing the revised National Living Wage and National Minimum Wage rates early in the New Year. This assessment will provide detailed analysis for each rate including the apprentice rate, the projected number of workers who will benefit and the estimated costs to businesses, broken down by region, age group, and sector.

In addition, the Low Pay Commission have published their summary of evidence on gov.uk, which sets out the key evidence behind their recommendation. Finally, the Low Pay Commission will publish their full annual report in the new year, which will set out in greater detail the evidence and stakeholder feedback that informed their 2026 NMW recommendations.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many individuals were granted entry visas to the UK under the high-potential individual route in (1) 2023–24, and (2) 2024–25.

Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Home Office publishes data on entry clearance visas by visa type in the ‘Immigration System Statistics Quarterly Release’ [https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/immigration-statistics-quarterly-release]. Data on grants of visa applications are published in table ‘Vis_D02’ of the ‘detailed entry clearance visas dataset’ [https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/immigration-system-statistics-data-tables#entry-clearance-visas-granted-outside-the-uk].

Information on how to use the dataset can be found in the ‘Notes’ page of the workbook. The latest data is from January 2005 up to the end of September 2025.

Figures for visa grants for the High Potential Individual route can be seen in the table below.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of developers’ ability under Section 106 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 to support apprenticeships and upskilling across local authorities as well as in specified developments, and to that end provide wage support as well as direct training costs.

Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

Section 106 planning obligations are legally binding agreements made to mitigate the impacts of a proposed development. These obligations are an essential part of the planning system, ensuring that developments contribute positively to their surrounding area and address specific concerns that arise as a result of their implementation.

All contributions under Section 106 must adhere to the three statutory tests set out in regulation 122 of the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) regulations. Any contribution must be:

• Necessary to make the development acceptable in planning terms;
• Directly related to the development; and
• Reasonable in scale and kind.

Ultimately, the responsibility for determining whether a planning obligation is necessary to make a development acceptable lies with the local planning authority – including any obligation around to apprenticeships and skills.

Current planning practice guidance encourages local planning authorities to facilitate the process of agreeing planning obligations by using and publishing standard forms and templates. These resources may include model agreements and clauses, some of which have already been published by other organisations. Making these documents publicly available assists both authorities and applicants during the planning application process.

Guidance additionally states that policies regarding planning obligations should be clearly set out in local plans and subject to public examination, ensuring transparency and consistency in their application.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask His Majesty's Government what guidance, if any, they provide to local authorities on the content and drafting of agreements made under Section 106 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990.

Answered by Baroness Taylor of Stevenage - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

Section 106 planning obligations are legally binding agreements made to mitigate the impacts of a proposed development. These obligations are an essential part of the planning system, ensuring that developments contribute positively to their surrounding area and address specific concerns that arise as a result of their implementation.

All contributions under Section 106 must adhere to the three statutory tests set out in regulation 122 of the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) regulations. Any contribution must be:

• Necessary to make the development acceptable in planning terms;
• Directly related to the development; and
• Reasonable in scale and kind.

Ultimately, the responsibility for determining whether a planning obligation is necessary to make a development acceptable lies with the local planning authority – including any obligation around to apprenticeships and skills.

Current planning practice guidance encourages local planning authorities to facilitate the process of agreeing planning obligations by using and publishing standard forms and templates. These resources may include model agreements and clauses, some of which have already been published by other organisations. Making these documents publicly available assists both authorities and applicants during the planning application process.

Guidance additionally states that policies regarding planning obligations should be clearly set out in local plans and subject to public examination, ensuring transparency and consistency in their application.

Found: Lamont of Lerwick; Lord Liddle; Lord Petitgas; Lord Razzall; Lord Turnbull; Lord Verjee; Baroness Wolf of Dulwich

Found: Lord Liddle; Lord Londesborough; Lord Petitgas; Lord Razzall; Lord Turnbull; Lord Verjee; Baroness Wolf of Dulwich

Found: Liddell of Coatdyke; Lord Liddle; Lord Petitgas; Lord Razzall; Lord Turnbull; Lord Verjee; Baroness Wolf of Dulwich

Found: Baroness Liddell of Coatdyke; Lord Petitgas; Lord Razzall; Lord Turnbull; Lord Verjee; Baroness Wolf of Dulwich

Found: Burns; Lord Davies of Brixton; Lord Liddle; Lord Londesborough; Lord Petitgas; Lord Verjee; Baroness Wolf of Dulwich