Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many hospital beds there were in NHS England in 2013.

Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The latest published data shows a total of 131,862 available beds under the care of a consultant in England, in quarter one of 2024/25. This compares to a total of 136,459 available beds in quarter one of 2013/14. Data on National Health Service bed numbers is published on the NHS England website.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many hospital beds there are in NHS England.

Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The latest published data shows a total of 131,862 available beds under the care of a consultant in England, in quarter one of 2024/25. This compares to a total of 136,459 available beds in quarter one of 2013/14. Data on National Health Service bed numbers is published on the NHS England website.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask His Majesty's Government what was the estimated value of aerospace exports in (1) 2022, (2) 2023, and (3) 2024.

Answered by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

According to ONS business survey figures, the UK aerospace industry generated goods exports valued at £18.8 billion in 2022 and £20.0 billion in 2023 (in current prices). Figures for the year 2024 are not yet available.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they intend to make further funding available to further education colleges and universities to assist with their financial challenges.

Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Education)

All young people should have access to high quality education and training that meets their needs and provides them with opportunities to thrive. This is why, in the 2025/26 financial year, the government is providing an additional £300 million for further education to ensure young people are developing the skills they need to succeed.

The department recognises the financial strain that some higher education (HE) providers are under and are working closely with the Office for Students (OfS) to monitor any risks and to ensure there are robust plans in place to mitigate them. Sir David Behan has been appointed as interim OfS Chair to oversee the important work of refocusing the OfS’ role to concentrate on key priorities, including the HE sector’s financial stability.

HE providers are autonomous and responsible for managing their own budgets and business models. However, in recognition of the financial challenges the sector is facing, the government has made the difficult decision to increase tuition fee limits by forecast Retail Prices Index inflation. As a result, the maximum fee for a standard full-time undergraduate course in the 2025/26 academic year will increase by 3.1%, from £9,250 to £9,535. Longer-term funding plans for the HE sector will be set out in due course.

Adapting to the changed context of the HE sector over the next decade will require providers to undertake a more fundamental re-examination of business models and much less wasteful spending. In return for the increased investment we are asking students to make in the sector, we will need to see far greater collaboration across the sector to drive efficiency. We will expect the sector to be significantly more transparent on how it is managing its resources and to be held to account for delivering great value for money for students and the taxpayer.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask His Majesty's Government how much funding through research and development grants there was for the aerospace industry in (1) 2023–24, and (2) 2024–25.

Answered by Baroness Jones of Whitchurch - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)

HMG allocated £225m in 2023-24 and £195m in 2024-25 to support the aerospace industry. This funding primarily supports the Aerospace Technology Institute (ATI) programme, which co-invests alongside industry in research and development to maintain and grow the UK’s competitive position in civil aerospace and decarbonise aviation.

The Autumn Budget 2024 announced an extension to the ATI programme providing £975m of funding up to 2030.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many apprenticeships there are in the aerospace sector.

Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Education)

The most recent statistics on apprenticeship starts by industry characteristics cover the 2021/22 academic year and are published here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/apprenticeships-in-england-by-industry-characteristics. Apprenticeship starts in the aerospace sector by year, from 2017/18 to 2021/22, can be found attached and also in the following linked table: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/d7e45bd9-6d39-419d-ea95-08dcfb0032ff.