Asked by: Lord Jones (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many NHS hospital beds there were in (1) 2010, (2) 2015, and (3) 2020.
Answered by Lord Bethell
Information is not available in the format requested as data is not collected on the total number of hospital beds by year.
Asked by: Lord Jones (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to increase the number of female apprentices in the manufacturing sector.
Answered by Baroness Berridge
In the 2019/20 academic year, women accounted for 49% of all apprenticeship starts.
The representation of women in science, technology, engineering, construction, digital and maths (STEM) is increasing, in the 2019/20 academic year, women accounted for 11.4% of STEM apprenticeship starts, up from 10.1% in 2018/19 and 8.8% in 2017/18.
We are working with some of the country’s most influential employers in the manufacturing sector through the Apprenticeship Diversity Champions Network, including Siemens, Bombardier and Rolls-Royce, who are actively increasing female representation in STEM roles. The Network is also seeking to share examples of employer best practice in bringing women onto STEM apprenticeships and successfully retaining them. The Network will report during National Apprenticeship Week 2022 on how to better reach out to target underrepresented groups and improve retention.
Our Apprenticeship Support & Knowledge programme is raising awareness of apprenticeships in schools, encouraging female students to consider apprenticeships in traditionally male dominated fields. This free service provides schools and teachers with resources and interventions to help better educate young people about apprenticeships. We have seen involvement from large employers such as Toyota who delivered interactive live broadcasts to promote careers in STEM to students, increasing their awareness of the available opportunities in the manufacturing industry.
Asked by: Lord Jones (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what annual financial allowances they provide to apprentices in the manufacturing sector.
Answered by Baroness Berridge
In the 2021-22 financial year funding available for investment in apprenticeships in England is almost £2.5 billion, double what was spent in the 2010-11 financial year. Employers of all sizes can access funding for apprenticeship training and assessment. There is no ring-fenced annual apprenticeship budget for any individual sector, such as the manufacturing sector.
Employers in all sectors are able to choose which apprenticeships they offer, and when, in order to meet their skills needs. There are over 140 high-quality employer-designed apprenticeship standards in the engineering and manufacturing sector available for employers to use, including the level 3 print technician standard and the level 5 food and drink engineer standard. In the 2019/20 academic year, there were 52,000 apprenticeship starts in the engineering and manufacturing technologies sector.
To help employers in all sectors to offer new apprenticeships, employers can claim a £3,000 incentive payment for each apprentice they take on as a new employee until 30 September, as part of the government’s Plan for Jobs. This is paid in addition to the funding available to employers for training and assessing apprentices, and the extra payments we already make to support employers and providers meet the needs of the youngest apprentices and those with an Education, Health and Care Plan. Individual employers can choose how to spend the incentive payment to support their apprentices, including meeting any of the costs associated with supporting a new apprentice in the workplace, such as uniforms or travel costs.
Asked by: Lord Jones (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to increase the effectiveness of careers advice in secondary schools.
Answered by Baroness Berridge
We are continually reviewing the effectiveness of careers policy. We are aware that information on education or training options provided by schools at key transition points too often fails to correct, or even reinforces, the impression that technical education, including apprenticeships, is somehow second-best to academic study.
Through the ‘Baker Clause’, introduced in January 2018, all maintained schools and academies must publish a policy statement setting out opportunities for providers of technical education courses and apprenticeships to visit schools to talk to all year 8 to year 13 pupils, and to make sure that the policy is followed.
A January 2019 report by the Institute for Public Policy Research found that, whilst one in three schools say the situation improved in the year since the Baker Clause was introduced, only 40% of schools were complying with the Baker Clause.
In the Skills for Jobs White Paper, the department announced plans to go further to improve compliance with the Baker Clause through the introduction of a 3-point-plan. This is an important step towards real choice for every pupil. We will create clear minimum legal requirements, specifying who is to be given access to which pupils and when. We will take tougher formal action to enforce compliance. The government’s investment in careers will be conditional on Baker Clause compliance.
Through the work of the Careers & Enterprise Company (CEC), we are increasing young people’s exposure to the world of work and supporting schools and colleges to achieve the Gatsby Benchmarks for Good Career Guidance. As set out in the Skills for Jobs White Paper, we will continue the national roll-out of Careers Hubs, digital support, Careers Leader training and the Enterprise Adviser Network to all secondary schools in England. This will continue to accelerate the progress of all schools and colleges towards achieving the Gatsby Benchmarks so that all young people are equipped to make informed career and learning decisions.
We have also committed in the Skills for Jobs White Paper to take steps to improve both local and national alignment between the CEC and the National Careers Service to create a clear, all-age careers system. Professor Sir John Holman has been appointed as Independent Strategic Adviser on Careers Guidance and will advise on closer alignment of the National Careers Service and the CEC, based around 4 important principles:
The department is working closely with Professor Sir John Holman, the National Careers Service and CEC to agree what further action that can be taken across all 4 principles to make sure that young people and adults have access to a joined-up careers offer across their lifetime.
Asked by: Lord Jones (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many current apprentices are (1) female, and (2) male.
Answered by Baroness Berridge
In the first two quarters of the 2020/21 academic year, reported to date, there were a total of 575,900 apprentices participating.
In the first two quarters of the 2015/16 academic year, there were 708,900 participating apprentices reported at the equivalent point that year. Finalised full year figures show there were 899,400 participating on an apprenticeship in the 2015/16 academic year.
In the first two quarters of the 2020/21 academic year, reported to date, there has been 269,200 female and 306,700 male apprentices participating.
Asked by: Lord Jones (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many apprentices were in training in (1) 2015–16, and (2) 2020–21.
Answered by Baroness Berridge
In the first two quarters of the 2020/21 academic year, reported to date, there were a total of 575,900 apprentices participating.
In the first two quarters of the 2015/16 academic year, there were 708,900 participating apprentices reported at the equivalent point that year. Finalised full year figures show there were 899,400 participating on an apprenticeship in the 2015/16 academic year.
In the first two quarters of the 2020/21 academic year, reported to date, there has been 269,200 female and 306,700 male apprentices participating.
Asked by: Lord Jones (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many (1) A400M, and (2) C17, aircraft are currently in service in the Royal Air Force.
Answered by Baroness Goldie
There are currently a total of 20 A400M Atlas and eight C-17 Globemaster aircraft in RAF service.
Asked by: Lord Jones (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to amend the Sexual Offences Act 2003 to make Ministry of Defence cadet force adult volunteering a position of trust for the purposes of child sex offences.
Answered by Lord Wolfson of Tredegar
I recognise that there are concerns about those who might abuse their position of power over a 16 or 17-year-old to pressure them into engaging in a sexual relationship. Such behaviour is likely to be caught by the robust laws we already have in place.
We remain committed to protecting children and young people from sexual abuse and we want to ensure that existing offences are being used effectively to tackle this behaviour, and that those working with young people understand their responsibilities and act appropriately.
To that effect my department, working closely with colleagues across government, has taken forward a review of the existing law, to check that that it is working effectively and to ensure young people are protected. This review involved feedback from a wide range of stakeholders.
It is important that in any consideration for reform in this area we achieve the sensitive balance between the protection of young people and ensuring we do not infringe upon the sexual rights and freedoms of those over the age of 16 granted to them by Parliament.
This is a complex area and we are now considering the findings of the review and next steps.
We expect to be in a position to update Parliament on this work shortly.
Asked by: Lord Jones (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many apprentices there were in training in British airports in (1) 2018, (2) 2019, and (3) 2020; and how many of those apprentices were (a) female, and (b) male.
Answered by Baroness Berridge
The department has published information on apprenticeship starts by broad industry sector between the academic years 2012/13 and 2019/20.
Apprenticeship starts relating to aerospace technology are not currently published separately, however they are most likely to be included in sector H: Transportation and Storage.
The following table shows the number of apprenticeship starts by gender in the transportation and storage industry in the academic years 2017/18 to 2019/20.
| 2017/18 | 2018/19 | 2019/20 |
Total matched apprenticeship starts | 364,840 | 366,170 | 301,410 |
Total Sector H: Transportation and Storage | 9,080 | 11,140 | 9,450 |
Male | 6,620 | 7,640 | 6,460 |
Female | 2,470 | 3,500 | 2,990 |
Regarding the number of apprentices in training in British airports, this information is not held centrally. For further information on apprenticeship starts by sector subject area or geographical location, the ‘Apprenticeships and traineeships: January 2021’ publication is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/apprenticeships-and-traineeships-january-2021.The data in the table above relates to apprenticeship starts where a match has been found between the Department for Education’s Individualised Learner Record and the Office for National Statistics Inter-Departmental Business Register. This match allows information about apprentices to be linked to business information relating to the apprentice’s employer. In the academic years 2017/18 to 2019/20, 93% of all apprenticeship starts were matched to an employer.
Asked by: Lord Jones (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many apprenticeships there were in the aerospace industry in (1) 2018, (2) 2019, and (3) 2020; and how many of those apprentices were (a) female, and (b) male.
Answered by Baroness Berridge
The department has published information on apprenticeship starts by broad industry sector between the academic years 2012/13 and 2019/20.
Apprenticeship starts relating to aerospace technology are not currently published separately, however they are most likely to be included in sector H: Transportation and Storage.
The following table shows the number of apprenticeship starts by gender in the transportation and storage industry in the academic years 2017/18 to 2019/20.
| 2017/18 | 2018/19 | 2019/20 |
Total matched apprenticeship starts | 364,840 | 366,170 | 301,410 |
Total Sector H: Transportation and Storage | 9,080 | 11,140 | 9,450 |
Male | 6,620 | 7,640 | 6,460 |
Female | 2,470 | 3,500 | 2,990 |
Regarding the number of apprentices in training in British airports, this information is not held centrally. For further information on apprenticeship starts by sector subject area or geographical location, the ‘Apprenticeships and traineeships: January 2021’ publication is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/apprenticeships-and-traineeships-january-2021.The data in the table above relates to apprenticeship starts where a match has been found between the Department for Education’s Individualised Learner Record and the Office for National Statistics Inter-Departmental Business Register. This match allows information about apprentices to be linked to business information relating to the apprentice’s employer. In the academic years 2017/18 to 2019/20, 93% of all apprenticeship starts were matched to an employer.