Oral Answers to Questions

Andrew Selous Excerpts

Tuesday 11th December 2018 Commons Chamber

[Elizabeth Truss]

What is important is that we are achieving better results for 16 to 18-year-olds. We are seeing more young people from disadvantaged backgrounds going to university and improvements in the quality of apprenticeships that are being taken up by young people. We are also putting extra money into the new T-levels, which are due to improve technical education.

[Andrew Selous (South West Bedfordshire) (Con)]

Our FE colleges are great poverty-fighting institutions that provide vital ladders of opportunity for our constituents. Given that school pay rises have been fully funded and FE has only had 0.1%, is there not a case for parity of esteem for teachers in FE colleges?

[Elizabeth Truss]

It was indeed very good that we were able to give teachers, particularly those on the lowest wages, a 3.5% pay rise this year—the highest pay rise seen for a decade. FE colleges are set up differently. They are independent institutions that have the wherewithal to change the pay for lecturers who work within them.

--- Later in debate ---

[Elizabeth Truss]

We are doing city deals right across Scotland and they are having huge benefits for the local economy. We have also announced in the Budget a freeze in whisky duty. The question now is how the Scottish Government will respond to that in their budget tomorrow. Will they cut income tax, and will they also cut business rates?

[Andrew Selous (South West Bedfordshire) (Con)]

How many more trees will be planted as a result of investment announced in the recent Budget?

[Mr Hammond]

A very large number. I will go back to the Treasury and write to my hon. Friend with a precise figure.