Tuesday 19th March 2019

(5 years, 9 months ago)

Ministerial Corrections
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Vicky Ford Portrait Vicky Ford
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Given that the UK has one of the lowest levels of women engineers anywhere in Europe, what steps are being taken to encourage girls to study physics as well as maths at A-level?

Anne Milton Portrait Anne Milton
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It is extremely important that girls and women have exactly the same opportunities and are represented at all levels, not only in engineering. We know that 44% of our STEM ambassadors are female, and we are investing in programmes such as the advanced maths support programme and the stimulating physics network, both of which help to increase participation, particularly among girls. I have seen lots of apprentices over the past week, and interestingly, more than a quarter of the apprentices in STEM subjects are women.

[Official Report, 11 March 2019, Vol. 656, c. 2.]

Letter of correction from the Minister for Apprenticeships and Skills:

An error has been identified in the response I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Chelmsford (Vicky Ford).

The correct response should have been:

Anne Milton Portrait Anne Milton
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It is extremely important that girls and women have exactly the same opportunities and are represented at all levels, not only in engineering. We know that 44% of our STEM ambassadors are female, and we are investing in programmes such as the advanced maths support programme and the stimulating physics network, both of which help to increase participation, particularly among girls. I have seen lots of apprentices over the past week, and interestingly, 8.9% of apprentices in STEM subjects are women.

School Funding: Distribution

The following is an extract from Education Questions on 11 March 2019.

Rosena Allin-Khan Portrait Dr Allin-Khan
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I am here on behalf of Balham Nursery School and Children’s Centre in my constituency, which knows that it has guaranteed funding until 2020, but is deeply concerned about what will happen going forward. The people there do an incredible job bridging the attainment gap between disadvantaged children and their peers, so what assurances can the Minister provide them with today?