Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what estimate her Department has made of the total value of fuel stolen from HGVs in 2026.

Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Home Office does not hold information on the value of fuel stolen from HGVs.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to footnote 7 to Table 5.2 of the 2025 Public Expenditure Statistical Analyses, if she will set out a timeline and completion date for improving the recording of central government academy expenditure between primary and secondary phases of education.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

Spend data for academies is reported at academy trust level. Allocating trust expenditure by phase remains challenging due to both the continuing increase in the number of academies combined with a decreasing number of academy trusts and the ability of academy trusts to incur spend on their schools’ behalf. Many academy trusts with multiple academies amalgamate funding for its academies to form one central fund. This practice can enhance a trust’s ability to allocate resources in line with improvement priorities and running costs across the trust’s constituent academies but makes apportionment of that spending by phase more challenging.

The department is exploring whether a spending apportionment using pupil numbers would provide more reliable and relevant information. If this methodology meets the standards of trustworthiness, quality and value required of accredited official statistics, we will seek to implement this for the Public Expenditure Statistical Analyses 2027.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of linking employer incentive payments to apprenticeship completion and post-qualification retention in shortage occupations within the building services engineering sector.

Answered by Andrew Western - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Work and Pensions)

The government provides a range of financial support to help employers take on apprentices, these payments are made in instalments at set apprenticeship milestones to support retention.

Foundation apprenticeships were introduced in August 2025, to give young people a route into critical sectors. Employers that take on foundation apprentices, including in building service engineering, will receive additional payments of up to £2,000. This is designed to offset the additional costs employers face whilst supporting the recruitment, retention and progression of young people, e.g. increased mentoring and pastoral care.

The payment is made in three instalments, with the first two spread across the foundation apprenticeship, and the final payment made when an apprentice progresses onto their next apprenticeship, supporting sustained employment for young people at the start of their career.

We also know that SMEs employ large numbers of young apprentices and will be critical in reversing the 40% decline in apprenticeship starts by young people that has occurred over the last decade. That is why we are introducing a new incentive of £2,000 for non-levy paying employers (essentially SMEs) that take on 16–24-year-old apprentices as new employees, to contribute to the additional costs associated with employing young people.

On top of this the government already pays £1,000 to both employers and providers for apprentices aged 16-18, and for apprentices aged 19-24 who have an Education Health Care Plan or have been, or are, in local authority care.

Both payments will be made in two equal instalments, the first at day 90 and the second at day 365 after apprenticeship started (or day 242 if apprenticeship under 12 months).

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, with reference to the University of Leeds report entitled Why doesn’t the UK make more Robots?, published in November 2025, what steps she is taking to help reduce skills gaps within the domestic robotics industry.

Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

In February 2026, Government launched the Robotics Adoption Skills Development Programme which will provide up to £2.5m for projects to develop and deliver course content and materials to support skills, talent and training in robotics. This seeks to address the skills gaps in being able to procure, integrate, operate and maintain robotics and autonomous systems. Other examples include the Manufacturing Technology Centre providing a range of robotics training and skills packages, the UK Atomic Energy Authority offering specialised robotics and remote handling courses and the ACORN accelerator which funds training and collaboration in nuclear robotics.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, with reference to the University of Leeds report entitled Why doesn’t the UK make more Robots?, published in November 2025, what steps she is taking to help tackle scaling barriers for UK-designed and manufactured robotics and autonomous systems.

Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

Government measures to support robotics firms to scale up in the UK includes crowding-in private sector investment via the British Business Bank and National Wealth Fund, both with expanded capitalisations and a mandate to support companies aligned with the Industrial Strategy. The Regulatory Innovation Office (RIO) assesses UK’s approach to regulation to ensure the regulatory system adapts to keep pace with innovation. Robotics is a current priority for RIO which will be assessing where barriers can be removed to accelerate innovation and deployment.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, with reference to the University of Leeds report entitled Why doesn’t the UK make more Robots?, published in November 2025, what steps her Department is taking to help support the domestic manufacture of robotics and autonomous systems, including to support national security and productivity.

Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

Initiatives to support manufacture of robotics and autonomous systems include the £99m Made Smarter programme which funds the development and commercialisation of industrial digital technologies, including robotics, and supports their adoption by manufacturing SMEs. The Manufacturing Technology Centre, part of the Catapult network of research centres, has launched an accelerator programme offering a range of support to develop robotics and automation solutions.

Found: Labour; Birmingham Hodge Hill and Solihull North) (Chair) Dan Aldridge (Labour; Weston-super-Mare) Antonia Bance

Found: Labour; Birmingham Hodge Hill and Solihull North) (Chair) Dan Aldridge (Labour; Weston-super-Mare) Antonia Bance

Found: risk of genocide under international law in relation to the Occupied Palestinian Territories Antonia Bance

Found: (Chair) (added 5 Mar 2025) Dan Aldridge (Labour, Weston-super-Mare) (added 27 Oct 2025) Antonia Bance

Found: 48 (95.8%) Dan Aldridge (Labour, Weston-super-Mare) (added 27 Oct 2025) 15 of 19 (78.9%) Antonia Bance

Found: Watch the meeting Members present: Liam Byrne (Chair); Dan Aldridge; Antonia Bance; Chris Bloore; John

Found: Watch the meeting Members present: Liam Byrne (Chair); Dan Aldridge; Antonia Bance; Chris Bloore; John

Found: Watch the meeting Members present: Liam Byrne (Chair); Dan Aldridge; Antonia Bance; Chris Bloore; John

Found: Watch the meeting Members present: Liam Byrne (Chair); Dan Aldridge; Antonia Bance; Chris Bloore; John

Found: Watch the meeting Members present: Liam Byrne (Chair); Dan Aldridge; Antonia Bance; Chris Bloore; John

Found: Watch the meeting Members present: Liam Byrne (Chair); Dan Aldridge; Antonia Bance; Chris Bloore; John

Found: Watch the meeting Members present: Liam Byrne (Chair); Dan Aldridge; Antonia Bance; Chris Bloore; John