Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 27 February 2026 to Question 113238, whether she has made an estimate of the number of multi-academy trusts which are chaired by individuals who are themselves chief executives of other multi-academy trusts.

Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)

The details of the chair of trustees and the accounting officer (CEO) of a multi-academy trust must be recorded on the Get Information About Schools service at: https://get-information-schools.service.gov.uk. The department does not hold comparative data on the numbers of accounting officers who also serve as chair of trustees for another trust.

There are no restrictions preventing the CEO of an academy trust from serving as the chair on another multi-academy trust board.

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 whether existing employer incentive payments adequately support small and micro-businesses to deliver and sustain full four-year Level 3 electrical and plumbing apprenticeships.

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

The government provides a range of financial support to help employers in all sectors to take on apprentices, including within the electrical and plumbing trades.

We are introducing a new incentive of up to £2,000 for non-levy paying employers (essentially SMEs) that take on 16–24-year-old apprentices as new employees. It will apply to apprenticeship starts from October, as long as they have joined their employer within the past 3 months. Employers hiring apprentices aged 18-24 who have been on Universal Credit for over six months will also be eligible for the new £3,000 Youth Jobs Grant from June 2026.

Additionally, from August 2026, we will fully fund apprenticeship training for non-levy paying employers (essentially SMEs) for eligible people aged 16-24. At the moment, this only happens for apprentices aged 16-21 and apprentices aged 22-24 who have an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) or have been, or are, in local authority care.

The government also pays £1,000 to both employers and providers for apprentices aged 16-18, and for apprentices aged 19-24 who have an EHCP or have been, or are, in local authority care. On top of this, employers are not required to pay anything towards employees’ National Insurance for all apprentices aged up to age 25 (when the employee’s wage is below £50,270 a year).

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the potential cumulative impact of changes to employment and administrative costs on small and micro-businesses’ recruitment and retention of electrical and plumbing apprentices.

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

The government provides a range of financial support to help employers in all sectors to take on apprentices, including within the electrical and plumbing trades.

We are introducing a new incentive of up to £2,000 for non-levy paying employers (essentially SMEs) that take on 16–24-year-old apprentices as new employees. It will apply to apprenticeship starts from October, as long as they have joined their employer within the past 3 months. Employers hiring apprentices aged 18-24 who have been on Universal Credit for over six months will also be eligible for the new £3,000 Youth Jobs Grant from June 2026.

Additionally, from August 2026, we will fully fund apprenticeship training for non-levy paying employers (essentially SMEs) for eligible people aged 16-24. At the moment, this only happens for apprentices aged 16-21 and apprentices aged 22-24 who have an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP) or have been, or are, in local authority care.

The government also pays £1,000 to both employers and providers for apprentices aged 16-18, and for apprentices aged 19-24 who have an EHCP or have been, or are, in local authority care. On top of this, employers are not required to pay anything towards employees’ National Insurance for all apprentices aged up to age 25 (when the employee’s wage is below £50,270 a year).

100th anniversary of the birth of Her late Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

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

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

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

Submit Evidence (by 18 May 2026)

At a Joint Summit in May 2025, the UK and EU agreed to a Security and Defence Partnership, and published a “Common Understanding”, setting out shared commitments to deepen cooperation. Progress since that initial summit has been limited, with core areas for agreement still to conclude. 

Submit Evidence (by 18 May 2026)

The Business and Trade Committee is conducting its bi-annual stock take on the UK-US economic and trade agreements, building on its baseline report US Economic Prosperity Deal (HC 1306, 2024–26).