Oral Answers to Questions

Bim Afolami Excerpts

Tuesday 6th February 2018 Commons Chamber

[Caroline Dinenage]

We recognise that there are pressures on our social care as the population ages. In the short term, we have of course made the extra £2 billion of funding available to local authorities; in the medium term, we need to make sure that best practice is observed across all local authorities and NHS trusts; and in the long term, we will be coming forward with a Green Paper on social care later this year.

[Bim Afolami (Hitchin and Harpenden) (Con)]

4. What steps he is taking to broaden routes into nursing.

[The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care (Mr Jeremy Hunt)]

The NHS needs more nurses, which is why we are making big changes for new entries into the profession, including the new nurse associate role and new nurse degree apprenticeships.

[Bim Afolami]

I am glad to hear that the Secretary of State values the degree apprenticeship as a way to provide further routes into nursing, but will he consider working with the Treasury and across the Government to increase the funding that educational establishments receive from the Institute for Apprenticeships for nursing courses, to further incentivise universities and colleges to offer more places on those courses?

[Mr Hunt]

I thank my hon. Friend for his excellent question. It will strengthen my hand with the Department for Education, which decides what levels of funding are made available from the Institute for Apprenticeships. It has actually given us the highest level of funding, at £27,000, but we never say no to more.