Oral Answers to Questions Debate

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Department: Department for Education

Oral Answers to Questions

Chris Skidmore Excerpts
Tuesday 15th September 2015

(9 years, 2 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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Nick Boles Portrait The Minister for Skills (Nick Boles)
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The hon. Gentleman will know that under the previous Government we had apprenticeships that did not even involve an employer and that lasted a few months. This Government have introduced a 12-month minimum. They have put employers in charge of developing apprenticeship standards so that apprentices learn skills that employers value, and they are introducing an apprenticeship levy to ensure that there is funding for the 3 million apprenticeships that will benefit his constituents.

Chris Skidmore Portrait Chris Skidmore (Kingswood) (Con)
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T9. The current law allows for strikes to be called by unions on the basis of a mandate for industrial action that was secured up to two years ago. That is unfair on those whose lives are inconvenienced by strikes on which a vote was taken years ago. Does my hon. Friend agree —[Interruption.] The Corbynistas on the Opposition Benches should calm down. Does he agree that strikes should take place only on the basis of a current mandate?

John Bercow Portrait Mr Speaker
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I do not think that the hon. Member for Huddersfield (Mr Sheerman) has ever previously been so described.