Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Graeme Downie and Janet Daby

Monday 10th March 2025 Commons Chamber

[Graeme Downie (Dunfermline and Dollar) (Lab)]

T4. The Prime Minister’s welcome announcement over the past couple of weeks of an increase in defence spending creates both an opportunity and a challenge for the Department, as well as for the whole skills system in this country. Will the Secretary of State please outline how she will work with the Ministry of Defence to ensure that gap is filled? In particular, how will she ensure that the Scottish Government in Edinburgh take proper action on defence skills, as they have failed to do over the past 17 years?

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Education (Janet Daby)]

My hon. Friend is right. The first set of statistics released under the Labour Government shows that apprenticeship starts, participation and achievements are all on the up, compared with the same period under the Tories. We have celebrated by going further and faster to cut red tape, so that up to 10,000 more apprentices can achieve each year. That is a clear contrast to the failures that we saw under the Tories for 14 years and the continued failure of the SNP. It is time for change in Scotland, and only Labour can deliver that change.