Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many starts there have been on each foundation apprenticeship standard since their launch in August 2025; and what assessment he made of the adequacy of that performance before announcing the expansion of foundation apprenticeships into hospitality and retail.

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

In August 2025 we introduced foundation apprenticeships to give young people a route into careers in critical sectors, such as construction and health and social care, enabling them to earn a wage while developing vital skills.

Foundation apprenticeships are designed to support those young people who want to gain a broad grounding in a sector before they commit to progress into a more specific or more advanced occupation.

As foundation apprenticeships are a new offer we understand providers and employers will need time to incorporate them into their businesses.

In addition, other apprenticeships continue to support young people to gain the knowledge, skills and behaviours needed for a specific occupation.

Apprenticeship and foundation apprenticeship starts are published here: Apprenticeships, Academic year 2025/26 - Explore education statistics - GOV.UK. The latest published data shows that there have been 110 foundation apprenticeship starts so far this academic year (Aug 2025 - Jan 2026).

To create more opportunities for young people at the start of their careers, we are expanding foundation apprenticeships into hospitality and retail from April 2026. These sectors traditionally employ large numbers of young people and offer strong entry points into sustained employment with clear progression routes across England.

They will have employer payments of up to £2,000 employer payment to support with the additional costs of taking on and supporting a young person at the start of their career.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to page 11 of her Department's consultation document entitled Assistive software funded through Disabled Students’ Allowance, published on 26 March 2026, what evidence supports the proposed policy position that assistive software is readily available to students; what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of the accessibility and suitability of commonly available software for students with different disabilities; and if she will set out how it will be determined that a student’s disability-related needs cannot be met by assistive software before specialist provision is funded.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The anecdotal feedback referenced in the consultation document reflects issues raised through routine engagement activities, including meetings and discussions with delivery partners, sector bodies and other stakeholders. It would not be appropriate to identify individual contributors, and no quantified count of cases has been compiled. No assessment has yet been made of the extent to which students feel overwhelmed by the volume of recommended support because the department is currently gathering the evidence that would be required to support such an assessment.

The rationale underpinning the proposed policy position that assistive software is widely available is explained in the consultation document, which is available here: https://consult.education.gov.uk/disabled-students-allowance-team/assistive-software-funded-through-disabled-student/supporting_documents/assistive_software_funded_through_dsa_consultation_march_2026pdf.

It also sets out proposals relating to considerations around the accessibility and suitability of commonly available software for students with different disabilities. Decisions on how it would be determined that a student’s disability-related needs cannot be met by such software before specialist provision is funded would be made following the conclusion of the consultation process.

An initial equality impact assessment of the proposed changes is included in the consultation document, and the department intends to develop and refine this further as the consultation progresses.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to her Department's consultation document entitled Assistive software funded through Disabled Students’ Allowance, published on 26 March 2026, whether an Impact Assessment has been conducted on the potential impact of the proposed changes to Disabled Students’ Allowance support for assistive software.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The anecdotal feedback referenced in the consultation document reflects issues raised through routine engagement activities, including meetings and discussions with delivery partners, sector bodies and other stakeholders. It would not be appropriate to identify individual contributors, and no quantified count of cases has been compiled. No assessment has yet been made of the extent to which students feel overwhelmed by the volume of recommended support because the department is currently gathering the evidence that would be required to support such an assessment.

The rationale underpinning the proposed policy position that assistive software is widely available is explained in the consultation document, which is available here: https://consult.education.gov.uk/disabled-students-allowance-team/assistive-software-funded-through-disabled-student/supporting_documents/assistive_software_funded_through_dsa_consultation_march_2026pdf.

It also sets out proposals relating to considerations around the accessibility and suitability of commonly available software for students with different disabilities. Decisions on how it would be determined that a student’s disability-related needs cannot be met by such software before specialist provision is funded would be made following the conclusion of the consultation process.

An initial equality impact assessment of the proposed changes is included in the consultation document, and the department intends to develop and refine this further as the consultation progresses.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to page 11 of her Department's consultation document entitled Assistive software funded through Disabled Students’ Allowance, published on 26 March 2026, what evidence underpins the statement that anecdotal feedback has indicated students are being recommended excessive assistive software, including the stakeholders or sources that provided this anecdotal feedback and the number of cases that contributed to this assessment; and what assessment her Department has made of the extent to which students feel overwhelmed by the volume of recommended support.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The anecdotal feedback referenced in the consultation document reflects issues raised through routine engagement activities, including meetings and discussions with delivery partners, sector bodies and other stakeholders. It would not be appropriate to identify individual contributors, and no quantified count of cases has been compiled. No assessment has yet been made of the extent to which students feel overwhelmed by the volume of recommended support because the department is currently gathering the evidence that would be required to support such an assessment.

The rationale underpinning the proposed policy position that assistive software is widely available is explained in the consultation document, which is available here: https://consult.education.gov.uk/disabled-students-allowance-team/assistive-software-funded-through-disabled-student/supporting_documents/assistive_software_funded_through_dsa_consultation_march_2026pdf.

It also sets out proposals relating to considerations around the accessibility and suitability of commonly available software for students with different disabilities. Decisions on how it would be determined that a student’s disability-related needs cannot be met by such software before specialist provision is funded would be made following the conclusion of the consultation process.

An initial equality impact assessment of the proposed changes is included in the consultation document, and the department intends to develop and refine this further as the consultation progresses.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what data her Department holds on the cost of overpayments by the Student Loans Company to students; the reasons for the overpayments being made; and the cost of the overpayment per reason.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what is the cost of (a) overpayments per academic year by the Student Loans Company to students and (b) reclaimed overpayments per academic year by the Student Loans Company since 2000.

Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

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