Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department holds data on (a) apprenticeship completion rates and (b) apprenticeship completion rates for apprentices with one or more Functional Skills Qualifications requirements.

Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The apprenticeship ‘National achievement rate tables’, which includes achievement rates, are published in the Apprenticeships statistics publication: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/apprenticeships/2023-24.

The department does not hold information on apprenticeship achievement rates for apprenticeships with specific functional skills qualifications requirements.

In November 2024, indicative achievement rates for apprenticeships where an English and/or mathematics component aim was present were published here: https://content.explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/api/releases/bfd06312-7732-41bc-97e7-94a6d85d2400/files/ffbc3754-8edb-4110-96af-1c1558f185bf. There was an indicative achievement rate of 42% for apprenticeship standards where an English and/or mathematics aim was taken alongside an apprenticeship in the 2022/23 year.

Please note:

(1) The 42% figure is not directly comparable with those published in the National achievement rate tables and is indicative only. For all apprenticeship standards for 2022/23 the achievement rate was 54%.

(2) English/mathematics aims include some that are not Functional Skills Qualifications.

(3) The department cannot differentiate between English/mathematics aims that are taken as a mandatory requirement of the apprenticeship and those that are not.

(4) Wider functional skills qualifications (i.e. Digital Functional Skills) are not included in these figures.

(5) 2022/23 is the Hybrid End Year. The Hybrid End Year is the later of the Achievement Year, Expected End Year, Actual End Year or Reporting Year of a programme.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether her Department has plans to increase the fees available for people working as First-tier Tribunal members while claiming the Employment and Support Allowance.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

Customers working as a member of the First-tier Tribunal can receive ESA if they work no more than one full day, or two half days, in a working week. They have a weekly £20 disregard applied to their earnings and the remaining amount is deducted penny for penny from the customer’s ESA entitlement.

There are no current plans to increase the earnings disregard amount beyond £20.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure that amateur athletes have access to an effective screening programme for cardiac conditions.

Answered by Ashley Dalton - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The UK National Screening Committee (UK NSC) last reviewed screening for sudden cardiac death (SCD) in people under the age of 39 years old in 2019, and concluded that screening should not be offered. Further information is available at the following link:

https://view-health-screening-recommendations.service.gov.uk/sudden-cardiac-death/

Research showed that the current tests are not accurate enough to use in young people without symptoms, and that treatments and interventions to prevent SCD were not based on good scientific evidence.

To stop SCDs in young people, the current consensus is to focus on rapid identification and care of people who are likely to be at risk of SCD, due to a family link or because they have had symptoms, and to train people to carry out cardiopulmonary resuscitation and to use defibrillators.

NHS England has published guidance for inherited cardiac conditions which requires services to investigate patients with a previously undiagnosed cardiac disease, suggestive symptoms, or those from families with sudden unexplained deaths. Where a genetic variation is identified, cascade testing is offered to relatives based on risk.

We are aware that the UK NSC has received a submission via its annual call process to consider SCD screening in young people aged 14 to 35 years old engaging in sport. The UK NSC is currently reviewing all annual call proposals. Further information on the annual call process is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-nsc-annual-call-submitting-a-screening-proposal/uk-nsc-annual-call-how-to-submit-a-proposal

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what steps his Department is taking to support the space industry in Cornwall.

Answered by Chris Bryant - Minister of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

During the current spending period, the Government has invested over £6.9 million to support the Cornwall region to develop its local space capabilities, enabling Spaceport Cornwall to conduct the first ever orbital launch attempt from UK soil and supporting Goonhilly Earth Station Ltd to deliver deep space commercial services. The cluster is also being supported to attract investment from international space companies, and progress Cornwall’s strategic ambitions to become a global leader in satellite operations and communications and the testing and development of spaceflight systems.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether there is any recourse to funding available to people wishing to buy a pub in their village in the context of the closure of the Community Ownership Fund.

Answered by Alex Norris - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

Community groups seeking funding to preserve community assets, including community pubs, can continue to use the guidance and tools available through the Community Ownership Fund development support provider on the MyCommunity site.

These tools have been designed to help any organisation seeking to save an asset that is important to them and their local community and will remain available beyond the programme. The development support provider may also be able to help to suggest alternative sources of funding that organisations could look to secure.

This Government remains committed to the communities’ sector and to community empowerment. The Devolution White Paper, which was published on 16 December 2024, set out plans which demonstrate our commitment. There will be further announcements relating to communities this year, including on the community ownership of assets.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether the HSE plans to expedite its assessment of the European Chemicals Agency Risk Assessment Committee proposal to reclassify lithium salts as Category A reproductive toxicants.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

The three lithium substances (lithium carbonate, lithium hydroxide and lithium chloride) referred to above, do not currently have mandatory classification and labelling in Great Britain (GB). HSE specialists are considering the need to fully evaluate the available data using the Article 37A process under the GB Classification, Labelling and Packaging Regulation (GB CLP) following publication of the Agency Opinion by HSE in August 2023 to determine whether mandatory classification and labelling is warranted.

Certificate of Common Sponsorship

Found: present: Alistair Carmichael (Chair); Sarah Bool; Charlie Dewhirst; Helena Dollimore; Sarah Dyke; Jayne Kirkham