Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how many British Coal Staff Superannuation Scheme recipients there are in each constituency.

Answered by Miatta Fahnbulleh - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)

The number of scheme members in each constituency is listed in the attached table. This information is from the scheme trustees and correct as at 30 October 2024. Some of these scheme members will not yet be in receipt of their pension, but we do not have a breakdown of that information at constituency level.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has set a minimum quality threshold under the apprenticeship accountability framework for training providers to continue offering new starts on a standard in the apprenticeship programme in England for the academic year 2025-26; and when she plans to communicate information about the required threshold to providers.

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

The Apprenticeship Accountability Framework (AAF) is the department’s main tool for improving apprenticeship quality. The AAF evaluates Qualification Achievement Rates alongside nine other quality indicators, such as Ofsted outcomes, withdrawal rates and feedback from apprentices and employers, using updated data throughout the year.

The AAF sets minimum thresholds for each quality indicator, reflecting the department's baseline expectations for apprenticeship quality. If a provider's performance falls below these thresholds, it triggers a management conversation between the department and the provider, rather than an automatic cessation of starts on a standard.

The quality indicators and their minimum thresholds are detailed in the Apprenticeship Accountability Framework and Specification, which is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/apprenticeship-training-provider-accountability-framework/apprenticeship-training-provider-accountability-framework-and-specification--2#accountability-policy-for-apprenticeship-training-providers. The department will continually review these indicators and thresholds, using the latest available data from the current and previous academic years, while considering sector consultation and feedback to ensure they are appropriately set.

Any changes to the AAF, including updates to quality indicators and their minimum thresholds, will be communicated to the sector.

British Coal Staff Superannuation Scheme

Found: Airdrie and Shotts) (Lab) • Mike Tapp (Dover and Deal) (Lab) • Matt Vickers (Stockton West) (Con) • Jo White

Found: Collinge Gill Furniss Katrina Murray Lillian Jones David Smith Joani Reid Euan Stainbank Jo White

Found: Collinge Gill Furniss Katrina Murray Lillian Jones David Smith Joani Reid Euan Stainbank Jo White

Found: Collinge Gill Furniss Katrina Murray Lillian Jones David Smith Joani Reid Euan Stainbank Jo White

Found: Collinge Gill Furniss Katrina Murray Lillian Jones David Smith Joani Reid Euan Stainbank Jo White

Found: Collinge Gill Furniss Katrina Murray Lillian Jones David Smith Joani Reid Euan Stainbank Jo White

Found: Collinge Gill Furniss Katrina Murray Lillian Jones David Smith Joani Reid Euan Stainbank Jo White

Found: Collinge Gill Furniss Katrina Murray Lillian Jones David Smith Joani Reid Euan Stainbank Jo White

Found: Collinge Gill Furniss Katrina Murray Lillian Jones David Smith Joani Reid Euan Stainbank Jo White

Found: Collinge Gill Furniss Katrina Murray Lillian Jones David Smith Joani Reid Euan Stainbank Jo White

Found: Collinge Gill Furniss Katrina Murray Lillian Jones David Smith Joani Reid Euan Stainbank Jo White

Found: Collinge Gill Furniss Katrina Murray Lillian Jones David Smith Joani Reid Euan Stainbank Jo White

Found: Collinge Gill Furniss Katrina Murray Lillian Jones David Smith Joani Reid Euan Stainbank Jo White