Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will provide a list of training programmes used by civil servants in her department since 2020.
Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
The department offers a wide range of training and development opportunities to our employees across a broad curriculum. The majority of this training is delivered through the cross‑government Civil Service Learning platform, which can be accessed at Skills for Government here: https://prospectus.governmentcampus.co.uk/find-out-more/skills-for-government/.
Core learning areas accessed by the department include:
• Planning and delivery
• Leadership
• Communication
• Working with Parliament and government
• Grant management
• Problem solving
• Line management
• Developing behaviours
• Information, data and analysis
• Change management and agility
• Budget management
• Contract management
• Stakeholder and customer engagement
• IT software skills
• Artificial intelligence.
In addition, directorates and professional functions across the department commission or access bespoke training where required to meet specialist, technical or role‑specific needs.
Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if she will provide a list of training programmes used by civil servants in her department since 2020.
Answered by Lucy Rigby - Economic Secretary (HM Treasury)
The diverse nature of roles in HM Treasury means training is often provided at team-level rather than being centrally managed. As such, a list of all training courses is not readily available centrally and the information requested cannot be obtained without disproportionate cost.
Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has used artificial intelligence to assist with drafting (a) legislation and (b) policy in the last 12 months.
Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
The department recognises the opportunities for productivity and efficiency enabled by effective deployment of artificial intelligence (AI). Any use of AI is undertaken in line with relevant government guidance on security and transparency, and under appropriate oversight. The department has made proportionate use of AI‑enabled tools to support tasks such as information retrieval and summarisation. These tools are used to assist officials and do not replace decision making or professional expertise
The drafting of primary and secondary legislation is often the responsibility of a large number of officials across government departments. A range of tools are used to assist with this drafting, including AI which is most commonly used to check, critique, and otherwise interrogate drafts.
While AI can be used to assist with the drafting of legislation, the production of the draft remains the responsibility of a lead human drafter to meet the high standards expected of government legislation.
All secondary legislation is subject to established governance arrangements and are drafted and finalised under the responsibility of qualified lawyers.
It is Parliament's responsibility to scrutinise and amend legislation as it sees necessary.
Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if he will publish a list of training programmes used by civil servants in his Department since 2020.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Over this period, the majority of the training has been delivered via the Government Campus’ Learning Framework. The listed training includes e-learning, in-person training, live virtual training, and structured programmes involving various sessions. Some sessions have been run on a closed basis, just for DIT/DBT staff and others have involved an individual member of staff going taking a place on a cross-government course.
The attached document sets out a list of the training programmes undertaken via the framework in this period for DBT staff and for staff in DIT prior to the formal creation of DBT in Feb 2023. We do not have access to pre-DBT data from the former BEIS.
If an application is made to Government Campus and they agree that the specific learning need cannot be met via the Learning Framework, alternative training can be procured, subject to commercial rules. There is no central record of what training has been undertaken by DBT civil servants under this provision as a significant amount of learning is organised and funded at the level of individual teams.
Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will publish a list of training programmes used by civil servants in his Department since 2020.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Department’s approach to learning, development, and training programmes is designed to build a highly skilled, confident workforce. The Department has progressively strengthened its offer since 2020 through the introduction and iteration of the Core Skills Programme. The training programme focuses on developing profession specific and working in Government skills.
In addition to departmental learning provisions, business areas are allocated devolved learning and development budgets, enabling them to prioritise training that addresses their own identified capability needs. These individual training requirements tend to be job-specific, personal development, technical, qualifications, or accreditation based, or subject matter expertise related, such as specific policy areas.
A full list of departmental provision since 2020 is provided below, and this is in addition to courses that can be booked individually through Civil Service Learning, the cross Civil Service Learning Platform:
- Management Fundamentals 2020;
- New Manager Programme 2021;
- Experienced Manager Programme 2021;
- Foundation Management Programme 2023;
- Practitioner Management Programme 2023;
- Department of Health and Social Care Management Fundamentals 2023;
- ACAS Line Manager training 2023;
- Core Skills Programme 2023 to present, covering policy, digital, project delivery, commercial, analysis and finance, and working in Government skills;
- the Department’s Management Academy, Managing Change Programme 2023 to 2024, to strengthen capability in leading people through organisational change;
- People Policies Workshop 2025 to present, for line-management learning intervention focused on practical application of core people policies; and
- Leadership Development Programme, which is ongoing.
The Department also delivers a number of talent schemes which incorporate formal training and development programmes alongside on‑the‑job experience. These schemes are designed to build future capability in priority professions and leadership pipelines, supporting individuals at different career stages, including both delegated grades and Senior Civil Servants (SCS), through a combination of a defined learning curriculum, practical development, and coaching and mentoring. A list of departmental talent schemes that have delivered training programmes since 2020 is set out below. For delegated grade talent schemes, they are as follows:
- Health Policy Fast Track Scheme;
- Civil Service Fast Stream;
- Future Leaders Scheme;
- Beyond Boundaries;
- Interdepartmental Talent Programme;
- Summer Internship Programme;
- Autism Exchange Internship Programme;
- Care Leavers Internship Scheme; and
- Civil Service Apprenticeship Programmes.
And for SCS talent schemes, the programmes are as follows:
- Senior Leaders Scheme;
- Directors Leadership Programme;
- Forward Institute Exchange Programme ;
- Forward Institute Fellowship;
- Individual Development Programme;
- OpDel Exchange Programme;
- Policy Fellowship for the Centre for Science and Policy;
- Whitehall and Industry Group Senior Leaders Programme;
- Whitehall and Industry Group Exchange Programme; and
- High Potential Development Scheme.
Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if he will publish a list of training programmes used by civil servants in his Department since 2023.
Answered by Michael Shanks - Minister of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an estimate of the potential cost to the public purse of industrial action by resident doctors in (a) 2024 and (b) 2025.
Answered by Karin Smyth - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
In 2024, the cost of industrial action by resident doctors was approximately £180 million. In 2025, there were three rounds of industrial action, in July, November, and December, each of five days. We have estimated industrial action costs at £50 million per day, so the total estimated cost for 2025 is £750 million.
Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department has used artificial intelligence to assist with drafting (a) legislation and (b) policy in the last 12 months.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
It has not proved possible to respond to the Rt hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if she will provide a list of training programmes used by civil servants in her department since 2020.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether their Department has used artificial intelligence to assist with drafting (a) legislation and (b) policy in the past 12 months.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
It has not proved possible to respond to the Rt Hon Member in the time available before Prorogation