Question to the Scotland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, whether his Department has has discussions with Scottish Government on levels of availability of accredited training providers for skilled trades.

Answered by Kirsty McNeill - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Scotland Office)

The Scotland Office and the Department for Work and Pensions maintain regular engagement with the Scottish Government on issues relating to Scotland’s skills development. While decisions on the provision and accreditation of training providers are a matter for the Scottish Government, the UK Government continues to work constructively with the devolved governments to support skills development and economic growth across the UK.

Question to the Scotland Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what engagement his department has had with the Department for Education regarding accessing apprenticeship training through English providers where there is no alternative provider in Scotland.

Answered by Kirsty McNeill - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Scotland Office)

The responsibility for skills policy, and the provision of apprenticeship training in Scotland, lies with the Scottish Government as a devolved matter. Funding for apprenticeships and providers in Scotland are a devolved responsibility. UK Government officials, including those from DWP responsible for apprenticeships, regularly meet their counterparts in the devolved administrations to discuss issues, including eligibility.

Apprenticeship schemes in England are available to eligible learners working most of their time in England, including those who live in other parts of the UK. Due to devolved funding arrangements, learners based in Scotland who do not work in England are not eligible for funding for an English apprenticeship, even in cases where a comparable training provider does not exist in Scotland.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what engagement his department has had with devolved administrations regarding to access to apprenticeship programmes in England for roles where there is a critical shortage of fully trained tradespeople.

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

Funding for apprenticeships and skills is a devolved matter. This government is committed to engaging with the devolved governments on skills policy, including on the development of the growth and skills levy for England, to share best practice and support one another in boosting growth and spreading opportunity throughout the UK.

St Patrick's Primary Sporting Gold

Found: Lamont (Conservative; Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk) Tom Morrison (Liberal Democrat; Cheadle) Katrina Murray

Found: James Asser; Bambos Charalambous; Sir Christopher Chope; Tracy Gilbert; Gurinder Singh Josan; Katrina Murray

Submit Evidence (by 1 Jun 2026)

Reconciliation remains central to the vision of the Belfast/Good Friday Agreement, whose multi‑party negotiators affirmed that lasting peace in Northern Ireland depended not only on strong political structures but on honouring those who suffered “the tragedies of the past” by “dedicating ourselves to the achievement of reconciliation, tolerance, and mutual trust, and to the protection and vindication of the human rights of all. (The Belfast Agreement - GOV.UK, p.1)