Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:

To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how many workers applied to the Oil and Gas Transition Training Fund during the pilot programme; and what estimate he has made of the number of workers who will be supported by the Oil and Gas Transition Training Fund in the next 12 months.

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

As of 6^th February, the Oil and Gas Transition Training Fund has received 980 applications and of these 402 have been approved so far. Following the success of the Oil and Gas Transition Training Fund pilot in Aberdeen City and Aberdeenshire UK and Scottish Governments plan to significantly scale up this and will extend the reach of the Transition Training Fund, enabling thousands more highly skilled oil and gas workers to access tailored careers advice and training to transition to new sectors.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of trends in the availability of flexible, remote or hybrid working on mothers with childcare responsibilities, including in Basingstoke; whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of (a) school hours, (b) school holidays and (c) the availability of informal childcare on women’s participation in the labour market; and whether his Department plans to take steps to help encourage employers to offer flexible roles that enable parents to (i) maintain employment, (ii) develop skills and (iii) reduce reliance on out-of-work benefits.

Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

We’re delivering a modern deal for working parents through the Employment Rights Act. Improving access to flexible working to allow parents to fit work around their family life, and employers will be expected to agree flexible working requests unless there is a clear and reasonable reason why they can’t.

Access to childcare support is essential in enabling parents to move into or progress in employment. Eligible Universal Credit (UC) customers can be reimbursed up to 85% of their registered childcare costs each month up to the maximum amounts (caps). The UC childcare offer can be used alongside the Department for Education’s early years and childcare entitlements in England to help cover costs of childcare during school holidays and before or after the school day, and there are similar offers in the Devolved Nations.

To deliver our long-term ambition, the Department for Education is leading a cross-government review of early education and childcare support to design and deliver a simpler system that maximises benefits for child development and parents’ ability to work or work more hours.

We are also investing up to £289m in Wraparound Childcare places before and after school, and during the school holidays, rolling out Free Universal Breakfast Clubs in every primary school, and spending over £200m each year on free Holiday Childcare places for our most disadvantaged children. These policies will ensure that parents have access to affordable, quality childcare so they can work, study, and train.

Found: Members present: Dame Meg Hillier (Chair); Chris Coghlan; Jim Dickson; John Glen; John Grady; Luke Murphy

Found: Harriett Baldwin; Chris Coghlan; Jim Dickson; John Glen; John Grady; Dame Siobhain McDonagh; Luke Murphy

Found: Catherine West Yuan Yang Declaration of interests Luke Murphy declared his interests, in accordance

Found: present: Dame Meg Hillier (Chair); Dame Harriett Baldwin; Jim Dickson; John Glen; John Grady; Luke Murphy

Found: Harriett Baldwin; Chris Coghlan; Bobby Dean; Jim Dickson; John Grady; Dame Siobhain McDonagh; Luke Murphy

Found: Baldwin; Chris Coghlan; Bobby Dean; Jim Dickson; John Glen; John Grady; Dame Siobhain McDonagh; Luke Murphy

Found: Baldwin; Chris Coghlan; Bobby Dean; Jim Dickson; John Glen; John Grady; Dame Siobhain McDonagh; Luke Murphy