Nic Dakin

The Family Test is an integral part of the policy making process and is applied in a proportionate way in the development of all new policy in line with the Family Test guidance, published by DWP –

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/368894/family-test-guidance.pdf.

Homophobia has no place on a university campus, nor anywhere else. This is a serious matter where a zero tolerance approach is required. Universities are already tackling the issue through a range of initiatives, including working with expert organisations such as Stonewall.

Universities have duties through the Equality Act 2010 and in particular the Public Sector Equality Duty applies to publicly funded universities and requires them to have “due regard” to the need to eliminate discrimination, harassment and victimisation of students on the grounds of sexual orientation. Institutions themselves are responsible for making sure that their policies and practice meet their legal duties.

However, more can be done. The Department is working with Universities UK, the body that represents universities, which has established a task force to explore what more can be done by universities to address harassment. The task force, which will involve the Department along with students and relevant sector bodies, will look at harassment in all its forms whether related to gender, religion and belief, sexual orientation or disability. Although it is for the task force to decide what the outcomes will be it is likely that the focus will be on practical actions to support universities to combat these issues and to safeguard students.

The Area reviews which were announced on 20 July are primarily focused on further education and sixth form colleges to ensure that there is a high quality and financially resilient set of colleges in each area. However each review will consider a broader analysis of the wider post -16 provision including school and university offer. Under the guidance that we have published on 8 September we have set out the process and expectation that other providers, such as free schools with 16-19 provision and university technical colleges can opt in to the review process.

We expect the analysis about providers not in scope to help in wider deliberations about the area which will be considered by the Regional Schools Commissioner, local authorities, Local Enterprise Partnerships and of course the providers themselves

Further details on the implementation of the apprenticeships levy will be set out later this year.

The Department does not produce forecasts for Further Education & Skills learner numbers.

Owing to its historic nature, asbestos deposits are present within the Palace of Westminster. The Parliamentary Estates Directorate operates an Asbestos Management Plan which it uses to safely manage asbestos across the whole of the parliamentary estate, in full compliance with the Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012.

During the successful installation of new, modern equipment in the plant room that supplies the Chamber and adjacent offices, a series of asbestos reassurance tests have been carried out. Traces of asbestos were recently found in the ventilation trunking, but extensive sampling at the vents has provided very high confidence that it is not becoming airborne.

Professor R J Willey, Managing Director of ACS Physical Risk Control Ltd has undertaken an urgent review of the evidence, and concluded: “It is my considered Opinion that, after the discovery, proper procedures were timeously followed. Detailed investigation of the results of air tests taken, over a considerable period following the discovery, show quite conclusively that there was negligible risk to any persons supplied with air from the duct system. Providing current conditions are maintained, there will be negligible risk to any persons supplied with air in the future from the duct system.”

The Commission and the House authorities regard the safety of Members, staff and the visiting public as their highest priority. Steps have therefore been taken to ensure that the ventilation system is not disturbed in any way. Steps will also be taken to eradicate the asbestos in the trunking by the end of 2015, but in the meantime we are content with this authoritative advice that there is no reason to stop using the Chamber, or the adjacent offices and spaces.

The Government is open to all ideas to improve our democratic system. However, online voting has been piloted in various countries, including the UK, and concerns have been raised concerning integrity, security and cost. Therefore, whilst online voting may be something for the Government to consider in the future, it has not been a priority in the Government’s programme.

The Skills Funding Agency does not allocate funding to specific geographical areas. The Agency allocates funding to colleges and training providers, some of whom operate on very local geographic footprints, whilst others provide training and skills services to learners and employers across the country. College and training providers are required to work with local enterprise partnerships and local stakeholders to ensure that what they deliver locally is responding to local needs.

The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills does not hold information on the entry criteria for higher education courses.

The DVLA pilot scheme aims to support Electoral Registration Officers in fulfilling their responsibilities for improving the accuracy and completeness of the electoral register. The evaluation will be published in due course and any considerations to extend this scheme will depend on the outcome of the pilots.

Energy intensive industries already benefit from compensation for the indirect cost of the EU ETS and the Carbon Price Floor. As announced in Budget, Government is seeking to compensate electricity intensive industries (EIIs) for the indirect costs of the Renewables Obligation (RO) and Feed in Tariff (FiT). Government is also seeking to exempt EIIs from the costs of Contracts for Difference (CfDs) - both compensations are subject to consultation and state aid approval.

The 2016/17 timescale takes into account the time it may take EU for state aid clearance, as it took 18 months to obtain European state aid clearance for the Carbon Price Floor. Government will keep the timetable under review and press for the earliest possible resolution.

My rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State has not received any recent direct representations from industry regarding the effect of load management on performance and industry.

National Grid recently announced two new balancing services to balance supply and demand in the coming winters. One of these, Demand Side Balancing Reserve (DSBR), will extend existing arrangements for companies to receive payment to reduce their electricity use or switch to on-site generators for short periods when instructed by National Grid.

Responsibility for the Ministerial Code rests with the Prime Minister. The Ministerial Code sets out the standards of propriety and behaviour expected of all Ministers and was updated and re-issued by the Prime Minister on 23 August.

The updated Code includes a new section setting out the policy for ministers taking parental leave and other extended absences from Government, as well as a number of updates, including obligations related to Cabinet confidentiality and the acceptance of foreign decorations.

I refer the Honourable Member to the answer given to PQ286680 9 September 2019

For National Security Vetting purposes, Government policy does not define the terms ‘overthrowing’ or ‘undermining’ in any manner more explicit than the terms already indicate. The question asked of vetting candidates refers to ‘political, industrial or violent means’ and this offers context for prospective candidates to understand what types of activities are being referred to.

There are too many hypothetical examples for a comprehensive list to be feasible. Each candidate is assessed on a case by case basis, giving due regard to the guidance offered by the classified Vetting Decision Framework. Where candidates disclose a potentially adverse association of any kind, assessment of their suitability to hold a security clearance will take into account:

1. the nature and closeness of the association in question;

2. the self-stated or privately stated aims of individuals or organisations that wish to replace the United Kingdom’s current parliamentary political system; and

3. the assessments of relevant agencies involved in investigating or monitoring such individuals or organisations.

An example of ‘undermining parliamentary democracy’ would be if the vetting candidate disclosed that a family member had historic links to violent extremist groups.

All civil servants and special advisers who are subject to National Security Vetting are asked the following three questions as part of the clearance process:

“Have you ever been involved in actions intended to overthrow or undermine Parliamentary democracy by political, industrial or violent means?”

“Have you ever been a member of, or supported, a group or groups involved in any of the above activities?”

“Have you ever had a close association with anyone, including a member of your family, who, to your knowledge, has been a member of or given active support to any such group or activities?”

National Security Vetting is a prerequisite for employment in a large subset of Civil Service roles, including sensitive posts and special advisers. For less sensitive roles that do not require vetting, these assurances are not asked of prospective candidates.

The Government is working hard to make sure that UK producers of steel have the best possible chance of competing for contracts.

In 2015, we introduced the steel procurement guidelines (Procurement Policy Note 16/15, revised in 2016) to level the playing field for UK steel producers by requiring public authorities to include wider social and economic benefits in their procurement decisions, not just price. This means UK firms can compete more effectively with international suppliers for major projects.

However, the Cabinet Office itself does not buy steel and consequently we will not be signing the UK Steel Charter.

We have regular discussions about the procurement of steel with the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, which has asked all government departments to consider guidance on steel procurement and to notify of any upcoming opportunities for industry.

More broadly, the government is committed to supporting the steel sector to realise the broader commercial opportunities that are open to it, which could be worth an additional £3.8 billion a year by 2030. We are establishing the Industrial Energy Transformation Fund – backed by up to £315m of investment – to help businesses with high energy use (including steel companies) to cut their bills and transition UK industry to a low carbon future.

We are also providing up to £66m through the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund to help steel and other foundation industries develop radical new technologies.

Government departments continue to work throughout the year, whether or not Parliament is in recess.

Four members of the Science and Technology Honours Committee are scientists by background. Membership of the Committee can be found at https://www.gov.uk/guidance/honours-committees.

The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.

No.

It is longstanding and established practice that Ministers are accompanied by officials when meeting foreign Government Ministers and officials.

This information is not held centrally.

All public authorities are required to implement government guidelines that set out how government buyers should source steel for major projects so that the true value of UK steel is taken into account in major procurement decisions.

Officials in my Department have liaised with the Department for Work and Pensions as the lead Department for the Family Test to embed it into the policy process. This has included training officials on applying the Test, disseminating relevant evidence, learning materials and best practice.

We recognise that industrial consumers currently pay higher electricity prices than elsewhere in the EU. No specific assessment has been made on the impact of electricity price differential on UK steel sector’s competitiveness.

The ability of our steel industry to compete globally and across Europe is a priority for this Government. We therefore provide electricity cost compensation and exemption support to maintain the UK’s reputation as an attractive location for these businesses.

We have a number of funds available to energy intensive industries, including steel, to help them increase energy efficiency and transition to a low carbon future. These funds include the £315 million Industrial Energy Transformation Fund, the Industrial Heat Recovery Support Programme and the recently announced £250 million Clean Steel Fund.

With around 60 domestic suppliers in the market households can make big reductions to their bills when they switch and save. As we continue to work with Ofgem to reform the sector our price cap on standard variable tariffs protects people who can’t or don’t switch, saving them between £75-£100 per year, in addition to the protection provided by the pre-payment meter price cap.

The Government is also committed to minimising energy costs for businesses. We are consulting on the final design of the £315 million Industrial Energy Transformation Fund to support businesses with high energy use to cut their bills and emissions. This is in addition to the steps we have taken to reduce the cumulative impact of energy and climate change policies on industrial electricity prices for key Energy Intensive Industries (EIIs) in sectors such as steel, plastics, cement and chemicals. This includes a package of relief for EIIs worth over £900 million since 2013 until the end of financial year 2018/19.

We have not made a specific assessment of the effect of higher electricity prices on the steel industry. The ability of our steel industry to compete globally and across Europe is a priority for this Government. We therefore provide electricity cost compensation and exemption support to maintain the UK’s reputation as an attractive location for these businesses. We also have a number of funds available, or in development, that support energy intensive industries, including steel, to help them increase energy efficiency and transition to a low carbon future. These funds include the £315 million Industrial Energy Transformation Fund, the Industrial Heat Recovery Support Programme and the recently announced £250 million Clean Steel Fund.

This Government is committed to delivering net zero emissions by 2050 which will require significant effort in all sectors. We are currently considering next steps in the light of the recent commitment to net zero. In power, we have made great progress in decarbonising electricity generation whilst meeting demand, and over half our electricity generation was from low-carbon sources last year, up from 23% in 2010.

As we continue to reduce emissions the exact mix of the electricity system will be affected by the approach to decarbonisation in other sectors, technology costs and the emergence of new technologies. It is not for government to prescribe the proportion of generation that will come from any specific technology in 2050; rather the role of government will be to enable the market to deliver the levels of deployment required whilst minimising both emissions and systems costs.

A diverse mix is likely to be required. We agree with the CCC Net Zero report that the falling cost of renewables means that they are likely to provide the majority of capacity in any low cost, low carbon system. Renewable generation would be complimented with firm low-carbon generation provided from sources such as nuclear and gas or biomass generation with carbon capture, usage and storage. In addition, we expect to see a significant increase in the levels of flexibility and storage in the electricity system.

We will be setting out our more detailed plans in due course in a future White Paper.

We are looking carefully at the analysis in the UK Steel report. The Government is committed to minimising energy costs for businesses to ensure our economy remains strong and competitive. Our policies include providing electricity cost compensation and exemption support to maintain the UK’s reputation as an attractive location for energy intensive industries including steel. The £315 million Industrial Energy Transformation Fund will also support businesses with high energy use to cut their bills and emissions.

The Government is committed to minimising energy costs for businesses to ensure our economy remains strong and competitive.

Network charging is a matter for Ofgem as the independent regulator, and we continue to support Ofgem to enable all interested parties to engage in its work to reform network charging arrangements.

Our assessment is that both exempting electricity intensive industries from Capacity Market costs and providing 100% compensation for the indirect costs of carbon would not be compatible with current State aid guidelines. The Capacity Market will ensure that all energy consumers – including the steel sector – benefit from a secure and affordable supply of electricity. Eligible businesses in the steel sector already benefit from the maximum rate of compensation for the indirect costs of carbon that is allowable under current State aid guidelines. The £315 million Industrial Energy Transformation Fund will also support businesses with high energy use to cut their bills and emissions.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

I am responding in relation the Departmental headquarters building at 1 Victoria Street, London SW1H 0ET, where most staff are based.

Energy is supplied by Corona (gas) and EDF (electricity), and the total carbon emissions for 2018/19 was 2607.31 tonnes of CO2e. The Department does not hold the figure for how much of this specifically relates to energy consumption.

The Department uses the Crown Commercial Services energy frameworks for the supply of utilities, which can be used to secure the supply of energy from renewable resources. The Department is committed to reducing the impact of its operations on the environment and achieving net zero emissions by 2025, which is why from 1 October 2019, electricity will be supplied solely from renewable resources. In addition, work is already underway to source the gas supply solely from renewable resources.

The Department has established a cross-departmental programme of measures to achieve its net zero emissions commitment, including measures to increase energy efficiency, such as: replacing all lighting with LED bulbs managed by presence and daylight-saving monitors; and the installation of a fully automated energy management system.

This Government is committed to maintaining and enhancing workers’ rights after the UK leaves the EU. The Working Time Directive is transposed into UK law through the Working Time Regulations 1998. The EU (Withdrawal) Act 2018 ensures that these and other Regulations will be retained when the UK leaves the EU.

Between 2005 and 2010, industrial electricity prices rose by 64 per cent. Including taxes, industrial electricity prices rose from 4.77 pence per kWh in 2005 to 7.84 pence per kWh in 2010 while between 2010 and 2017, industrial electricity prices (including taxes) have risen from 7.84 to 9.79 pence per kWh.

The steel sector has received more than £291 million in compensation since 2013 to make energy costs more competitive [accurate as at 31/05/19], including over £53 million during 2018. Last year we announced the Industrial Energy Transformation Fund worth up to £315 million to support businesses with high energy use to transition to a low carbon future and to cut their bills through increased energy efficiency.

Between 2005 and 2010, industrial electricity prices rose by 64 per cent. Including taxes, industrial electricity prices rose from 4.77 pence per kWh in 2005 to 7.84 pence per kWh in 2010 while between 2010 and 2017, industrial electricity prices (including taxes) have risen from 7.84 to 9.79 pence per kWh.

The steel sector has received more than £291 million in compensation since 2013 to make energy costs more competitive [accurate as at 31/05/19], including over £53 million during 2018. Last year we announced the Industrial Energy Transformation Fund worth up to £315 million to support businesses with high energy use to transition to a low carbon future and to cut their bills through increased energy efficiency.

Between 2005 and 2010, industrial electricity prices rose by 64 per cent. Including taxes, industrial electricity prices rose from 4.77 pence per kWh in 2005 to 7.84 pence per kWh in 2010 while between 2010 and 2017, industrial electricity prices (including taxes) have risen from 7.84 to 9.79 pence per kWh.

The steel sector has received more than £291 million in compensation since 2013 to make energy costs more competitive [accurate as at 31/05/19], including over £53 million during 2018. Last year we announced the Industrial Energy Transformation Fund worth up to £315 million to support businesses with high energy use to transition to a low carbon future and to cut their bills through increased energy efficiency.

Between 2005 and 2010, industrial electricity prices rose by 64 per cent. Including taxes, industrial electricity prices rose from 4.77 pence per kWh in 2005 to 7.84 pence per kWh in 2010 while between 2010 and 2017, industrial electricity prices (including taxes) have risen from 7.84 to 9.79 pence per kWh.

The steel sector has received more than £291 million in compensation since 2013 to make energy costs more competitive [accurate as at 31/05/19], including over £53 million during 2018. Last year we announced the Industrial Energy Transformation Fund worth up to £315 million to support businesses with high energy use to transition to a low carbon future and to cut their bills through increased energy efficiency.

Between 2005 and 2010, industrial electricity prices rose by 64 per cent. Including taxes, industrial electricity prices rose from 4.77 pence per kWh in 2005 to 7.84 pence per kWh in 2010 while between 2010 and 2017, industrial electricity prices (including taxes) have risen from 7.84 to 9.79 pence per kWh.

The steel sector has received more than £291 million in compensation since 2013 to make energy costs more competitive [accurate as at 31/05/19], including over £53 million during 2018. Last year we announced the Industrial Energy Transformation Fund worth up to £315 million to support businesses with high energy use to transition to a low carbon future and to cut their bills through increased energy efficiency.

Between 2005 and 2010, industrial electricity prices rose by 64 per cent. Including taxes, industrial electricity prices rose from 4.77 pence per kWh in 2005 to 7.84 pence per kWh in 2010 while between 2010 and 2017, industrial electricity prices (including taxes) have risen from 7.84 to 9.79 pence per kWh.

The steel sector has received more than £291 million in compensation since 2013 to make energy costs more competitive [accurate as at 31/05/19], including over £53 million during 2018. Last year we announced the Industrial Energy Transformation Fund worth up to £315 million to support businesses with high energy use to transition to a low carbon future and to cut their bills through increased energy efficiency.

Between 2005 and 2010, industrial electricity prices rose by 64 per cent. Including taxes, industrial electricity prices rose from 4.77 pence per kWh in 2005 to 7.84 pence per kWh in 2010 while between 2010 and 2017, industrial electricity prices (including taxes) have risen from 7.84 to 9.79 pence per kWh.

The steel sector has received more than £291 million in compensation since 2013 to make energy costs more competitive [accurate as at 31/05/19], including over £53 million during 2018. Last year we announced the Industrial Energy Transformation Fund worth up to £315 million to support businesses with high energy use to transition to a low carbon future and to cut their bills through increased energy efficiency.

The Department for Education’s (DfE) Employer Skills Survey provides a comprehensive picture of labour and skills shortages by sector, occupation and region across the UK. DfE is running the survey later this year, with publication expected in Spring 2020.

The Government is already working to support recruitment and training across the UK for different sectors through the Industrial Strategy. This sets out a long-term plan to boost productivity and earning power across the country, including through the four Grand Challenges, which position the UK at the forefront of the industries of the future.

Through the Industrial Strategy, we committed £406m investment in education and skills. In addition, through this year’s Autumn Budget the Government has invested over £1bn to support students throughout their education and give people the tools they need to succeed in the new economy.

Our reforms to the skills system place employers at the centre, making the system more responsive to deliver the skills employers need and which the economy demands.

The Government will decide on expenditure in the next Spending Review after EU Exit. Science and innovation have been made a priority by the UK Government and is at the heart of the Department’s Industrial Strategy, in recognition of the strong economic benefits of public investment in science and innovation and its capacity to leverage private investment. The Government is continuing to work with the steel sector, trade unions and Devolved Administrations to develop a long-term viable solution for the UK steel industry.

The Government will decide on expenditure in the next Spending Review after EU Exit. Science and innovation have been made a priority by the UK Government and is at the heart of the Department’s Industrial Strategy, in recognition of the strong economic benefits of public investment in science and innovation and its capacity to leverage private investment. The Government is continuing to work with the steel sector, trade unions and Devolved Administrations to develop a long-term viable solution for the UK steel industry.

We expect that the EU’s most favoured nation (MFN) tariff regime would apply to UK exports to the EU in the event of the UK leaving the EU without a deal. There is no indication that the EU would modify its MFN regime as a result of our exit. Consistent with WTO rules, the EU must apply tariffs equally to imports from all countries where there is not a trade agreement or any other preferential arrangement in place. In the event of no deal, this includes the UK.

Both the UK and the EU share a strong commercial interest in preserving the integrated supply chains of the automotive and steel sectors. As set out in the Political Declaration, the UK and the EU have agreed on a free trade area for goods. This will combine deep regulatory and customs cooperation with no tariffs and no quotas, underpinned by provisions ensuring open and fair competition. We will need to agree the balance as part of the future negotiations. The Political Declaration is clear about the UK’s and the EU’s wish to be as ambitious as possible.

BEIS Ministers and officials regularly engage with the automotive industry, including bilaterals with manufacturers, interactions via trade associations, and through BEIS’s participation in the Automotive Council. This insight supports policy development within BEIS and work with other Departments. The automotive sector is a key consumer of UK steel therefore, any reduction in demand from the automotive sector would have an impact on UK steel producers. BEIS is working closely with steel producers to assess the impacts of EU Exit on their businesses, including their interaction with customers in the automotive industry. These conversations are commercially sensitive.

Ofgem’s Targeted Charging Review is seeking to ensure all parties connected to the electricity network make a fair contribution to its fixed costs. As was outlined in the ‘After the Trilemma’ speech of 15 November 2018, it is important that we develop an energy system that discourages free riding and ensures a fair distribution of such costs.

Network charging is a matter for Ofgem as the independent regulator, and decisions on its Targeted Charging Review are for it to make. However, Government is working to understand the wider policy implications of their proposals across a range of priorities, and expects Ofgem to take decisions in line with their primary duty to protect current and future consumers. The regular discussions which Ministers and officials have with Ofgem and other stakeholders are supporting our consideration. The analysis which Ofgem published as part of its recently closed consultation shows that the proposals could affect investment decisions across a number of technologies, but no final decisions have been taken on timing or other aspects.

Ofgem’s Targeted Charging Review is seeking to ensure all parties connected to the electricity network make a fair contribution to its fixed costs. As was outlined in the ‘After the Trilemma’ speech of 15 November 2018, it is important that we develop an energy system that discourages free riding and ensures a fair distribution of such costs.

Network charging is a matter for Ofgem as the independent regulator, and decisions on its Targeted Charging Review are for it to make. However, Government is working to understand the wider policy implications of their proposals across a range of priorities, and expects Ofgem to take decisions in line with their primary duty to protect current and future consumers. The regular discussions which Ministers and officials have with Ofgem and other stakeholders are supporting our consideration. The analysis which Ofgem published as part of its recently closed consultation shows that the proposals could affect investment decisions across a number of technologies, but no final decisions have been taken on timing or other aspects.

Leaving the EU with a deal remains the Government’s top priority. The Government is undertaking extensive engagement with the UK steel sector on EU Exit. Through these conversations, individual companies have informed us of actions they are taking to prepare for all eventualities but such information is clearly commercially sensitive.

We are committed to supporting vital industries in any EU exit scenario, including taking action to provide continuity for British businesses in trading arrangements wherever possible and establishing the Trade Remedies Authority to protect the steel sector and others from unfair trading practices. Extensive engagement has taken, and is taking, place between Government and the steel industry to communicate actions businesses can take in preparation and to explore the implications of different scenarios on the sector.

Our ambitious Industrial Strategy comprises policies to build an economy fit for the future, helping to foster a competitive environment where businesses can have the confidence to invest in UK steel manufacturing and thrive. We commissioned independent research to identify high value opportunities for UK steel, worth up to £3.8 billion a year by 2030. Through the Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund, the Government will be supporting the transformation of our foundation industries – including steel – by providing up to £66 million, subject to industry co-funding, to develop radical new technologies and establish innovation centres of excellence.

An estimate based on the latest ONS data available shows energy costs in 2016 for the manufacture of basic iron and steel in the UK at £1.5bn[1]. Eurostat data is not published at a detailed enough level to allow for a robust estimate of energy costs specific to the steel sector for different EU countries.

The Government is committed to minimising energy costs for businesses to ensure our economy remains strong and competitive.

As announced in the Budget on 29 October 2018, £315 million is being provided for an Industrial Energy Transformation Fund to support industrial energy efficiency and decarbonisation projects to bring energy costs down for vital industries, including the steel sector. Furthermore, our Industrial Heat Recovery Support Programme is now open to applications for feasibility and/or preliminary engineering studies. We will publish our response to the consultation on widening eligibility for the exemption schemes for energy intensive industries in due course.

We also continue to reduce the cumulative impact of energy and climate change policies on industrial electricity prices for key energy intensive industries. This includes a package of relief for these industries worth over £850 million since 2013, of which £271m has been provided to the steel sector in compensation as of 30 November 2018.

[1] ONS Input-Output Supply Use Tables. Data for 2016. Energy costs defined as the intermediate consumption from Manufacture of Basic Iron and Steel (24.1-3) of; Coal and lignite (05); Crude Petroleum and Natural Gas (06) + Metal Ores (07); Coke and refined petroleum products (19); Electricity, transmission and distribution (35.1); and Gas; distribution of gaseous fuels through mains; steam and air conditioning supply (35.2-.3).

We have taken a range of actions to reduce the cost of electricity for energy intensive industries, including a package of relief worth over £850 million since 2013, supplemented by the announcement of a £315 million Industrial Energy Transformation Fund at the Budget.

As my rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy made clear in his speech of 15th November 2018 (available on gov.uk), a full exemption from all historic policy costs for all industry would add around £1.5 billion to household bills by 2020, and any future decisions must take full account of the impacts on other bill payers.

The Government remains committed to a strong steel industry. Last year we commissioned independent research which identified future domestic market opportunities for the UK steel sector worth an additional £3.8 billion per year by 2030. In our continuing sector deal discussions, we are actively encouraging the UK steel sector to come forward with their plans to exploit these opportunities and improve their competitiveness. In parallel we are also discussing with individual steel producers their investment plans for a sustainable future. We will continue to work closely with the sector, their supply chains, the trade unions, and the devolved administrations.

The Government is committed to minimising energy costs for businesses to ensure our economy remains strong and competitive. The ability for our industries to be able to compete across Europe and globally is a priority for this Government.

As set out in the recent energy speech by the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, the Government recognises that industrial electricity prices are currently higher than those in some competitor economies. The principles set out in the speech are intended to deliver policies that will lower the costs of the electricity system permanently and further details will be set out in a White Paper next year.

At the same time as reducing the costs of electricity production, the Government wants to increase industrial energy efficiency. As announced in the Budget on 29 October 2018, £315 million is being provided for an Industrial Energy Transformation Fund to support industrial energy efficiency and decarbonisation projects to bring energy costs down for vital industries, including the steel sector. Furthermore, our Industrial Heat Recovery Support Programme is now open to applications for feasibility and/or preliminary engineering studies. We will publish our response to the consultation on widening eligibility for the exemption schemes for energy intensive industries in due course.

Meanwhile, we are continuing to reduce the cumulative impact of energy and climate change policies on industrial electricity prices for key energy intensive industries. This includes a package of relief for these industries worth over £850 million since 2013, of which £271m has been provided to the steel sector in compensation to the steel sector as of 30 November 2018.

We welcome the recent report by UK Steel regarding high electricity prices and will give its recommendations careful consideration.

The Government is committed to minimising energy costs for businesses to ensure our economy remains strong and competitive. The ability for our industries to be able to compete across Europe and globally is a priority for this Government.

As set out in the recent energy speech by the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, the Government recognises that industrial electricity prices are currently higher than those in some competitor economies. The principles set out in the speech are intended to deliver policies that will lower the costs of the electricity system permanently and further details will be set out in a White Paper next year.

At the same time as reducing the costs of electricity production, the Government wants to increase industrial energy efficiency. As announced in the Budget on 29 October 2018, £315 million is being provided for an Industrial Energy Transformation Fund to support industrial energy efficiency and decarbonisation projects to bring energy costs down for vital industries, including the steel sector. Furthermore, our Industrial Heat Recovery Support Programme is now open to applications for feasibility and/or preliminary engineering studies. We will publish our response to the consultation on widening eligibility for the exemption schemes for energy intensive industries in due course.

Meanwhile, we are continuing to reduce the cumulative impact of energy and climate change policies on industrial electricity prices for key energy intensive industries. This includes a package of relief for these industries worth over £850 million since 2013, of which £271m has been provided to the steel sector in compensation to the steel sector as of 30 November 2018.

We welcome the recent report by UK Steel regarding high electricity prices and will give its recommendations careful consideration.

The Government is committed to minimising energy costs for businesses to ensure our economy remains strong and competitive. The ability for our industries to be able to compete across Europe and globally is a priority for this Government.

As set out in the recent energy speech by the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, the Government recognises that industrial electricity prices are currently higher than those in some competitor economies. The principles set out in the speech are intended to deliver policies that will lower the costs of the electricity system permanently and further details will be set out in a White Paper next year.

At the same time as reducing the costs of electricity production, the Government wants to increase industrial energy efficiency. As announced in the Budget on 29 October 2018, £315 million is being provided for an Industrial Energy Transformation Fund to support industrial energy efficiency and decarbonisation projects to bring energy costs down for vital industries, including the steel sector. Furthermore, our Industrial Heat Recovery Support Programme is now open to applications for feasibility and/or preliminary engineering studies. We will publish our response to the consultation on widening eligibility for the exemption schemes for energy intensive industries in due course.

Meanwhile, we are continuing to reduce the cumulative impact of energy and climate change policies on industrial electricity prices for key energy intensive industries. This includes a package of relief for these industries worth over £850 million since 2013, of which £271m has been provided to the steel sector in compensation to the steel sector as of 30 November 2018.

We welcome the recent report by UK Steel regarding high electricity prices and will give its recommendations careful consideration.

The Government has taken a range of actions to reduce the cost of energy – including protecting 11 million households from poor value energy tariffs through the introduction of a price cap, and providing a package of relief for energy intensive industries worth over £850 million since 2013, supplemented by the announcement of a £315 million Industrial Energy Transformation Scheme at the Budget.

In his speech of 15th November (available on gov.uk), my rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy set out his strategic approach to ensure consumers get a fair deal for their energy, while opening up the market to competition.

The Government has taken a range of actions to reduce the cost of energy – including protecting 11 million households from poor value energy tariffs through the introduction of a price cap, and providing a package of relief for energy intensive industries worth over £850 million since 2013, supplemented by the announcement of a £315 million Industrial Energy Transformation Scheme at the Budget.

In his speech of 15th November (available on gov.uk), my rt. hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy set out his strategic approach to ensure consumers get a fair deal for their energy, while opening up the market to competition.

In line with the Higher Education and Research Act (2017), the Government has appointed UKRI Board members with experience across research, innovation and development, and on commercial and financial matters. This enables the UKRI Board to support and hold the organisation to account, ensuring it delivers effectively, rather than to supply discipline-specific expertise. That expertise is provided by the councils, who are uniquely positioned to understand the latest challenges and opportunities in their specific field, and they include a range of experts, including active researchers.

There are clear legal requirements on employers in relation to workplace risk assessments and women who have recently given birth. Under Regulation 3 of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 (MHSWR), employers and self-employed people must assess the health and safety risks arising out of their work. Under the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992, employers must provide suitable rest facilities. Employers must provide suitable rest facilities for pregnant and breastfeeding mothers.

The Health and Safety Executive has recently completed a review of its guidance for employers and workers, including pregnant women and new mothers. The guidance, “New and expectant mothers who work”, contains a clear recommendation that employers provide a private, healthy and safe environment for nursing mothers to express and store milk. It makes clear that it is a mother’s decision whether she wishes to breastfeed on her return to work. The guidance also suggests that written notification from a woman that she is pregnant or breastfeeding can prompt the employer to revisit their risk assessment to identify if they need to do more to avoid exposing the mother or baby to risk.

The Bill, subject to the will of Parliament, will place a new duty on Ofgem to implement a cap on standard variable and defaults tariffs, so it does not remove an existing right of appeal. Energy companies would be able to challenge Ofgem’s decision on the setting of the cap by way of judicial review.

The Domestic Gas and Electricity (Tariff Cap) Bill is also clear that Ofgem must have regard to the need to ensure that holders of supply licences who operate efficiently are able to finance activities authorised by the licence. It would be for the independent regulator, Ofgem, to make its assessment of efficient operations. Ofgem is not required to have regard to investment projects that are outside the scope of the activities authorised by the supply licence.

The draft Bill would place a new duty on Ofgem to implement a cap on standard variable and default tariffs, so it does not remove an existing right of appeal.

Energy companies would be able to challenge Ofgem’s decision on the setting of the cap by way of judicial review, and the Government believes that a Court is capable of considering these matters.

The draft Bill would place a new duty on Ofgem to implement a cap on standard variable and default tariffs, and provides a bespoke power for Ofgem to implement the price cap through an amendment to the licence conditions. Energy companies would be able to appeal an Ofgem decision on whether to proceed with the licence modification by way of judicial review. It does not remove an existing right of appeal.

As set out in the Impact Assessment for the draft Bill, the costs and benefits will depend on the detailed methodology the independent regulator Ofgem adopts to set the level of a tariff cap. The Government does not wish to pre-judge Ofgem’s work in establishing the methodology by including quantified analysis of the costs and benefits in the Impact Assessment.

As set out in the Impact Assessment for the draft Bill, the costs and benefits will depend on the detailed methodology the independent regulator Ofgem adopts to set the level of a tariff cap. The Government does not wish to pre-judge Ofgem’s work in establishing the methodology by including quantified analysis of the costs and benefits in the Impact Assessment.

The draft Bill proposes to require Ofgem to review and report on whether the conditions for effective competition are in place and to make a recommendation to the Secretary of State. This will inform the Secretary of State’s decision on whether the cap should remain in force. The first review and report would be in 2020 and each year, up to 2023, that the price cap remains in place. The first review in 2020 is to allow key reforms of the market, such as the smart meters programme, to be implemented while ensuring protection for dis-engaged consumers from poor value tariffs.

In designing the methodology for setting the level of the price cap we would expect that Ofgem would need to consider how to take account of relevant changes in costs such as for wholesale energy.

In designing the method for setting the level of the price cap we would expect that Ofgem would need to consider how to take account of relevant changes in wholesale energy prices, whilst maintaining incentives for switching and enabling effective competition.

The decision on whether to introduce a price cap will be made by Parliament approving a Government Bill on a matter that was a manifesto commitment. It is therefore right for Government to decide whether such a price cap would remain in place, after a report and recommendation from Ofgem.

Through the Industrial Strategy White paper we have announced our intention to ensure all businesses in every region have access to a ‘Growth Hub’. We will build on this programme, providing continued funding to Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) for Growth Hubs to enable them to carry on building their reach, developing peer to peer networks and signposting businesses to the best support available from the private and public sectors.

We will confirm the level and duration of funding to be awarded to LEPs for their Growth Hubs at the earliest possible opportunity.

Through the Industrial Strategy White paper we have announced our intention to ensure all businesses in every region have access to a ‘Growth Hub’. We will build on this programme, providing continued funding to Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) for Growth Hubs to enable them to carry on building their reach, developing peer to peer networks and signposting businesses to the best support available from the private and public sectors.

We will confirm the level and duration of funding to be awarded to LEPs for their Growth Hubs at the earliest possible opportunity.

The Government recognises the desire for clarity regarding the UK’s participation in the EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS) as we withdraw from the EU. To provide certainty to business and others, the Government has proposed moving forward the 2018 reporting and compliance deadlines for UK participants to before the date of the UK’s withdrawal in 2019. Subject to responses from our consultation published on 6 November, we intend to have this measure in place before the end of the year.

This change will render unnecessary the alternative measures proposed in a recently agreed amendment to the EU ETS Directive, which would mean that allowances issued by the UK in 2018 would not be usable for compliance. The UK will continue to engage with the EU institutions, Member States and others to reach an agreed position.

All public authorities are required to implement government guidelines that set out how government buyers should source steel for major projects so that the true value of UK steel is taken into account in major procurement decisions.

We are currently checking that central government departments are implementing the guidelines in their procurement decisions. We have also published future steel requirements to 2020, to enable UK steel manufacturers to better plan and bid for government contracts.

The Government is working hard to make sure that UK producers of steel have the best possible chance of competing for and winning contracts. In April 2016, we announced a range of measures to support the industry including new public procurement guidelines to help UK steel suppliers compete effectively with international suppliers, publishing details of upcoming steel requirements for national infrastructure projects, and setting up an approved list of steel producers to provide steel for government contracts. Following consultation, we concluded with industry agreement that a list of suppliers would not achieve the desired outcome of levelling the playing field.

We published a steel pipeline in December 2016 which shows how the Government plans to use three million tonnes of steel until 2020 on infrastructure projects such as High Speed 2 (HS2), the construction of Hinkley Point, and the maintenance and upgrading of the UK’s motorway network. We plan to publish the pipeline annually.

The use of Border Adjustment Mechanisms in the EU Emissions Trading System (ETS) could potentially have a number of serious negative effects on the world trade system. For this reason, the Government supports the provision of free allowances as the best way to protect industries from the risk of carbon leakage.

Last Autumn, the Government issued guidance to central government departments on how to ensure that they take full account of the value provided by UK steel producers when conducting their procurement activities. This guidance has now been extended to the wider public sector. Since publication of the guidance, Government has been working closely with departments to monitor its impact and ensure delivery. There are no plans to share this data publicly, due to its provisional nature.

The Government has just published its indicative future steel requirements to 2020, to enable UK steel manufacturers to better plan and bid for government contracts.

We aim to introduce an exemption for Energy Intensive Industries from the indirect costs of the Renewables Obligation and small-scale Feed-in Tariffs from 1 April 2017. It is not currently necessary to allocate contingency funding for the continuation of compensation beyond April 2017.

We are engaging with the European Commission about our state aid pre-notification to move from compensation to exemption for the indirect cost of the Renewables Obligation (RO) and small-scale Feed-in Tariffs (FiT). We aim to introduce the exemption for Energy Intensive Industries (EIIs) from 1 April 2017.

The Government continues to provide relief to those EIIs most affected by the rising cost of electricity and has paid over £360m in compensation since August 2013.

Updated prequalification results for the 2016 four-year ahead Capacity Market auction have been published on the Electricity Market Reform Delivery Body’s website^[1]. Nearly twenty per cent of the pre-qualified capacity is new-build, and around two thirds of this is from combined cycle gas turbines (CCGTs). Up to 1GW of diesel engines (existing and new) have also prequalified. The competitive nature of the auction means it is difficult to predict the specific technologies and projects that will win agreements.

On 16^th November 2016, the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs published a consultation on reducing emissions from Medium Combustion Plant and Generators to improve air quality^[2] – the proposed limits on emissions of nitrogen oxides will apply from 1 January 2019 to any new build generator in scope of the legislation and winning an agreement in this year’s Capacity Market auction.

[1] https://www.emrdeliverybody.com/CM/prequalification.aspx

[2] https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/improving-air-quality-reducing-emissions-from-medium-combustion-plants-and-generators

Updated prequalification results for the 2016 four-year ahead Capacity Market auction have been published on the Electricity Market Reform Delivery Body’s website^[1]. Nearly twenty per cent of the pre-qualified capacity is new-build, and around two thirds of this is from combined cycle gas turbines (CCGTs). Up to 1GW of diesel engines (existing and new) have also prequalified. The competitive nature of the auction means it is difficult to predict the specific technologies and projects that will win agreements.

On 16^th November 2016, the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs published a consultation on reducing emissions from Medium Combustion Plant and Generators to improve air quality^[2] – the proposed limits on emissions of nitrogen oxides will apply from 1 January 2019 to any new build generator in scope of the legislation and winning an agreement in this year’s Capacity Market auction.

[1] https://www.emrdeliverybody.com/CM/prequalification.aspx

[2] https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/improving-air-quality-reducing-emissions-from-medium-combustion-plants-and-generators

This procurement predates the Government’s steel procurement reforms. Since December 2015, and the publication of steel specific procurement guidance, departments including the Ministry of Defence, are now required to ensure that relevant social and economic factors are taken into account in their procurements, to help ensure UK firms can compete on a level playing field.

The management of the steel procurement process for the Successor Programme is the responsibility of the Prime Contractor, BAE Systems. The Ministry of Defence conducted a technical assessment during the tendering process to ensure bids met specifications. Overall, 85% of BAE System's supply chain for the new submarines is based in the UK. The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy is working closely with the Ministry of Defence and the Crown Commercial Service in the implementation of steel-specific guidance on future procurements.

The Government wants UK companies to be successful in public procurement, and has published guidelines for departments to apply on major projects when sourcing and buying steel. These requirements, which were introduced after the procurement for the Successor Programme had started, ensure social and economic factors can be taken into account when Government procures steel.

The Department’s activity to tackle climate change cuts across the work of various teams and is undertaken by officials across a number of professions, including policy advisors, scientists, engineers and economists. In addition the Department has access to a range of experts from outside the Department including academia and organisations such as the Met Office Hadley Centre. Consequently, it is not possible to provide an exact number of officials who could be called climate change experts.

I will publish further details of the Global Challenges Research Fund alongside allocation of the Science Budget shortly.

Officials in my Department have liaised with DWP as the lead Department for the Family Test to embed it into the policy process. Thiscould includetraining officials on applying the Test, disseminating relevant evidence, learning materials and best practice.

The underlying principle of an apprenticeship is that it is a job, and employers are able to create the apprenticeship starts that best meet their skills needs. It is for employers to decide which standards will help to meet their skills needs.

60% of standards are at Levels 2 and 3 and with 470 standards available, there is an offer at every level. Starts at Levels 2 and 3 still make up the vast majority of the programme (almost 82% in the first half of 2018-19).

Our reforms are supporting a healthier balance across all levels and it is encouraging to see that apprenticeships are helping people to train in skilled occupations at all levels, and progress in their careers.

We welcome the Public Accounts Committee’s recent report and were pleased that the Committee has acknowledged our focus on putting quality at the heart of our apprenticeship reforms.

The government is carefully considering the Committee’s findings and will respond in due course. We keep all aspects of our policy under review in order that apprenticeships continue to support employers in developing the skills they need to grow, in addition to offering value for money for the taxpayer.

Levy-paying employers are able to use all of the funds that they contribute to the apprenticeship levy and which are available to them in their apprenticeship service account. In addition, employers receive a 10% top-up to the funds entering their account every month which they are also able to spend on apprenticeship training and assessment.

We continue to keep all aspects of funding policy under review.

Spending on apprenticeships is demand-led. Employers can choose the type, level and quantity of apprenticeships that they offer, as well as when they offer the apprenticeships, to meet their current and future skills needs.

Between May 2017 and April 2019, levy-paying employers spent 18% of the funds available to them on the training and assessment of new apprentices. In addition, levy-paying employers will also have benefitted from ongoing funding for apprenticeships for their employees which started prior to the introduction of the levy. They will also benefit from additional payments to support apprentices employed with levy-payers (such as English and Maths teaching and payments to support disadvantaged learners), and 95% of the funding for training for any apprenticeships started once their levy funds have been exhausted.

The Education and Skills Funding Agency works closely with employers, for example through webinars and employer roadshows, to encourage them to increase the number of apprenticeships that they offer and make the most of the long-term benefits that apprenticeships can bring to their organisations. We have ongoing face-to-face support for over 1,000 of the largest levy-paying employers through our national account managers, and ongoing support via telephone for small and medium-sized enterprises to encourage them to invest their levy funds.

To further support all employers to make the long-term, sustainable investment in training, we have increased the amount that levy-paying employers can transfer to other employers from 10% to 25%.

We do not anticipate that all levy-payers will use all the funds in their accounts. Income from the levy is also used to fund apprenticeship training for non-levy paying employers.

The retail framework had around 1,000 starts in 2017/18, with a further 8,300 on the new retail standards. Two of the largest supermarkets were involved in the design of these standards.

It is important to recognise that apprenticeships are paid jobs and can be subject to wider labour market and economic pressures. The impact of a number of companies closing down, online shopping and automation means that there has been a general decrease in recruitment within the retail sector.

In 2018, I hosted a roundtable with employers in the retail sector, including John Lewis and Greene King, to explore some of the challenges and opportunities for apprenticeships in retail, and we continue to work closely with employers to better understand these.

Earlier this year, I met with the British Retail Consortium, and I am in regular contact with ministers from the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy on the issue.

We do not currently intend to publish expiry of funds information for the apprenticeship levy as a matter of course.

The department’s commercial activities comply with current government policy on steel procurement as set out in Cabinet Office guidance, Procurement Policy Note 11/16.

The department is happy to commit to supporting the charter where this is relevant to our commercial activities and only where consistent with the relevant regulations.

The department is reviewing the charter and the steps within it, and will discuss with other departments as appropriate in due course.

The department’s commercial activities comply with current government policy on steel procurement as set out in Cabinet Office guidance, Procurement Policy Note 11/16.

The department is happy to commit to supporting the charter where this is relevant to our commercial activities and only where consistent with the relevant regulations.

The department is reviewing the charter and the steps within it, and will discuss with other departments as appropriate in due course.

The government recognises that learning English is essential to enabling refugees to rebuild their lives. The government has committed to developing a new strategy for English for speakers of other languages in 2019. The strategy will provide a shared vision for all publicly funded English language provision, including addressing the needs of refugees and migrants. Funding for all programmes beyond 2019/20, including any potential funding for this strategy, will be set during the upcoming Spending Review.

The government recognises that learning English is essential to enabling refugees to rebuild their lives. The government has committed to developing a new strategy for English for speakers of other languages in 2019. The strategy will provide a shared vision for all publicly funded English language provision, including addressing the needs of refugees and migrants. Funding for all programmes beyond 2019/20, including any potential funding for this strategy, will be set during the upcoming Spending Review.

When employers pay the Apprenticeship Levy, their contribution (as well as a 10% top up) is made available to them via the digital apprenticeship service to spend on apprenticeships in England.

We recognise that employers want and need flexibility. Employers have 24 months to spend their levy and levy-paying employers can transfer 25% of funds to other employers.

The amount of funds entering employers’ digital apprenticeship service accounts in May 2017 was £135 million, of which £11 million in unspent funds expired in May 2019. This was the first month of expiry of funds. The amount of funds entering employer’ accounts in June 2017 was £152 million, for which the expiry of unspent funds will occur at the end of June 2019.

These figures are for employers in England and include the 10% government top up. The proportion of an employer’s levy contributions made available as funds in their digital apprenticeship service account depends on how many of their employees live in England and the proportion of their pay bill paid to these employees.

Unspent funds are used to support existing apprenticeships learners, levy paying employers who spend more than the funds available in their accounts and to fund training for non-levy paying employers.

We do not currently intend to publish expiry of funds information on a monthly basis.

When employers pay the Apprenticeship Levy, their contribution (as well as a 10% top up) is made available to them via the digital apprenticeship service to spend on apprenticeships in England.

We recognise that employers want and need flexibility. Employers have 24 months to spend their levy and levy-paying employers can transfer 25% of funds to other employers.

The amount of funds entering employers’ digital apprenticeship service accounts in May 2017 was £135 million, of which £11 million in unspent funds expired in May 2019. This was the first month of expiry of funds. The amount of funds entering employer’ accounts in June 2017 was £152 million, for which the expiry of unspent funds will occur at the end of June 2019.

These figures are for employers in England and include the 10% government top up. The proportion of an employer’s levy contributions made available as funds in their digital apprenticeship service account depends on how many of their employees live in England and the proportion of their pay bill paid to these employees.

Unspent funds are used to support existing apprenticeships learners, levy paying employers who spend more than the funds available in their accounts and to fund training for non-levy paying employers.

We do not currently intend to publish expiry of funds information on a monthly basis.

The EdTech Leadership Group is due to convene for the first time before summer recess.

Members of the group have been selected on the basis of their experience and ability to influence either the education technology industry or the education sector to further the aims of the Government’s education technology strategy. Members were also selected to ensure a balance of experience between the technology industry and education sectors (ensuring representation across different age-phases of education).

The apprenticeship levy is collected by HM Revenue and Customs from all UK employers with a pay bill above £3 million.

Separately, HM Treasury have set the Department for Education a budget for apprenticeships in England for the current Spending Review period (to 2019-20). This budget is distinct from the levy and is not dependent on receipts from the levy. This budget is used to fund new apprenticeship starts for both levy and non-levy paying employers and must also cover the ongoing costs of apprentices that are already in training.

In 2019-20 funding available for investment in apprenticeships in England is over £2.5 billion, double what was spent in 2010-11.

Currently, we expect to remain within budget in this spending review period to the end of the 2019-20 financial year. A detailed breakdown of spending for 2018-19 will be published in the Education and Skills Funding Agency Annual Report and Accounts.

The level of funding for the apprenticeship programme beyond 2019-20 will be determined by the forthcoming Spending Review.

Levy-paying employers have up to 24 months from the point at which funds enter their account to spend the funds available. The 24 month expiry period is designed to give employers time to develop their apprenticeship programmes whilst encouraging employers to take action to create new apprenticeship opportunities. Funds will only expire on a month by month basis from May 2019 if an employer has spent less on apprenticeship training and assessment in the past 2 years than the amount that went into their account in May 2017.

We do not anticipate that all levy-payers will use all the funds in their accounts, though they are able to. Income from the levy is used to fund apprenticeship training for both levy paying and non-levy paying employers.

Levy-paying employers are now able to transfer up to 25% of the annual value of their levy funds to other employers.

In May 2019, the 24-month expiry date will be reached for the earliest declared levy funds. We forecast that when the first ‘expiry’ period arrives in May, approximately £12 million pounds will remain unspent, representing 9% of the total levy funding that employers collectively paid in April 2017.

In the first half of 2018/19 academic year there have been 214,200 apprenticeship starts reported to date. Of these, 105,700 (49%) starts have been directly supported by funds from levy payer’s apprenticeship service accounts. There have also been 108,500 (51%) starts which have not been supported directly by levy funds, and the majority of these starts will be with non levy-paying employers.

We publish data on apprenticeship starts on a monthly basis at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/further-education-and-skills-statistical-first-release-sfr.

In the 2019-20 financial year, the annual funding allocated to the Department for Education for apprenticeships in England is over £2.5 billion. This funding is distinct from levy receipts and is used to fund new apprenticeship starts for both levy and non-levy paying employers, and to cover the ongoing costs of apprentices that are already in training. It is therefore not possible to provide data on how many apprenticeship starts have been funded by unspent employer levy funds as all apprenticeship starts are funded from the Department for Education’s budget. At present, there are no plans to spend expired levy funds on programmes other than apprenticeships.

The requirement for a minimum of 20% off-the-job training is an important quality requirement and one of the core, longstanding principles of an apprenticeship.

We work with employer representative bodies to ensure policy and funding rules are well understood and to gain insight into how apprenticeships are being delivered. There are a number of employers represented on our Apprenticeships Stakeholder Board where the off-the-job training has been discussed. The effect of the 20% off-the-job training standard is frequently raised with me when I meet businesses.

We have recently issued updated off-the-job training guidance and products to support employers, training providers and apprentices to understand what good off-the-job training looks like and the benefits of it. These were developed in response to employer feedback and were tested with stakeholders prior to publication.

We continue to work with levy-paying employers to make sure that they can make the most of the opportunities that our reforms present, and we’ve responded to their feedback. In April 2019, we increased the amount that levy-payers can transfer to smaller employers or other organisations from 10 to 25% of their funds each year, helping them use their levy funds to support apprenticeship starts in their supply chain or meet local skills shortages.

The number of employer-designed apprenticeship standards available now stands at 440, giving employers more choice than ever and allowing them to spend their levy funds to develop the skills they need.

Since April 2016, we have provided ongoing face-to-face support for over 1,100 of the largest levy-paying employers through our national account managers. Since April 2018, we have extended support over the phone to a further 3,500 large levy-paying employers. Our support focuses on helping these businesses to build large-scale, high-quality programmes that deliver a return on their investment.

We have also led a major awareness-raising campaign among the remaining levy-paying employers, raising awareness of the opportunity to utilise their investment and helping them understand how to use transfers.

Since 2017, we have introduced substantial changes to the apprenticeship funding system that make it challenging to predict the proportion of levy funds that will be used this year and over the next few years.

The apprenticeships system is now employer-led and so employers can choose which apprenticeships they offer and when. This means that the use of levy funds is a matter for individual employers. We do not expect employers to use all of their levy funds, but they are able to.

The provider and employer market continues to adapt to the reforms to the apprenticeships system that were made in 2017. We have also made additional changes to funding policy this year, increasing the cap on transfers from 10% to 25% and are reducing co-investment for small employers from 10% to 5%. The effect of these changes on behaviour will only become apparent in the future.

In combination, these factors mean that it is not possible to make a single reliable estimate of future levy usage.

When the reforms were designed, we estimated that employers would use around half of the levy funds available to them, on average, once the changes to the apprenticeships programme had bedded in. However, levy-paying employers have taken on fewer starts and used a smaller proportion of their levy funds than anticipated. Nevertheless, we expect employers to use an increasing proportion of their levy funds as they continue to develop their use of apprenticeships, and as a consequence of employers choosing more higher-cost, higher-level apprenticeships since 2017.

The forthcoming Spending Review, announced by my right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer at Spring Statement, will determine the level of funding for the apprenticeship programme from April 2020. As part of this process we will consider any changes that may be required to future funding arrangements, and the impact this might have on employers’ use of their levy funds. Until then it is not possible to estimate employers’ use of their levy funds from 2020 onwards.

In forecasts made before the introduction of the apprenticeship levy, it was anticipated that employers would use 13% of the levy funds available to them in the 2017-18 financial year. Data from the apprenticeship service show that employers used 9% (£191m) of the funds available to them in 2017-18.

Our annual budgets for the current Spending Review period (to the end of the 2019-20 financial year) were set to fund 3 million high quality apprenticeship starts by 2020, based on the mix of training levels and subjects that we expected employers to choose.

The apprenticeship levy helps to fund all apprenticeships for levy and non levy-paying employers. At the time that the levy was introduced, it was anticipated that a proportion of levy funds would remain unspent by employers. We have anticipated that employers will not use all the funds available to them, though they are able to.

The annual apprenticeships budget, set in advance by HM Treasury, is not dependent on levy receipts and must fund all learners in the system. When allocating this budget to fund apprenticeships, we included sufficient flexibility to accommodate variations in the level of employer demand.

In the first half of 2018/19 academic year there have been 214,200 apprenticeship starts reported to date. Of these, 105,700 (49%) starts have been directly supported by funds from levy payer’s apprenticeship service accounts. There have also been 108,500 (51%) starts which have not been supported directly by levy funds, and the majority of these starts will be with non levy-paying employers.

We publish data on apprenticeship starts on a monthly basis at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/further-education-and-skills-statistical-first-release-sfr.

In the 2019-20 financial year, the annual funding allocated to the Department for Education for apprenticeships in England is over £2.5 billion. This funding is distinct from levy receipts and is used to fund new apprenticeship starts for both levy and non-levy paying employers, and to cover the ongoing costs of apprentices that are already in training. It is therefore not possible to provide data on how many apprenticeship starts have been funded by unspent employer levy funds as all apprenticeship starts are funded from the Department for Education’s budget. At present, there are no plans to spend expired levy funds on programmes other than apprenticeships.

In 2015 we set an ambitious goal of 3 million high quality apprenticeships by 2020 and that remains our ambition, but we will not sacrifice quality to meet this figure. We have introduced a wide range of reforms to apprenticeships to improve their quality and to encourage employers across England to increase the number of apprenticeships that they offer.

There have been 1,709,500 apprenticeship starts in England between May 2015 and January 2019.

We regularly report on progress toward the target in our apprenticeships and traineeships publications, which is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/fe-data-library-apprenticeships.

To support all employers to make the long-term, sustainable investment in training, in April 2019 we halved the co-investment rate from 10% to 5% for new starts and have increased the amount that levy-paying employers can transfer to other employers from 10% to 25%.

We are working to raise awareness of apprenticeships across the country and the benefits that they bring to both employers and apprentices. Our ‘Fire It Up’ communication campaign seeks to change the way that people think about apprenticeships and to demonstrate that apprenticeships are an aspirational choice for anyone.

Our reforms allow employers to choose the type, quality, level and frequency of apprenticeships that they offer in order to meet their current and future skills needs.

Level 2 and 3 apprenticeships play an important role in meeting these needs as well as providing valuable opportunities for individuals. Apprenticeships at these levels still account for the vast majority of apprenticeship starts. For example, in the first half of 2018/19, there were nearly 175,000 starts at levels 2 and 3, which represents 82% of total starts for the period.

There are now 440 industry-designed standards, of which 269 are at levels 2 and 3, meaning there are apprenticeship opportunities at all levels. During the first half of 2018/19, nearly 60% of starts were on these new standards. We can see that employers are moving quickly to this new higher quality offer.

We have implemented a range of reforms to ensure more high quality apprenticeship opportunities, including the introduction of the apprenticeship levy, new funding system and industry-designed standards. Our reforms are still relatively recent and it will take time for the full benefits of the apprenticeships programme to be realised.

Our apprenticeships reform programme benefits realisation strategy, published in March 2017, sets out a broad range of performance measures for the programme. Measures include the number of apprenticeship starts, earnings upon completion, results from employer and learner surveys and the Further Education (FE) Skills Index, which is a measure of the productivity impact of the programme over time.

The Skills Index enables us to compare the value of skills investments across the FE sector, including apprenticeships. The Skills Index looks at the number of learners and the employment rate for those learners as well as expected additional earnings. We have added a value of 2% to apprenticeships between the 2016/17 and 2017/18 academic years which we attribute to an increased volume of advanced and higher apprenticeship achievers as well as a small shift towards sectors with higher wage returns.

We publish annual updates against our progress. Our last update, published on 30 April 2019, can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/apprenticeship-reform-programme-benefits-realisation-strategy.

The Education and Skills Funding Agency does not require levy-paying employers to document their industry sector when registering an apprenticeship service account, neither does it require employers who do not pay the levy to register an industry sector before training their apprentices.

For the period covering the 2012/13 to 2016/17 academic years, the Department for Education used the Individualised Learner Record (ILR) matched with the Inter-Departmental Business Register to determine the number of apprenticeship starts in each industry sector. This information is published here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/apprenticeships-in-england-by-industry-characteristics. Figures for the 2017/18 academic year are planned to be published in Autumn 2019.

The department also uses data from the apprenticeship service and the ILR to obtain figures on the number of levy and non-levy supported apprenticeship starts broken down by apprenticeship sector subject area. The latest statistics covering sector subject area breakdowns for apprenticeship starts are available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/further-education-and-skills-statistical-first-release-sfr.

Successful completion of the level 7 Senior Leader standard may lead to either of the three qualifications: MA, MSc or MBA.

The total percentage spend by both levy and non-levy employers on the level 7 Senior Leader apprenticeship standard for the past 2 financial years is below:

*2018-19 is provisional data.

The figures are based on the number of all apprenticeship starts for the level 7 Senior Leader apprenticeship standard by levy and non-levy employers against total apprenticeship spend for both financial years.

Details of the Senior Leader standard can be found on the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education’s website at: https://www.instituteforapprenticeships.org/apprenticeship-standards/senior-leader/.

The new 30-band funding structure was introduced on 1 August 2018 for all new apprenticeship starts. Details can be found within ‘Apprenticeship Funding in England’ published on GOV.UK, available here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/788312/Apprenticeship_funding_in_England_from_April_2019.pdf.

These bands range from £1,500 to £27,000 and set the maximum price that the government will contribute towards the training and assessment for an individual apprenticeship.

The funding band upper limit of £27,000 is the maximum amount of government funds that levy-paying employers can draw down from their apprenticeship service accounts to put towards the cost of an individual apprenticeship.

For non-levy-paying employers, at least 95% of the apprenticeship training and assessment costs will be paid for by the government, up to the agreed funding band limit.

We know that some employers will wish to use specific delivery models or provide additional training to their apprentices, which goes beyond what is set out in the standard. Employers are free to agree a price above the funding band upper limit but must pay for any additional costs above this.

The apprenticeship levy is collected by HM Revenue and Customs from all UK employers with a pay bill above £3 million.

Separately, HM Treasury have set the Department for Education a budget for apprenticeships in England for the current Spending Review period (to 2019-20). This budget is distinct from the levy and is not dependent on receipts from the levy. This budget is used to fund new apprenticeship starts for both levy and non-levy paying employers and must also cover the ongoing costs of apprentices that are already in training.

In 2019-20 funding available for investment in apprenticeships in England is over £2.5 billion, double what was spent in 2010-11.

Currently, we expect to remain within budget in this spending review period to the end of the 2019-20 financial year. A detailed breakdown of spending for 2018-19 will be published in the Education and Skills Funding Agency Annual Report and Accounts.

The level of funding for the apprenticeship programme beyond 2019-20 will be determined by the forthcoming Spending Review.

HM Treasury provides the Department for Education with a fixed annual budget for apprenticeships, separate from employers’ levy funds. This budget covers the costs of existing apprentices and new apprenticeship starts for all employers, as well as the running costs of the programme.

The amount spent on apprenticeships starts with all employers, by level, between the introduction of the levy in May 2017 and February 2019, is set out in the attached table. The amount spent in levy-paying employers is given separately. Both sets of figures include payments for additional support to learners, such as for English and maths training.

From the introduction of the apprenticeship levy in May 2017 to the end of January 2019, the most recent month for which data are available, levy-paying employers utilised £601 million of the funds available to them to pay for apprenticeship training in England. This represents 15% of the total funds entering employers’ accounts in the same period (£3,905 million). The total drawdown of £601 million does not include other costs, such as incentives and additional payments for disadvantaged apprentices.

Once levy funds enter employers’ accounts, they can be used to pay for training for 24 months before they begin to expire on a rolling, month-by-month basis. We don’t anticipate that all levy-payers will use all the funds in their accounts, though they are able to. Income from the levy is also used to fund apprenticeship training for non-levy paying employers.

The requirement for a minimum of 20% off-the-job training was introduced to the funding rules in May 2017 alongside other elements of our apprenticeship reforms – including the introduction of the apprenticeship levy. It is not possible to evaluate in isolation the effect of 20% off-the-job training on level 2 apprenticeship starts.

The apprenticeship levy is collected from employers by HM Revenue and Customs.

The Education and Skills Funding Agency does not require levy-paying employers to register an industry sector when registering an apprenticeship service account and is therefore unable to supply the information on apprenticeships spending by the retail sector since 2017.

Research published in 2015 demonstrates the high level of return to investment delivered by the apprenticeship programme. Apprenticeships at level 2 and level 3 deliver £26 and £28 of economic benefits respectively for each pound of government investment. This can be found at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/435166/bis_15_323_Measuring_the_Net_Present_Value_of_Further_Education_in_England.pdf.

In October 2018, we published our Further Education: Outcome Based Success publication 2010/11 – 2015/16, which covers the destinations (into employment and learning), earnings and the progression of learners: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/statistics-outcome-based-success-measures.

The publication reveals the average earnings, by level, of those who achieved an apprenticeship in 2015/16, one year after completion:

• Level 2: £15,700
• Level 3: £17,700
• Level 4: £22,100
• Level 5: £25,100

Over the past few years we have introduced major reforms to apprenticeships. As the system is still adapting, it is too early to know the full economic and earnings benefits that these changes will bring.

Our Apprenticeships Reform Programme Benefits Realisation Strategy, published in March 2017, sets out a broad range of success measures for the programme. We publish annual progress updates, of which the most recent can be found at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/707896/Progress_report_on_the_Apprenticeships_Reform_Programme_May_2018.pdf.

We will be publishing our 2019 update shortly.

Employers’ levy funds are available for them to use to cover the cost of the training and assessment of their apprentices. Employers have 24 months to spend their funds from the point they enter their accounts. These funds are not used to support the administrative costs of the system.

Separate to this, HM Treasury provides the Department for Education, including the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) and the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education (the Institute), with fixed annual administration and programme budgets.

In 2017-18, the ESFA spent £36 million (equating to less than 2 percent) of the £2 billion apprenticeships programme budget on the cost to deliver and run the programme. In addition, the Institute spent £3.8 million programme budget on running the programme.

The Department for Education (including the ESFA and the Institute) are also provided with administration budgets. In 2017-18, the administration spend was approximately £6.4 million in the department, and £33 million in the ESFA. This includes an estimate of the proportion of departmental overhead costs attributable to the apprenticeships programme. In addition, £4.6 million related to administration spend for the Institute.

The department will publish spending on the running costs of the programme for 2018-19 in its annual report and accounts.

​The department does not produce forecasts for apprenticeship starts by level. Apprenticeships are paid jobs and their availability is dependent on employers offering opportunities and hiring apprentices to meet their skills needs; employers can choose which apprenticeships they offer, how many and when.

The apprenticeship levy is collected by HM Revenue and Customs from all UK employers with a pay bill in excess of £3 million. In the 2019/20 financial year, it is forecast that UK employers will pay £2.8 billion into the levy. Forecasts for future levy receipts are published by the independent Office for Budget Responsibility and updated monthly and they can be found here: https://obr.uk/efo/economic-fiscal-outlook-march-2019/.

The amount raised by the levy is distinct from the Department for Education’s ring-fenced apprenticeship budget, which is set to fund apprenticeships in England only. The budget has been set in advance by HM Treasury for the current spending review period which runs until the end of 2019/20.

In 2019/20, over £2.5 billion will be available for investment in apprenticeships in England. Currently, we expect to remain within budget in the 2018/19 and 2019/20 financial years. The level of funding for the programme beyond 2020 will be determined by the forthcoming Spending Review.

The government believes it is vital students can access detailed and accurate information on the potential outcomes of higher education when making decisions about their future.

The Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education (DLHE) survey is a valuable source of information on the activities of students 6 months after they graduate and is used widely by students, the sector and government. It is overseen by the Higher Education Statistics Agency who in 2017 announced the replacement of DLHE with a new Graduate Outcomes survey. The new survey focuses on outcomes 15 months after graduation, and so will provide a longer-term view of graduate destinations. It uses a centralised collection system with the intention of improving consistency and robustness. Results of the first Graduate Outcomes survey for 2017/18 leavers will be published in 2020.

Further information on the new graduate outcomes survey can be found here:

https://www.graduateoutcomes.ac.uk/about-survey.

The government believes it is vital students can access detailed and accurate information on the potential outcomes of higher education when making decisions about their future.

The Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education (DLHE) survey is a valuable source of information on the activities of students 6 months after they graduate and is used widely by students, the sector and government. It is overseen by the Higher Education Statistics Agency who in 2017 announced the replacement of DLHE with a new Graduate Outcomes survey. The new survey focuses on outcomes 15 months after graduation, and so will provide a longer-term view of graduate destinations. It uses a centralised collection system with the intention of improving consistency and robustness. Results of the first Graduate Outcomes survey for 2017/18 leavers will be published in 2020.

Further information on the new graduate outcomes survey can be found here:

https://www.graduateoutcomes.ac.uk/about-survey.

The Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) publishes details of apprenticeships spend in its annual reports and accounts. Overall spend for the last 3 financial years can be found at the following links: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/727363/ESFA_ARA_2017-18_WEB.pdf, https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/630972/2016_to_2017_SFA_ARA_web_version.pdf and https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/630097/EFA_2016-17_Annual_Report_and_Accounts_PRINT.pdf.

The ESFA does not publish spend by level of apprenticeship. Spending on the apprenticeship programme is demand-led and employers can choose the amount, frequency and level of apprenticeships that they offer.

The following table provides an estimate of spend at level 2, level 3 and level 4 and above in each of the last 3 financial years alongside total published spend.

Estimated apprenticeship participation spend by level from 2015-16 to 2017-18 (in millions of pounds)

The analysis provided is based on provider earnings data taken from the Individualised Learner Record and adjusted proportionately to match participation spend figures. The amount that providers claim in earnings may differ from the amount that the provider is paid following reconciliation. These estimated spend figures will therefore not fully align with actual spend. Total spend, published in the ESFA annual report and accounts, which includes participation and non-participation, is provided alongside for reference.

The total funding allocated for the large programme uplift since its introduction in the 16 to 19 funding formula in 2016/17 has been as follows:

The Department is committed to ensuring that all children, regardless of background, have the opportunity to fulfil their potential. There are currently no plans to update the document, Teachers’ Standards: Guidance for school leaders, school staff and governing bodies. The document does reflect the needs of looked after children by setting out the expectation for teachers to: have a secure understanding of how a range of factors can inhibit pupils’ ability to learn and; have a clear understanding of the needs of all pupils, and be able to use and evaluate distinctive teaching approaches to engage and support them.

Further information, including the reports of the independent review of the Teachers’ standards, is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/teachers-standards.

The information requested is not held centrally. The department does not collect information regarding such subsidies.

In December 2017 the Department announced that, when the opportunity arises, it intends to amend the School Admissions Code to require admission authorities to give children who were previously in state care outside of England highest priority for admission into school.

Until such time when the relevant changes to the Code can be made, admission authorities have been asked to use their current flexibilities in setting their own admission arrangements to grant such children second highest admissions priority in their oversubscription criteria.

To further encourage admission authorities to make this change, additional advice was issued about this matter to all local authorities, with a request that it is circulated to all own admission authorities in their respective areas in August 2018.

Following the conclusion of the 2017/18 academic year, we require teacher training providers to complete a rigourous financial assurance exercise to demonstrate that they have properly administered training bursary funding on behalf of the Department. This exercise will be complete at the end of the 2018-19 financial year, at which time finalised spend figures will be available.

There are no plans to amend the eligibility criteria for the basic maths Centres for Excellence programme. The Centres for Excellence programme will build on the success of the Maths Hubs model in schools, adapting it to improve the quality of teaching post-16.

The eligibility criteria is for institutions to have a minimum of 250 maths students with prior attainment below a grade 4 included in the maths progress measure. This will make sure institutions have a substantial number of students at the end of their 16-19 study programme who have directly benefited from the programme as they work towards achieving a GCSE standard pass in maths. We view this as an important criterion as we trial teaching approaches and evaluate their impact on the quality of teaching and learning over the length of the study programme to inform a wider rollout.

We have allowed and have actively encouraged institutions to partner up to be Centres for Excellence through consortium bids. This will also serve to encourage improved networking between a mix of institutions and institution types with a shared goal of improving maths teaching and attainment.

Spend on teacher bursaries is determined by the number of trainee teachers recruited annually. As recruitment varies year-on-year it is difficult to accurately predict expenditure when budgets are set, which means that underspends and overspends often materialise. All underspends are collected centrally and targeted towards high-priority areas of education spending.

The Department is currently undertaking detailed analysis of teacher training and school workforce data to explore the proportion of bursary holders awarded qualified teacher status (QTS) and the progression of bursary holders into the state funded workforce in England. This will include analysis of employment and retention rates by trainee bursary status (whether a trainee received a bursary), and whether the subject for which a trainee received a bursary is the subject they go on to teach. The Department intends to publish this analysis later in the year.

Table 8 of the School Workforce Census 2017 includes analysis of teacher retention rates over time, but this data is not currently available by subject and does not consider whether the teacher received a bursary during teacher training. This table is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/school-workforce-in-england-november-2017.

Whilst not a direct measure of retention, the Department has recently published new analysis of employment rates of trainees awarded QTS in state-funded schools in England. This analysis does not consider whether a trainee received a bursary during their teacher training, but does include employment rates by subject in Table T1.4 of the Teacher Analysis Compendium (February 2018) is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/teachers-analysis-compendium-3. Analysis of teacher wastage rates can also be found by subject in Tables T2.1 to T2.4 of the Teacher Analysis Compendium (May 2017) is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/teachers-analysis-compendium-2017.

The Department is piloting a phased bursary for mathematics trainee teachers starting initial teacher training in the 2018/19 academic year, which comprises a lower bursary upfront followed by two additional early-career payments once in teaching. The pilot will test whether this approach secures a greater supply of teachers than the upfront bursary.

The Department is currently undertaking detailed analysis of teacher training and school workforce data to explore the proportion of bursary holders awarded qualified teacher status (QTS) and the progression of bursary holders into the state funded workforce in England. This will include analysis of employment and retention rates by trainee bursary status (whether a trainee received a bursary), and whether the subject for which a trainee received a bursary is the subject they go on to teach. The Department intends to publish this analysis later in the year.

Table 8 of the School Workforce Census 2017 includes analysis of teacher retention rates over time, but this data is not currently available by subject and does not consider whether the teacher received a bursary during teacher training. This table is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/school-workforce-in-england-november-2017.

Whilst not a direct measure of retention, the Department has recently published new analysis of employment rates of trainees awarded QTS in state-funded schools in England. This analysis does not consider whether a trainee received a bursary during their teacher training, but does include employment rates by subject in Table T1.4 of the Teacher Analysis Compendium (February 2018) is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/teachers-analysis-compendium-3. Analysis of teacher wastage rates can also be found by subject in Tables T2.1 to T2.4 of the Teacher Analysis Compendium (May 2017) is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/teachers-analysis-compendium-2017.

The Department is piloting a phased bursary for mathematics trainee teachers starting initial teacher training in the 2018/19 academic year, which comprises a lower bursary upfront followed by two additional early-career payments once in teaching. The pilot will test whether this approach secures a greater supply of teachers than the upfront bursary.

My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education has made it his top priority to ensure teaching remains an attractive and fulfilling profession.

In addition to a £30 million investment in tailored support for the schools that struggle the most with recruitment and retention, the Department offers several other financial incentives to encourage the recruitment of high quality graduates into teaching. These include; tax-free bursaries, worth up to £26,000 for priority subjects and tax-free scholarships of up to £28,000 in five subjects. The Department is piloting a new approach for mathematics trainee teachers in 2018/19, which tests whether offering some of the bursary once the teacher is employed is effective in incentivising both recruitment and retention. The Department recruited more trainee teachers in 2017/18 than in 2016/17 (a 3% rise).

The table shows the budget and the actual spend for training bursaries in each of the last three complete financial years along with the value of any underspend. These figures take account of the income generated by recovery of unused funding in respect of trainees who withdrew or deferred from training each year as identified through routine assurance processes. The financial year 2017-18 figure consists in part of financial information relating to the 2017/18 academic year, which is yet to conclude, and is subject to further routine assurance before being finalised.

The Department is committed to ensuring that we recruit the best graduates into the teaching profession, which is why generous bursaries and scholarships are offered to trainees in priority subjects. In addition to this, teachers will benefit from the newly announced student loan repayment threshold rise and, from September 2018, the Department is piloting a new programme to reimburse student loan repayments for languages and science teachers in the early years of their careers.

The Department is developing a recruitment and retention strategy which will make recommendations on the best way to attract graduates into the teaching profession, and will publish the outcomes of this in due course.

The Department uses the Teacher Supply Model (TSM) to estimate, at a national level, the number of postgraduate trainee teachers required each year.

In 2017/18 more trainees were recruited than in the previous year, but despite our improved performance, we fell short of the TSM target by 10%.

The growing pupil population in recent years has seen targets rise; for 2017/18 the target grew by 6% from the previous year. The 2018/19 TSM target has increased further by 4%.

The Department recognises the scale of the challenge this presents, which is why generous tax-free bursaries and scholarships worth up to £28,000 for trainees in priority subjects continue to be offered for 2018/19. The Department has also expanded the number of subjects in which schools and universities can recruit without centrally imposed limits, meaning that no good candidate should be turned away owing to the lack of a place.

Following extensive analysis and stakeholder engagement, the Independent Panel on Technical Education led by Lord Sainsbury, identified that four technical routes would be better suited to delivery via work-based training (apprenticeships), rather than classroom-based provision (T Levels). These were ‘Transport and Logistics’, ‘Sales’, ‘Marketing and Procurement’, ‘Social Care’ and ‘Protective Services’. The government accepted these recommendation and these routes formed the basis for developing the occupational maps, which are now owned by the Institute for Apprenticeships.

T Levels will not be available in all areas for which vocational qualifications currently exist. This is because some occupations are more suitable for delivery through an apprenticeship. However, our review of level three qualifications – confirmed in the recent response to the T Level consultation – will be comprehensive, and will ensure that there is continued provision where there is a genuine need for a qualification. For example, where they serve a genuine and useful purpose, are of a high quality and enable students to progress to meaningful outcomes.

We recognise that, as is the case for current provision, some students will choose to change T Levels after starting their course. We want to ensure that T Level courses accommodate this flexibility.

We will be working with the providers of the first T Levels in 2020/21 and 2021/22 to explore how courses could be designed which allow students to change to another T Level early on in the course without it affecting their progress. The core component of the T Level includes content common across all T Levels within a route, which will help when students move between courses. Where students transfer onto another T Level within the same route, where possible, we will make sure that if they have already attained the core component and this is recognised in their new T Level.

Once T Level content is finalised, we will work with higher education providers to identify where a bridging provision may be needed, to allow students to progress from T Levels to an academic route should they wish to do so.

T Levels are much broader in content than apprenticeships. Students will learn about a range of different occupations in the sector and develop skills common to each, meaning they will have more options and scope to move occupations once in work.

We are already communicating with the education sector and employers to increase awareness and understanding of T Levels. As we move towards the first teaching of T Levels in 2020, the scale and pace of this communication will increase to make sure that parents, teachers, students and careers professionals know about T Levels and when they will be available.

Schools are legally responsible for providing independent careers guidance for all year 8-13 pupils on the full range of education and training options, including further technical education and apprenticeships. The government’s careers strategy sets out how we will go further to make sure that young people can talk regularly to employers and training providers to inform the decisions that they make at important transition points. The strategy includes new legislation, introduced in January 2018, which requires all maintained schools and academies to make sure that there is an opportunity for a range of providers to talk to year 8-13 pupils about approved technical education qualifications or apprenticeships. Further information about the new law can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/skills-minister-highlights-new-provider-access-law-for-schools. The Careers & Enterprise Company are also building on their network of Enterprise Coordinators, Advisors and Cornerstone Employers.

The careers strategy makes clear that personal guidance from a qualified practitioner is important to help individuals make informed choices about their education, training and careers.

Secondary schools and colleges are responsible for making sure their students receive independent careers guidance with a qualified careers adviser whenever significant study or career choices are being made. We recognise the value of personal guidance and expect all schools to work towards meeting the eight Gatsby Career Benchmarks by the end of 2020. The benchmark on personal guidance advises that all young people should have a careers interview by the age of 16, and the opportunity for one further such interview by age 18.

To target support for those who need it most, the government has announced £2.5 million of funding for new innovative, cost effective models, for delivering personal careers guidance in schools and colleges. The funding will be used for personal guidance for young people, the training and ongoing continuing professional development of career guidance professionals and the development of a pipeline of qualified career guidance professionals for the future.

The government’s careers strategy is clear that personal guidance is an important element of a high quality careers programme in schools. The government expects all schools to work towards meeting the eight Gatsby Career benchmarks by the end of 2020. The Gatsby benchmark on personal guidance advises that all young people should have a careers interview by the age of 16, and the opportunity for one further such interview by age 18. This will make sure that all young people have opportunities for personal guidance with a careers professional whenever significant study or career choices are being made.

The Career Development Institute (CDI) is doing excellent work to put in place programmes to train and upskill careers professionals, including a new focus on digital skills. The government’s careers statutory guidance encourages schools to search for qualified careers practitioners in their area on CDI’s UK Register of Career Development Professionals.

We are investing £2.5 million to support the development of new cost-effective models for delivering personal guidance to clusters of schools and colleges. The funding will support the provision of personal guidance to young people, the training and ongoing continuing professional development (CPD) of career guidance professionals and the development of a pipeline of qualified career guidance professionals for the future. The Careers & Enterprise Company will shortly publish a prospectus setting out more details. These projects, and the resulting case studies, will be used to showcase successful and affordable delivery of the Gatsby benchmark on personal guidance.

Swimming and water safety is compulsory in Physical Education (PE) at primary level.

There are no current plans to review the PE national curriculum requirements, which can be viewed at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/national-curriculum-in-england-physical-education-programmes-of-study/national-curriculum-in-england-physical-education-programmes-of-study#swimming-and-water-safety.

The Initial Teacher Training (ITT) criteria require that all accredited providers of ITT design their programmes to enable trainee teachers to meet the standards for Qualified Teacher Status which specify that trainees must demonstrate good subject and curriculum knowledge across the relevant subjects and curriculum areas. For primary teacher trainees this will include PE, of which swimming and water safety are integral to the programmes of study. The department does not set a minimum amount of training time for individual subjects for courses of ITT. This gives providers flexibility to design their programmes in a way that works best for them and for their candidates.

The Early Years Foundation Stage statutory framework does not mandate swimming, however it does set out that early years practitioners should support children to know the importance of physical exercise for good health. It is up to early years practitioners to determine how they should help children to achieve this goal.

The Advanced Maths Premium provides schools and colleges with £600 per year for every additional pupil studying advanced mathematics post-16. It is a short term measure to support schools and colleges to tackle the barriers to increasing participation particularly in areas where take-up is currently low. This approach aims to support and encourage schools and colleges to continue to expand their mathematics curriculum above current levels.

This is a matter for Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector, Amanda Spielman. I have asked her to write to the Member for Scunthorpe and a copy of her reply will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

The Careers & Enterprise Company recently published its ‘State of the Nation 2017’ research paper which is available at www.careersandenterprise.co.uk/sites/default/files/uploaded/careers-enterprise-compass-state-of-the-nation.pdf. The paper, which was published in conjunction with the Gatsby Charitable Foundation, showed that 51% of schools had met two or more Gatsby benchmarks. Over 79% of schools met one or more benchmark. These figures are based on the secondary schools that took part in the self-assessment exercise.

The Careers & Enterprise Company will publish this report annually to show what progress schools have made in meeting the Gatsby Benchmarks. As the Minister responsible for careers, I will have regular and frequent meetings with stakeholders to make sure progress continues.

The government’s careers strategy, published on 4 December 2017, sets out a long- term plan to build a careers system that will help young people and adults choose the career that is right for them.

The strategy provided £5 million of funding to test 20 career hubs linking together schools, colleges, universities and other local organisations. We are investing over £70 million on careers each year until 2020 to support young people and adults. Future investment on careers, as with all departmental expenditure, will be considered as part of the next Spending Review.

To target more support on those who need it most, the government has announced a further £5 million investment fund in 2018-2019. The fund will be split as follows:

• £2.5 million of funding to help disadvantaged pupils to get the additional support they need to prepare for work, including opportunities for mentoring and guidance.

• £2.5 million of funding to support the development of new innovative, cost effective models, for delivering personal careers guidance to schools and colleges.

More information about careers hubs and the investment fund can be found in The Careers & Enterprise Company’s implementation plan: https://www.careersandenterprise.co.uk/sites/default/files/uploaded/careers-enterprise-careers-strategy-implementation-plan.pdf.

Further information, including prospectuses inviting bids, will be published by The Careers & Enterprise Company in Spring 2018.

The government’s careers strategy, published on 4 December 2017, sets out a long- term plan to build a careers system that will help young people and adults choose the career that is right for them.

The strategy provided £5 million of funding to test 20 career hubs linking together schools, colleges, universities and other local organisations. We are investing over £70 million on careers each year until 2020 to support young people and adults. Future investment on careers, as with all departmental expenditure, will be considered as part of the next Spending Review.

To target more support on those who need it most, the government has announced a further £5 million investment fund in 2018-2019. The fund will be split as follows:

• £2.5 million of funding to help disadvantaged pupils to get the additional support they need to prepare for work, including opportunities for mentoring and guidance.

• £2.5 million of funding to support the development of new innovative, cost effective models, for delivering personal careers guidance to schools and colleges.

More information about careers hubs and the investment fund can be found in The Careers & Enterprise Company’s implementation plan: https://www.careersandenterprise.co.uk/sites/default/files/uploaded/careers-enterprise-careers-strategy-implementation-plan.pdf.

Further information, including prospectuses inviting bids, will be published by The Careers & Enterprise Company in Spring 2018.

Secondary schools and colleges are responsible for making sure that all pupils, including those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), receive high quality careers information, advice and guidance. We revised our statutory guidance for schools in January 2018 to make clear that schools should follow the Gatsby Charitable Foundation’s benchmarks of excellent careers provision. Our guidance includes advice for schools to help them make sure that all pupils, including those with SEND, are supported to fulfil their potential.

The government’s careers strategy contains a number of proposals to improve careers advice for pupils with SEND, including:

• A good practice guide for schools and colleges by The Careers & Enterprise Company and the Gatsby Foundation.
• Training for Enterprise Advisers (senior volunteers from business who support schools with their careers programme) so they are confident helping people with SEND.
• Funding for the Education and Training Foundation to provide professional development for practitioners working with young people with SEND.

We will also be funding grants to establish good practice in innovative ways of working with young people with SEND and their parents, to inspire them to look at broader careers and further education options.

To observe transitions between education and employment, the Department for Education relies on data matching between its own administrative sources on educational activities and other data held by Her Majesties Revenue and Customs, the Department for Work and Pensions, and local authority data.

Outputs from the matched data have been successful in showing the positive outcomes of learners who have recently completed education, without placing any additional burden on schools or other education providers.

Outcomes for school and college students reaching the end of key stage 4 (KS4) (compulsory schooling) and key stage 5 (KS5) (16 to 18 study) are published in the publication ‘Destinations of KS4 and KS5 pupils’, which uses a concept of sustained destinations (to education, any employment or training) in its measures. Students are counted in the employment category only if they were not also in education in each of the six months considered.

The publication includes outcomes at national and local authority level for those identified as having special educational needs (SEN) or disabilities in schools, and learners with a learning difficulty or disability (LLDD) in colleges. From 2016 young people with a SEN are grouped into those with an Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan and those identified as requiring support and, at KS4, information on primary need type is also given. Information about destinations after KS5 is only available for students who completed level 3 (advanced) qualifications meaning many SEN or LLDD learners aged 16 to 18 are not currently in scope for these statistics. The publication is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/destinations-of-ks4-and-ks5-pupils-2016.

Additionally, destinations of adult (19+) further education and all age apprenticeships are published. This publication presents sustained employment for all completers, regardless of education destination. Other definitions and reporting timelines are consistent with those used in ‘Destinations of KS4 and KS5 pupils’. Learners can be identified using the category ‘Learners with Learning Difficulties and/or Disabilities (LLDD)’. The publication is available at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/further-education-outcome-based-success-measures-2014-to-2015.

In addition to data collected by government, the Higher Education Statistics Agency collects and publishes information on the “Destinations of leavers from Higher Education”. This publication identifies employment outcomes of leavers from UK higher education institutions six months after graduating, and includes information for students identified as having a disability. The publication is available at: https://www.hesa.ac.uk/news/29-06-2017/sfr245-destinations-of-leavers.

Figures for the proportion of students with learning difficulties in full-time employment within one year of leaving education are not available.

The PE and Sport Premium is available to primary schools to improve the quality of PE and sport. Department for Education guidance to schools, available at

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/pe-and-sport-premium-for-primary-schools, sets out that funding can be used to embed physical activity into the school day through active travel to and from school, active playgrounds and active teaching. We promoted this guidance on 24 October as part of our announcement of doubling the PE and Sport Premium to £320 million.

In line with PPN 16/15, the Education and Skills Funding Agency provides a 6 monthly project pipeline forecast and an estimate of the value of steel that is likely to be used for the school projects to Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy and Her Majesty’s Treasury’s Central Support Team. It is understood that this information forms an input into information shared with the UK steel lobby.

The Department works with the Careers & Enterprise Company and I met with representatives of The Company recently. We will increase the quality and coverage of careers and enterprise provision in schools and colleges through use of the Enterprise Adviser Network, improving connections between schools, colleges and employers and raising the aspirations of young people.

The Network has now grown to over 1,800 schools and colleges across England, over 50% of all mainstream secondary schools. By the end of the year, we aim for over 2,000 secondary schools and colleges to be signed up to the Enterprise Adviser Network.

The department is working closely with the Careers and Enterprise Company (CEC) and I met with representatives of the Company recently.

The CEC set up its Enterprise Adviser Network in 2015 to work with schools and colleges to increase opportunities for young people to learn more about the world of work. Over 1,800 Enterprise Advisers are now working with schools and colleges to support their careers and enterprise provision.

In Scunthorpe there are five education establishments that have signed up to the network, of which one has been matched with an Enterprise Adviser and the others are in the process of being matched.

The Government wants to improve careers education and guidance for all ages. We are investing over £70 million this year to support young people and adults to get high quality careers provision.

The Careers & Enterprise Company (CEC) has made excellent progress to date in several areas, including:

• launching its Enterprise Adviser Network to provide more opportunities for young people to learn about the world of work. To date over 1,800 Enterprise Advisers are working with schools and colleges to support their careers and enterprise strategies and link up with employers.

• an investment fund which is helping proven careers and enterprise activities to reach 250,000 young people, with 75% going to the geographical areas most in need of support.

• providing funding for 39 mentoring programmes that support young people most at risk of not achieving their potential.

We remain committed to working with the CEC in the future and building on the good work carried out to date.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to his previous question number 3689, which was answered on 12 July:

http://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-question/Commons/2017-07-07/3689/.

Budgets for 16 to 19-year-old education are set on the basis of the established 16 to 19 funding rates and formula, using estimates of student numbers. In 2014-15 and 2015-16 student numbers and associated costs were lower than these estimates, which resulted in lower spending than the forecast, by £135m and £132m respectively, representing 2.2% of the budget. This was available for reallocation. Because this resulted from student numbers which were slightly lower than forecast, it did not affect funding per student. Final expenditure is not yet available for 2016-17 and will be published in Education and Skills Funding Agency accounts in due course.

Department for Education expenditure on 16 to 19-year-old education is reported in Education Funding Agency (EFA) accounts. The 2014-15 accounts are published here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/526237/efa_annual_report_and_accounts_final_26_may_2016.pdf.

The relevant information is included in the following lines from table 5 (Programme Costs) on page 155:

• Local authority maintained schools with sixth forms;
• Academies with sixth forms; and
• Young people aged 16-19 years in further education.

The 2015-16 accounts are published here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/579174/EFA_annual_report_and_accounts_2015_to_2016__Web_Accessible_.pdf:

The relevant information is included in the following lines from table 3 (Grant Expenditure) on page 115:

• Local authority and other maintained schools with sixth forms;
• Academies – Grants to academies with sixth forms; and
• 16-19 Further Education.

The accounts for 2016-17 have not yet been published.

Funding allocations to the sector, are made on an academic year basis rather than by financial year. Allocations are published each year and the data for 2014/15, 2015/16 and 2016/17 is available here:

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/16-to-19-education-funding-allocations#published-allocations.

Funding allocations for 2017/18 have not yet been published. Funding for 16 to 19-year-old education includes Total Programme Funding and High Needs funding in the allocations tables.

As EFA accounts are published by financial year, and funding allocations are made by academic year, the two sets of figures are not directly comparable.

Department for Education expenditure on 16 to 19-year-old education is reported in Education Funding Agency (EFA) accounts. The 2014-15 accounts are published here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/526237/efa_annual_report_and_accounts_final_26_may_2016.pdf.

The relevant information is included in the following lines from table 5 (Programme Costs) on page 155:

• Local authority maintained schools with sixth forms;
• Academies with sixth forms; and
• Young people aged 16-19 years in further education.

The 2015-16 accounts are published here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/579174/EFA_annual_report_and_accounts_2015_to_2016__Web_Accessible_.pdf:

The relevant information is included in the following lines from table 3 (Grant Expenditure) on page 115:

• Local authority and other maintained schools with sixth forms;
• Academies – Grants to academies with sixth forms; and
• 16-19 Further Education.

The accounts for 2016-17 have not yet been published.

Funding allocations to the sector, are made on an academic year basis rather than by financial year. Allocations are published each year and the data for 2014/15, 2015/16 and 2016/17 is available here:

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/16-to-19-education-funding-allocations#published-allocations.

Funding allocations for 2017/18 have not yet been published. Funding for 16 to 19-year-old education includes Total Programme Funding and High Needs funding in the allocations tables.

As EFA accounts are published by financial year, and funding allocations are made by academic year, the two sets of figures are not directly comparable.

There are 48 open university technical colleges (UTCs). The January 2016 census is the most recently published number of pupils on roll at UTCs, which was published in June 2016. This covers all UTCs open in the 2015/16 academic year and can be found in the penultimate document (SFR20_2016_Schools_NCYear_UD) of the underlying data here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/532042/SFR20_2016_Underlying_Data.zip

January 2017 census data will be published in summer 2017.

The Department for Education encourages high performing schools, including grammar schools, to sponsor weaker schools. Any organisation interested in becoming an academy sponsor must apply through a rigorous process that is decided by the relevant Regional Schools Commissioner on behalf of the Secretary of State.

Further details can be found on the sponsorship section on the Department website - https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/academy-sponsorship.

We routinely publish all open academy details and academy projects in development.

These details can be easily accessed online and you can find this information here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/open-academies-and-academy-projects-in-development

The ‘Sponsored Pipeline’ tab features a list of sponsored academy projects currently in progress, the local authority in which they are located and, where applicable, the agreed sponsor.

We do not hold data on the time taken to match a sponsor with a school.

Information on school Ofsted inspection outcomes can be found on the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/monthly-management-information-ofsteds-school-inspections-outcomes

This is a matter for Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector, Sir Michael Wilshaw. I have asked him to write to you and a copy of his reply will be placed in the libraries of the House.

It is for a school’s governing body (or the academy trust) to decide what their school uniform should be and how it should be sourced. The Department has issued guidance for all schools on the need to give highest priority to cost considerations when setting their uniform policy. The guidance emphasises the importance of ensuring that uniform is easily available and affordable for all parents.

Local authorities and academies have discretion within their budgets to provide school clothing grants or to help with the cost of school clothing in cases of financial hardship. Our guidance states that individual schools may also consider running their own schemes to provide assistance.

It is for a school’s governing body (or the academy trust) to decide what their school uniform should be and how it should be sourced. The Department has issued guidance for all schools on the need to give highest priority to cost considerations when setting their uniform policy. The guidance emphasises the importance of ensuring that uniform is easily available and affordable for all parents.

Local authorities and academies have discretion within their budgets to provide school clothing grants or to help with the cost of school clothing in cases of financial hardship. Our guidance states that individual schools may also consider running their own schemes to provide assistance.

It is for a school’s governing body (or the academy trust) to decide what their school uniform should be and how it should be sourced. The Department has issued guidance for all schools on the need to give highest priority to cost considerations when setting their uniform policy. The guidance emphasises the importance of ensuring that uniform is easily available and affordable for all parents.

Local authorities and academies have discretion within their budgets to provide school clothing grants or to help with the cost of school clothing in cases of financial hardship. Our guidance states that individual schools may also consider running their own schemes to provide assistance.

We encourage schools to create a whole-school culture that promotes health and well-being so that all our children are fit, healthy and able to learn. We know schools treat this seriously, and many take their own steps to promote their milk provision. School governing boards are responsible for their food policies (including milk) and we trust them to decide what is best.

The new national curriculum, which came into effect in September 2014, also sets the expectation that across a variety of subjects, pupils are taught about the importance of healthy eating and nutrition. Since its introduction, we have strengthened the requirements on schools to teach children about food, nutrition and healthy eating and how to cook a range of dishes. For example, in primary schools, children are taught about healthy eating, where their food comes from, and how to prepare and cook a range of dishes. In secondary schools, cookery is now compulsory and children are taught to cook a range of healthy and nutritious meals. They are equipped with knowledge about healthy eating and what is meant by a balanced diet.

The current EU School Milk scheme is very well-established across the UK and plays a valuable role in encouraging consumption of milk from an early age. The EU Commission recently introduced legislation for a new scheme from August next year which includes a focus on the role of education in supporting milk consumption. We are working closely with stakeholders on our plans to implement the new scheme.

We are committed to ensuring that apprenticeships are as accessible as possible to all people from all backgrounds.

We are undertaking a range of activities to increase the awareness amongst young people of the available apprenticeship options, including the four-year Get In Go Far campaign that launched in May 2016. The campaign aims to influence public perceptions, awareness and attitudes towards apprenticeships as a route into a successful career, helping young people aged 14-24 to get the skills they need, and encouraging more young people to apply and more employers to offer apprenticeship opportunities.

As part of reforms to the routes from compulsory school to employment, we set out new professional and technical routes, which will all lead to employment or degree-level study. This aims to ensure that young people have the education and skills to get into higher paid, long-term employment, including apprenticeships.

We are increasing numbers of traineeships to further support young people, including those from areas of disadvantage, into apprenticeships and further work. Traineeships show good representation for both BAME and LDD groups (22.6% and 19.7% respectively).

We remain committed to increasing the proportion of apprenticeships starts from people from BAME communities and have already put in place measures to support this, including: encouraging more people from BAME communities to apply for apprenticeships through communications and marketing; providing BAME role models in the Get in Go Far campaign; helping BAME apprenticeship applicants to have better rates of success in applications; and establishing a network of employer diversity ‘champions’.

Recommendations from the LLD Taskforce led by Paul Maynard were accepted and published on 11 July, and will benefit a broader group of disabled apprentices. Work has begun on its implementation.

The tables below show apprenticeship participation by learners aged 16 to 18 year olds by ethnicity and gender in latest 5 academic years for which data is available.

The Department for Education has not made any assessment of the correlation between the size of a school’s sixth form and the grade awarded by Ofsted to that school with respect to its sixth-form provision. We continue to monitor school and sixth form performance on an ongoing basis using a range of metrics, including Ofsted inspection outcomes, minimum standards and performance table data.

43.9% of schools with sixth-forms have a percentage of students achieving GCSE A*-C in English, which is lower than the corresponding national average. 45.4% of schools with sixth-forms have a percentage of students achieving GCSE A*-C in maths, which is lower than the corresponding national average.

As set out in our Post 16 Skills Plan, we will take forward the recommendations of the Sainsbury Review to put in place a world-class technical option that provides preparation for highly skilled employment. The technical option will be a prestigious and high-quality option for 16 year olds as an alternative to academic study. Applied general qualifications such as BTECs are not designed to be part of the technical education option. We plan to review the contribution of these qualifications to preparing students for higher education and the impact any reform would have on widening participation. We will announce our decisions later in the year.

It is important that individuals are able to switch between the academic and technical options so that students’ options are not closed down. Flexible learning will be important to learners of all ages, given the changing labour market. We accepted the Sainsbury panel’s recommendation that there should be appropriate bridging courses to make movement between the two options easily accessible and will be looking at options for putting these courses in place.

As set out in our Post 16 Skills Plan, we will take forward the recommendations of the Sainsbury Review to put in place a world-class technical option that provides preparation for highly skilled employment. The technical option will be a prestigious and high-quality option for 16 year olds as an alternative to academic study. Applied general qualifications such as BTECs are not designed to be part of the technical education option. We plan to review the contribution of these qualifications to preparing students for higher education and the impact any reform would have on widening participation. We will announce our decisions later in the year.

It is important that individuals are able to switch between the academic and technical options so that students’ options are not closed down. Flexible learning will be important to learners of all ages, given the changing labour market. We accepted the Sainsbury panel’s recommendation that there should be appropriate bridging courses to make movement between the two options easily accessible and will be looking at options for putting these courses in place.

Underlying data for ‘Schools, pupils and their characteristics’ provides information for each school, including religious denomination (where applicable), alongside the number and percentage of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals.

This is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/schools-pupils-and-their-characteristics-january-2016

The Post-16 Skills Plan sets out our plans to radically reform technical education provision and the wider skills system in England to ensure they match the best in the world, tackling long-standing issues which have harmed our nation’s productivity and international competitiveness. We are committed to taking forward this ambitious programme in full, implementing the reforms in a lasting and coherent way.

We have already started work to identify pathfinder technical education routes; design the new functions within an expanded Institute for Apprenticeships; map the occupations within each route to identify what technical qualifications should be included within their scope; design the employer panels that will develop new standards where required; and develop ‘transition year’ arrangements for young people not ready to progress into mainstream technical or academic provision at 16, or later if their education has been delayed. In addition, we are continuing to implement those reforms which are already in train, such as the programme of locally led area reviews of post-16 provision.

Later in the autumn, we will publish an implementation plan, setting out in greater detail how we will deliver the Post-16 Skills Plan and how we will engage with key stakeholders, including colleges and employers, on the ongoing design and delivery of our proposals.

We trust schools to implement an assessment system that uses data effectively to support teaching and improve educational outcomes. Following the removal of levels, schools now have the freedom to determine their own system for non-statutory assessment between key stages, tailored to the needs of their pupils and their curriculum.

The Department supports and encourages the use of assessment to support effective teaching. This has included setting up the Commission on Assessment Without Levels to provide guidance for schools when devising and implementing their systems for non-statutory assessment. The Commission completed and published its final report in September 2015 and is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/commission-on-assessment-without-levels-final-report.

As part of the Government’s ‘Workload Challenge’, the Department set up three independent review groups to address ineffective marking, use of planning and resources and data management. These reports included clear messages to empower classroom teachers and school leaders to challenge unproductive practice. They also included specific recommendations for Government, which we have accepted. The workload review reports were published on 26 March 2016 and can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/reducing-teachers-workload/reducing-teachers-workload.

Assessment was also one of the areas considered by the independent expert group, chaired by Stephen Munday CBE, which has developed a framework of core content for initial teaching training (ITT). The group’s report, including the new framework of core content for ITT, was published on 12 July 2016 and can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/initial-teacher-training-government-response-to-carter-review.

We established three independent review groups to tackle workload related to data management, marking and lesson planning. Members of the review groups included serving teachers and head teachers, teaching unions and Ofsted.

No formal representations have been received on the recommendations in the data management report although all three reports have been well received by the profession and ongoing discussions are taking place with teachers and their representatives to help embed their principles and implement the recommendations.

The white paper sets out the Government’s plans for the next five years, building on and extending our reforms to achieve educational excellence everywhere. The white paper is clear that we will ensure a knowledge-rich curriculum is complemented by the development of the character traits and fundamental British values that will help children succeed, and that includes encouraging mutual respect and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs and for those without faith.

We believe in the importance of Religious Education (RE) to develop children’s knowledge of the values and traditions of Britain and other countries, and to foster understanding among different faiths and cultures. That is why RE remains compulsory at all Key Stages and why all schools have a duty to teach a broad and balanced curriculum.

Local authorities are responsible for providing an agreed syllabus for their local area which must reflect the fact that the religious traditions in Great Britain are in the main Christian whilst taking account of the teaching and practices of the other principal religions represented in Great Britain. Maintained schools without a religious designation must follow the agreed syllabus. Voluntary controlled schools and foundation schools with a religious designation follow the locally agreed syllabus, unless parents request a denominational syllabus.

Academies without a religious designation can either follow the locally agreed syllabus, or develop their own syllabus that meets the same requirements as a locally agreed syllabus.

Voluntary aided schools and academies with a religious designation can teach RE in accordance with their trust deeds and/or the tenets of their faith.

This government is committed to promoting physical activity among young people and we want all pupils to be healthy and active. PE remains a compulsory subject at all four key stages in the national curriculum, and this sets out the expectation that pupils should be physically active for sustained periods of time. Schools have the flexibility to use the primary PE and sport premium, worth £160m this year, to improve the quality of the physical activity offer to their pupils. From 2017 we are doubling the primary PE and sport premium to £320m a year, and the forthcoming childhood obesity strategy will contain a number of measures which will complement our existing policies to promote physical activity for primary pupils.

Religious education (RE) is compulsory in all state-funded schools, including academies and free schools. As part of Ofsted school inspections, inspectors consider whether schools are providing a broad and balanced curriculum, which meets pupils’ needs and statutory requirements. If it becomes evident during the course of an inspection that a school is not teaching RE, this should be reflected in the school’s inspection report. Faith schools are required to arrange a separate inspection of denominational religious education and collective worship, leading to published reports.

Every school must have a complaint procedure. If an individual is concerned that a school is not teaching religious education, they should follow the schools’ complaint procedure in the first instance. If the complaint is not resolved, then the issue can be escalated to the Department’s School Complaints Unit for maintained schools, or the Education Funding Agency for academies, free schools, university technical colleges or studio schools. Information about complaint procedures for schools can be found at www.gov.uk/complain-about-school.

Religious education (RE) is compulsory in all state-funded schools, including academies and free schools. As part of Ofsted school inspections, inspectors consider whether schools are providing a broad and balanced curriculum, which meets pupils’ needs and statutory requirements. If it becomes evident during the course of an inspection that a school is not teaching RE, this should be reflected in the school’s inspection report. Faith schools are required to arrange a separate inspection of denominational religious education and collective worship, leading to published reports.

Every school must have a complaint procedure. If an individual is concerned that a school is not teaching religious education, they should follow the schools’ complaint procedure in the first instance. If the complaint is not resolved, then the issue can be escalated to the Department’s School Complaints Unit for maintained schools, or the Education Funding Agency for academies, free schools, university technical colleges or studio schools. Information about complaint procedures for schools can be found at www.gov.uk/complain-about-school.

We are working closely with colleagues both at the Department of Health and across Whitehall on the Childhood Obesity Strategy. Tackling obesity, particularly in children, is one of our major priorities. The Childhood Obesity Strategy, which will be launched in the late summer, will consider all the factors that contribute to a child becoming overweight and obese, and set out our plans to tackle this major challenge.

The Obesity Strategy will complement our existing measures to promote school-based physical activity for pupils. PE remains a compulsory subject at all four key stages in the national curriculum, and the national curriculum sets out the expectation that pupils should be physically active for sustained periods of time. In addition, we have ring-fenced over £450 million to improve PE and sport in primary schools (2013/14 - 2015/16), and committed to doubling the primary PE and sport premium to £320 million a year from September 2017 using revenue from the soft drinks industry levy.

We are working closely with colleagues both at the Department of Health and across Whitehall on the Childhood Obesity Strategy. Tackling obesity, particularly in children, is one of our major priorities. The Childhood Obesity Strategy, which will be launched in the late summer, will consider all the factors that contribute to a child becoming overweight and obese, and set out our plans to tackle this major challenge.

The Obesity Strategy will complement our existing measures to promote school-based physical activity for pupils. PE remains a compulsory subject at all four key stages in the national curriculum, and the national curriculum sets out the expectation that pupils should be physically active for sustained periods of time. In addition, we have ring-fenced over £450 million to improve PE and sport in primary schools (2013/14 - 2015/16), and committed to doubling the primary PE and sport premium to £320 million a year from September 2017 using revenue from the soft drinks industry levy.

We will continue to consider carefully the report from the School Teachers’ Review Body and its recommendations. We will publish the report, together with our response and a draft revised School Teachers’ Pay and Conditions Document, as soon as we have completed our consideration of it.

We are currently considering the School Teachers’ Review Body’s report, its publication and the publication of the draft School Teachers’ Pay and Conditions Document.

The Secretary of State has already announced the Government’s plans to introduce resits in Year 7. This announcement can found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/nicky-morgan-no-tolerance-of-areas-where-majority-of-pupils-fail.

We have been clear that the resits will not be implemented in the next academic year and that we will engage with the education sector to make sure the tests are introduced in a way that works for schools. Further information will be provided in due course.

All teachers recommended for the award of qualified teacher status (QTS) must demonstrate that they meet the Teachers’ Standards in full, at the appropriate level (available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/teachers-standards). Trainees undertaking a course of initial teacher training must also satisfy the requirements of the Secretary of State’s Criteria for ITT (available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/initial-teacher-training-criteria), including having passed the professional skills tests in literacy and numeracy.

Our recent White Paper, Educational Excellence Everywhere, set out our proposals to replace the current QTS with a new, more challenging accreditation based on teachers’ effectiveness in the classroom. We will be setting out further detail of how and when we intend to implement the new system shortly.

The Government’s White Paper, Educational Excellence Everywhere, confirmed that we intend to use a new set of quality criteria to determine how initial teacher training (ITT) places are allocated to training providers in future, ensuring that training is concentrated with the highest-quality providers. On the basis of these criteria, which will include factors such as the quality of trainees recruited, the quality of the training programmes, and the quality of outcomes for trainees, we will designate some providers as Centres of Excellence. We expect to set out further details of the quality criteria that will apply for the 2017/18 training year, and which providers will be designated as Centres of Excellence, when we confirm the methodology for allocating places, which is currently under discussion.

The Department for Education has actively been engaging the ITT sector in discussions about the proposals in the White Paper, including the establishment of ITT Centres of Excellence. Engagement to date has included a series of roundtable discussion events for university- and school-led providers and their representative bodies, such as the Universities’ Council for the Education of Teachers (UCET) and the National Association of School-Based Teacher Trainers (NASBTT).

We expect to confirm the allocations methodology for 2017/18 after further consultation with providers and their representative organisations over the summer, in time for the start of recruitment in the autumn term.

The Government’s White Paper, Educational Excellence Everywhere, confirmed that we intend to use a new set of quality criteria to determine how initial teacher training (ITT) places are allocated to training providers in future, ensuring that training is concentrated with the highest-quality providers. On the basis of these criteria, which will include factors such as the quality of trainees recruited, the quality of the training programmes, and the quality of outcomes for trainees, we will designate some providers as Centres of Excellence. We expect to set out further details of the quality criteria that will apply for the 2017/18 training year, and which providers will be designated as Centres of Excellence, when we confirm the methodology for allocating places, which is currently under discussion.

The Department for Education has actively been engaging the ITT sector in discussions about the proposals in the White Paper, including the establishment of ITT Centres of Excellence. Engagement to date has included a series of roundtable discussion events for university- and school-led providers and their representative bodies, such as the Universities’ Council for the Education of Teachers (UCET) and the National Association of School-Based Teacher Trainers (NASBTT).

We expect to confirm the allocations methodology for 2017/18 after further consultation with providers and their representative organisations over the summer, in time for the start of recruitment in the autumn term.

The Government’s White Paper, Educational Excellence Everywhere, confirmed that we intend to use a new set of quality criteria to determine how initial teacher training (ITT) places are allocated to training providers in future, ensuring that training is concentrated with the highest-quality providers. On the basis of these criteria, which will include factors such as the quality of trainees recruited, the quality of the training programmes, and the quality of outcomes for trainees, we will designate some providers as Centres of Excellence. We expect to set out further details of the quality criteria that will apply for the 2017/18 training year, and which providers will be designated as Centres of Excellence, when we confirm the methodology for allocating places, which is currently under discussion.

The Department for Education has actively been engaging the ITT sector in discussions about the proposals in the White Paper, including the establishment of ITT Centres of Excellence. Engagement to date has included a series of roundtable discussion events for university- and school-led providers and their representative bodies, such as the Universities’ Council for the Education of Teachers (UCET) and the National Association of School-Based Teacher Trainers (NASBTT).

We expect to confirm the allocations methodology for 2017/18 after further consultation with providers and their representative organisations over the summer, in time for the start of recruitment in the autumn term.

The Department for Education publishes capital spend data on individual university technical colleges once contracts have been awarded and the schools are open. This information can be found on GOV.UK at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/capital-funding-for-open-free-schools

No University Technical Colleges (UTCs) closed in 2013 or 2014.

Two UTCs, Black County UTC and Hackney UTC, closed in August 2015 and two UTCs, Central Bedfordshire UTC and UTC Lancashire, are due to close at the end of the 2015/16 academic year.

Once closed, the change is reflected in our published list of open UTCs which can be found on GOV.UK at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/free-schools-open-schools-and-successful-applications

According to published January census data, the number of pupils on roll in all University Technical Colleges (UTCs) was 795 in academic year 2012/13, 2,946 in 2013/14 and 6,363 in 2014/15.

The census data for January 2016 has not yet been published. However, the 2015 October census data shows 9,454 pupils on roll in all UTCs in the 2015/16 academic year.

The subject knowledge enhancement (SKE) programme supports universities and schools in filling teacher training places in priority subjects. It enables candidates who have the potential to be excellent teachers to overcome gaps in their subject knowledge that would otherwise mean that they would not be recruited to a teacher training course.

Tables 1 and 2 contain the number of trainees (by length of course) registered on SKE courses in chemistry and physics from 2011/12 to 2015/16.

Table 1: Physics SKE recruitment for academic years 2011/12 to 2014/15, and claims to date for academic year 2015/16.

Table 2: Chemistry SKE recruitment for academic years 2011/12 to 2014/15, and claims to date for academic year 2015/16.

[1] Submitted trainee data and accepted claims for the full academic year.

[2] Accepted claims as at 6 May 2016.

The final 2015/16 data will not be available until after the end of the academic year; however, the number of people using SKE in the current academic year is 59% of last year’s total which, if previous years’ trends apply to the current year, would suggest increased use of SKE compared to 2014/15.

The Government takes the issue of asbestos in schools very seriously and is supporting those in schools and responsible bodies who have the legal responsibility for safely managing asbestos in their schools.

The Department provides funding to schools to help them keep their school buildings in a good state of repair. Between 2015 and 2018 this investment will total £4.2 billion and schools and responsible bodies are able to use this funding to remove asbestos where that is appropriate.

For maintained schools, the local authority as responsible body receives an annual allocation of capital funding to repair and upgrade existing buildings. Local authorities are expected to treat fairly those schools considering conversion to an academy and to honour any commitments of capital funding that they have made, in respect of building projects at those schools.

Following conversion, a school can be part of a larger multi-academy trust, a smaller multi-academy trust or a standalone academy. Larger multi-academy trusts (MATs) have access to annual formulaic school condition allocations (SCA), which they can pass on to their constituent schools to address any serious asbestos concerns. For stand-alone academies and academies in smaller multi academy trusts, funding is available through the condition improvement fund (CIF) where they bid for capital funding. As set out in the guidance for prospective bidders, the highest priority is given to health and safety issues due to the poor condition of buildings, including emergency asbestos removal.

As set out in our recent White Paper, Educational Excellence Everywhere, we plan to introduce ‘Centres of Excellence’ in Initial Teacher Training which will receive multi-year allocations. We are currently engaging the sector and working to establish the criteria for determining which providers will be designated as a ‘Centre of Excellence’. At this stage, no firm decisions have been taken.

In order to complete initial teacher training successfully, all trainees must meet the Teachers’ Standards in full. The standards emphasise the importance of the basics of good teaching, such as strong subject knowledge and effective behaviour management. Following the review teacher training by Sir Andrew Carter, we have a commissioned an expert group to develop a new framework of content for training, based closely on the Teachers’ Standards and reiterating the requirement to place a clear focus on essentials such as the effective development of subject knowledge and being able to identify and respond to special educational needs. The group will be making its recommendations to Ministers shortly.

As set out in our recent White Paper, Educational Excellence Everywhere, we plan to introduce ‘Centres of Excellence’ in Initial Teacher Training which will receive multi-year allocations. We are currently engaging the sector and working to establish the criteria for determining which providers will be designated as a ‘Centre of Excellence’. At this stage, no firm decisions have been taken.

As set out in our recent White Paper, Educational Excellence Everywhere, we plan to introduce ‘Centres of Excellence’ in Initial Teacher Training which will receive multi-year allocations. We are currently engaging the sector and working to establish the criteria for determining which providers will be designated as a ‘Centre of Excellence’. At this stage, no firm decisions have been taken.

In order to complete initial teacher training successfully, all trainees must meet the Teachers’ Standards in full. The standards emphasise the importance of the basics of good teaching, such as strong subject knowledge and effective behaviour management. Following the review teacher training by Sir Andrew Carter, we have a commissioned an expert group to develop a new framework of content for training, based closely on the Teachers’ Standards and reiterating the requirement to place a clear focus on essentials such as the effective development of subject knowledge and being able to identify and respond to special educational needs. The group will be making its recommendations to Ministers shortly.

The Children and Families Act 2014 requires local authorities to develop and publish a Local Offer setting out the support they expect to be available for children and young people with special educational needs or disabilities in their local area. The Local Offer must include information about leisure activities which may include information about play opportunities.

The Ofsted and Care Quality Commission (CQC) inspections will consider how effectively the local area identifies, meets the needs of and improves the outcomes of the wide range of different groups^[1] of children and young people who have special educational needs or disabilities as defined in the Act and described in the Code of Practice.

Ofsted and CQC will draw on a range of sources, including the local offer, to identify key lines of enquiry and to support assessment of the effectiveness of the local area.

Ofsted and CQC will publish an inspection report that will outline the evidence that inspectors reviewed and provide a summary of key findings including the local area’s strengths and areas requiring further development.

The inspection framework and handbook are available at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/local-area-send-inspection-framework

[1] These groups of children and young people are detailed in Part 2 of the ‘Handbook for the inspection of local areas’ effectiveness in identifying and meeting the needs of children and young people who have special educational needs and/or disabilities’.

The Education and Skills Act 2008 requires young people to participate in education or training until they are 18. Young people can participate through full-time education, work combined with part-time education or training, or by undertaking an apprenticeship or traineeship.

The 16 and 17 year olds joining the armed forces are under a contract of employment but they are not exempt from their duty to participate. Most of these young people meet their duty to participate by undertaking an apprenticeship.

We have agreed with the Ministry of Defence that serving in the armed forces is a valid and valuable career route which provides relevant training for young people.

Apprenticeships are embedded across initial training in the armed forces, with over 95% of all young recruits (no matter what their age or prior qualifications) enrolling in an apprenticeship each year.

All apprenticeships require a minimum of 280 Guided Learning Hours (GLHs) within a 12 month period. The same GLH requirement applies to the small number of young people in the armed forces who are not on an apprenticeship.

The proportion of 16 and 17 year olds in full-time education in England was 70.3% at the end of 2005 and 82.2% at the end of 2014 (provisional figures). These figures are published in Table A7 of the ‘Additional tables – rates’ in the Statistical First Release (SFR) ‘Participation in education, training and employment’ and can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/statistics-neet

Figures for end 2015 are not yet available but will be published on 30^th June 2016 as part of the above series.

The Education and Skills Act 2008 requires young people to participate in education or training until they are 18. Young people can participate through full-time education, work combined with part-time education or training, or by undertaking an apprenticeship or traineeship.

The 16 and 17 year olds joining the armed forces are under a contract of employment but they are not exempt from their duty to participate. Most of these young people meet their duty to participate by undertaking an apprenticeship.

We have agreed with the Ministry of Defence that serving in the armed forces is a valid and valuable career route which provides relevant training for young people.

Apprenticeships are embedded across initial training in the armed forces, with over 95% of all young recruits (no matter what their age or prior qualifications) enrolling in an apprenticeship each year.

All apprenticeships require a minimum of 280 Guided Learning Hours (GLHs) within a 12 month period. The same GLH requirement applies to the small number of young people in the armed forces who are not on an apprenticeship.

For the 2016/17 Initial Teacher Training (ITT) recruitment round, the Department operated a system of recruitment controls and not allocations. We continue to monitor daily the recruitment at a regional level and have the power to enact regional controls if we see a large disparity in recruitment for a region. A guide to the 2016/17 ITT recruitment round methodology can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/468099/ITT_recruitment_control_guidance_2016-17_v1.1.pdf

We are currently engaging the sector and working to establish the criteria for determining which providers will be designated as a ‘Centre of Excellence’ and receive multi-year allocations, but at this stage no firm decisions have been taken.

This is a matter for Ofqual, the Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation. I have therefore asked its Chief Regulator, Sally Collier, to write directly to the Honourable Member. A copy of her reply will be placed in the House of Commons Library.

High-quality trainee teachers are central to our ambition of achieving educational excellence everywhere. The White Paper confirmed that we will introduce new quality criteria to inform the allocation of training places to providers of initial teacher training (ITT) for both schools and universities. This will include an assessment of the quality of trainees recruited to ITT courses.

We will announce further details of the criteria we intend to use shortly; this will begin to inform the allocation of training places to schools and universities from the 2017/18 training year. We anticipate refining the criteria over the coming years, taking account of feedback from the sector and the way in which providers are responding.

All executive agencies are required to undertake a review every three years. The National College of Teaching and Leadership (NCTL) Triennial Review is being led by Roger Pope, Chair of NCTL.

We expect to confirm the results of that review later this year.

Academies have the same opportunities as maintained schools to become involved in teacher training, either through the School Direct programme, becoming a School Centred Initial Teacher Training provider (SCITT), or partnering with a university teacher training provider.

Academies also benefit from additional freedoms to recruit subject experts who do not have Qualified Teacher Status (QTS), but can add real value to the classroom. Schools that are part of multi-academy trusts (MATs) can also benefit from the ability to use their greater resources to attract the teachers they need.

Our proposals to replace QTS with a new, stronger accreditation will mean schools will be able to put those subject experts who have not been through ITT on a pathway to formal accreditation. We expect the vast majority of teachers will continue to train through ITT, particularly as more schools become directly involved in the selection and training of new teachers. 94 per cent of teachers in academies hold QTS, demonstrating that head teachers value high-quality ITT.

As announced in our White Paper, Educational Excellence Everywhere, our proposals to replace Qualified Teacher Status (QTS) with a new, stronger accreditation will raise the bar for new teachers. While we expect the vast majority of new teachers to continue to complete initial teacher training (ITT), these proposals will also mean that schools can put teachers who have not completed a period of ITT onto a pathway to formal accreditation.

We will set out further details of how and when we intend to implement the new accreditation process shortly. Until then, the Department has no plans to change the regulations which permit academies and maintained schools to employ teachers who do not hold QTS.

Our recent White Paper made a commitment to raising the quality of initial teacher training so that teaching continues to be a profession that attracts the brightest and the best. We want to ensure that training places are allocated to providers – both schools and universities – with a proven track record of effectively recruiting high-quality trainees, delivering high-quality programmes of training, and securing the best possible outcomes for trainees.

We will be setting out further detail of our plans to implement these reforms shortly. This will include confirming details of the quality criteria that we intend to use to inform the allocation of places to universities and schools for the training year 2017/18. We are currently holding discussions with stakeholders, including ITT providers and their representative bodies, to inform the development of appropriate criteria.

The model articles of association give multi-academy trust (MAT) boards the freedom to appoint a local governing body. The board is also free to decide on what, if any, governance functions they delegate to subsidiary governance structures at the level of either individual schools or clusters of schools. Whatever arrangements MATs use, they must set out and publish on their website their chosen arrangements in a clear scheme of delegation.

The White Paper Educational Excellence Everywhere outlines our intention to place a new expectation on all academies to put in place specific arrangements to engage with all parents in a meaningful way to listen to their views and feedback. To enable a move to fully skills-based governance, the White Paper also announces an end to our requirement on new and existing trusts to reserve places on the board for elected parents.

Academy trusts are independent charities and must comply with charity law. This means that trust directors can only receive payment for carrying out trustee duties with Charity Commission authorisation.

The Charity Commission will only authorise payment to academy trustees where it has been clearly shown to be in the charity’s interests. They will consider issues such as the reasons for payment, whether conflicts of interests are managed appropriately, whether the Principal Regulator (for academies this is the Secretary of State for Education) is agreeable and whether payment of any trustees is in the longer-term interests of the charity. These arrangements are set out in the Department’s Governance Handbook, available on GOV.UK at: www.gov.uk/government/publications/governance-handbook. It is up to trusts to decide on the level of any such remuneration.

Academy trusts operate under a robust accountability system which holds them to account for the results they achieve and their use of resources. This includes a requirement to publish audited accounts each year allowing the wider public chance to hold academy trusts to account to help make sure that spend is securing better outcomes for pupils.

The Education Act 2002 gives the Secretary of State the power to give guidance to maintained schools governing bodies about their constitution. She also has a number of other information gathering powers in legislation. We expect to use this combination to make provision for the database by 1 September 2016. We also intend to bring forward legislation on barring unsuitable individuals from being governors of maintained schools at the earliest opportunity.

The model articles of association give multi-academy trust (MAT) boards the freedom to appoint a local governing body. The board is also free to decide on what, if any, governance functions they delegate to subsidiary governance structures at the level of either individual schools or clusters of schools. Whatever arrangements MATs use, they must set out and publish on their website their chosen arrangements in a clear scheme of delegation.

The White Paper Educational Excellence Everywhere outlines our intention to place a new expectation on all academies to put in place specific arrangements to engage with all parents in a meaningful way to listen to their views and feedback. To enable a move to fully skills-based governance, the White Paper also announces an end to our requirement on new and existing trusts to reserve places on the board for elected parents.

A wide range of meetings are held within each area review, which is a locally owned process designed to meet the needs of each local area. Bilateral meetings will often take place, for instance, between individual colleges which might be exploring restructuring options. Local stakeholders will often meet in smaller groupings to discuss particular issues or themes, for example local enterprise partnerships and local authorities may have set up separate meetings. Additionally, some local stakeholders will seek meetings to ensure their involvement at particular points, for example local MPs once recommendations emerge.

The number and type of meetings are likely to vary with each review, depending on local provision, circumstances and issues as well as local interest in engaging with the review work. The following focuses on the formal meetings which are a core part of the area review process and would therefore be consistent across the country.

A number of formal area review steering group meetings have taken place in each area since September 2015. No steering group meetings were held prior to September 2015. Meetings held between September 2015 and March 2016 are as follows:

• In Birmingham and Solihull, one meeting was held in each of the following months: September, October, November, December, January and March.

• In Greater Manchester, one meeting was held in each of the following months: September, November and December.

• In Sheffield City Region, one meeting was held in each of the following months: September, November, December and March.

• In Tees Valley, one meeting was held in each of the following months: October, November, December, February and March.

• In Sussex, one meeting was held in each of the following months: October, December, January, February and March.

• In the Solent, one meeting was held in each of the following months: November, December, January and March.

• In West Yorkshire, one meeting was held in each of the following months: November, December, January and March.

Minutes of the steering group meetings are not published as they are a series of internal discussions during which local stakeholders review post-16 provision in their area and work towards a set of recommendations. As such, each local steering group has space and autonomy to develop their proposals and discuss local issues effectively.

The Department is committed to making the outcomes transparent, and once each review reaches its conclusions, there will be a summary report published at the end of each Area Review process.

Promoting equality in education settings is a priority for this Government. In combination with our guidance to schools on managing medical conditions, the Equality Act 2010 provides a broad basis for ensuring that disabled pupils are included and supported to achieve their full potential.

The Equality Act requires all schools (whether maintained or academy) to produce an accessibility plan. These plans ensure that all aspects of school life are accessible to disabled pupils. The Act also requires Local Authorities to produce accessibility strategies with the same aims as the school-level plan, but with different coverage. There is no evidence of schools or early years settings systematically refusing to accept disabled children. However, we do take action where individual cases are brought to our attention.

Our Early Implementer Package for the new extended childcare offer will include testing how we can improve access for children with SEN and disabilities. This will provide critical information before the national rollout.

Any exclusions from school must be lawful, reasonable and fair. Schools have a legal duty not to discriminate against a pupil because of a protected characteristic. The statutory guidance on exclusion emphasises the importance of early intervention to address underlying causes of disruptive behaviour, including an assessment of whether suitable provision is in place to support any SEN or disability a pupil may have. It also states that headteachers should, as far as possible, avoid excluding permanently any pupil with a statement of SEN.

In certain circumstances, governing bodies must review head teachers’ decisions to exclude and have the power to reinstate a pupil. Where a governing body upholds a permanent exclusion, parents can request that the decision is reviewed by an independent review panel. However, the governing body has the final say on whether the pupil can return to the school. Parents can request that a SEN expert provides impartial advice to the panel.

Parents can also make a claim to the First-tier Tribunal (SEN and Disabilities) when it is alleged that an exclusion relates to disability discrimination. The Tribunal has the power to order the pupil’s reinstatement.

When Ofsted inspect a school and look at the behaviour management policies they can also consider whether the school is disproportionately excluding pupils with disabilities and can use this to inform their assessment.

Evidence, including a seminal McKinsey study from 2007 (How the world’s best-performing schools come out on top), shows that teacher quality and impact cannot be predicted by a single factor such as A-Level grades, but result from a complex combination of factors including academic achievement combined with characteristics and attributes such as communication skills, willingness to learn and motivation to teach.

The Teachers’ Standards, developed by a group of leading teachers and heads, clearly define the core elements of effective teaching – including strong subject knowledge and the promotion of scholarship, as well as skills such as classroom management. All new teachers must demonstrate that they are meeting the standards at the end of their initial training.

It is important that providers of initial teacher training are able to select and recruit candidates on the basis of their potential and their academic achievement to date; this is why we are giving schools much greater say in recruiting and training candidates who can be successful in the classroom. This year, over half of all postgraduate trainees are coming through school-led routes.

The government recognises that play has an important role in supporting all young children to develop and prepare for later learning, and the Early Years Foundation Stage is clear that “practitioners must consider the individual needs, interests, and stage of development of each child in their care… to plan a challenging and enjoyable experience for each child in all of the areas of learning and development.” Health and safety should not create a barrier to accessing play activities for children with multiple needs.

The staff working in early years settings as Early Years Educators (level 3) and Early Years Teachers (graduates) are required to have an understanding of different pedagogical approaches, including the role of play in supporting early learning and development. The criteria for the Early Years Educator and standards for Early Years Teacher Status qualifications are set by the department. However, it is the responsibility of early years settings to provide play opportunities for their children and pupils, including those with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).

Ofsted conducts a regular cycle of inspection to ensure that provision meets the required quality and safety standards and assesses the extent to which the learning and care provided by the setting meets the needs of the range of children who attend, including the needs of any children who have SEND.

The Childcare Act 2016 expands the free childcare entitlement from 15 to 30 hours for three- and four-year-olds of working parents. As part of the Early Implementer Package announced on 2 February 2016, local authorities involved will be using the opportunity to test and showcase how childcare can be delivered in a way that improves access for children with SEND. The department also launched a consultation on 3 April 2016 seeking views on key elements of the operation and delivery of the 30 hours and we welcome views on provision for children with SEND. The consultation is available on GOV.UK at: www.gov.uk/government/consultations/30-hour-free-childcare-entitlement

There are a range of ways in which Regional Schools Commissioners (RSCs) and members of Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) can contribute to area reviews, for instance through the National Area Review Advisory Group.

It is expected that there will be at least five steering group meetings in each review. To date all Wave 1 Area Reviews have held a number of local steering group meetings and RSCs and LEPs are members. They or their representatives have attended the majority of these meetings.

In Birmingham and Solihull, one meeting in December 2015 took place without an RSC representative present.

In Greater Manchester, one meeting in November 2015 took place without an RSC representative present and one meeting in December 2015 took place without either an RSC or LEP representative present.

In Sheffield City Region, one meeting in December 2015 took place without an RSC representative present.

In Tees Valley, all meetings have taken place with a RSC or LEP representative present.

In Sussex, one meeting in February 2016 took place without an RSC representative present.

In the Solent, one meeting in November 2015 and one meeting in January 2016 took place without an RSC representative present.

In West Yorkshire, one meeting in November 2015, one meeting in December 2015 and one meeting in January 2016 took place without an RSC representative present.

Both a RSC and LEP representative have been present at all other steering group meetings of the Wave 1 area reviews.

The local authority (LA) is responsible for enforcing parking restrictions around schools. The LA must also promote sustainable travel and transport, and strategies for encouraging walking, cycling and public transport should form part of that. The duty applies to all children and young people of compulsory school age who travel to receive education or training in a local authority’s area and is reinforced by the Department’s home to school transport statutory guidance: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/445407/Home_to_School_Travel_and_Transport_Guidance.pdf

The Department for Education recognises that play has an important role in supporting all young children to develop and prepare for later learning. The importance of play is already recognised within the early years legislation covered by Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Childcare and Education’s portfolio.

Play is covered in the statutory Early Years Foundation Stage framework and states: Each area of learning and development must be implemented through planned, purposeful play and through a mix of adult-led and child-initiated activity. Play is essential for children’s development, building their confidence as they learn to explore, to think about problems, and relate to others. Children learn by leading their own play, and by taking part in play which is guided by adults. The framework is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/early-years-foundation-stage-framework--2

The staff working in early years settings as Early Years Educators (level 3) and Early Years Teachers (graduates) are required to have an understanding of different pedagogical approaches, including the role of play in supporting early learning and development. The criteria for the Early Years Educator and standards for Early Years Teacher Status qualifications are set by the department. However, it is the responsibility of early years settings to provide play opportunities for their children and pupils, including those with special educational needs and disabilities.

Ofsted registers childcare provision on the Early Years Register and the General Childcare Register and conducts a regular cycle of inspection to ensure that provision meets the required quality and safety standards.

In judging the quality and standards of early years provision, Ofsted inspectors must assess the extent to which the learning and care provided by the setting meets the needs of the range of children who attend, including the needs of any children who have special educational needs or disabilities. At August 2015, 85 per cent of providers on the Early Years Register were rated good or outstanding for overall effectiveness.

We have already announced over £1bn more for the early years entitlements within the ring-fenced Dedicated Schools Grant by 2019-20, which includes £300m to uplift the funding rate to providers. The increase to the funding rate is based on robust evidence from the Review of the Cost of Childcare. We have made clear our commitment to maximise the amount of this funding which reaches front line childcare providers, and will consult on proposals for achieving this as part of our consultation on early years funding reform later this year.

The Department supports the Department for Transport’s target to increase the numbers of pupils walking to school. Local authorities have a duty to promote sustainable school travel and transport, and our statutory guidance on home to school transport states that strategies for encouraging walking should form part of that duty. Departmental officials have recently met the Living Streets Charity to discuss how we can further help local authorities in promoting walking to school and we continue to support and promote initiatives such as Living Streets, Modeshift and Sustrans both by engaging with consultations and through our guidance.

The guidance can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/445407/Home_to_School_Travel_and_Transport_Guidance.pdf

The management of the Future Teaching Scholars programme is contracted to the delivery organisation, Education Development Trust. Any money spent on marketing is determined by the Education Development Trust.

Funding for the Future Teaching Scholars programme is allocated by financial year rather than by cohort. £1.3m has been allocated for financial year 2016-17. This covers the £15,000 financial incentive to Scholars, continued marketing expenditure, and all programme delivery costs.

To date we have received applications from 27 women and 23 men. We remain confident that we will secure 110 scholars by the end of summer 2016.

The Future Teaching Scholars programme is currently recruiting high achieving A level students, with the aim of securing up to 110 Scholars to start the programme in academic year 2016-17. All Scholars will be rigorously selected, including assessment of their commitment to teaching.

There will be places available for all Scholars after they successfully complete their undergraduate degree and commence their initial teacher training from the 2019-20 academic year.

The Future Teaching Scholars programme received 50 applications in the first recruitment round. We remain confident that we will secure 110 scholars by the end of summer 2016.

At present, each RSC office employs between 8 and 10 members of staff. In line with the Department's commitment to greater transparency, staffing structure information for each RSC office, including staff count for each grade, pay scale and location, is published on GOV.UK at: http://reference.data.gov.uk/gov-structure/organogram/?pubbod=department-for-education

Local authorities are responsible for ensuring there are sufficient school places in their local area.

The RSCs are responsible for approving the sponsors of new free schools and intervening in underperforming academies and free schools in their area. The RSCs consider basic need when making decisions on proposed changes to academies, and must consider any representations from local authorities.

The regional school commissioners currently have one agency worker and one inward secondee from a County Council.

Contractors procured to support the academies and free schools programme are required to declare conflicts of interest.

The contract states, “The Contractor is required to declare to the Contract Manager any interests and/or links, including other contracts or positions held whether they be paid or unpaid or relationships with, but not limited to, schools, education providers or other external organisations involved in the provision of education or education services so the Contract Manager may assess whether any conflicts of interest, whether potential, actual or perceived, and as reasonably judged by the Contract Manager, may have the potential to present reputational, operational or legal or risks to the Contractor and to the Department in allocating any particular project.

"If such a conflict of interest does arise, or may arise, the Contractor will declare it to the Department immediately and accept that the Department may ask the Contractor to immediately cease any involvement with the task giving rise to the conflict.”

The Department will publish an award notice on GOV.UK that names suppliers that have been awarded contracts, business addresses and contract values over £20,000. The Department will also be publishing related supplier contracts that support the academy and free school programme on Contract Finder on GOV.UK by 31 March 2016.

The Department will publish an award notice on GOV.UK that names suppliers that have been awarded contracts, business addresses and contract values over £20,000. The Department will also be publishing related supplier contracts that support the academy and free school programme on Contract Finder on GOV.UK by 31 March 2016.

The department does not publish daily rates for specialist contractors. Doing so would prejudice commercial interests.

The specialist contractors that support the academies and free school programme are directed in advance of commencing any work that their conduct and behaviour when delivering the Department’s business complies with the Civil Service Code’s principles.

The Department has contracted 92 suppliers to provide education specialist contractors to support the academies and free school programme. Further details can be found in Annex G of the supplementary evidence submitted to the Education Select Committee on the role of RSCs, which can be found here:

http://data.parliament.uk/writtenevidence/committeeevidence.svc/evidencedocument/education-committee/the-role-of-regional-schools-commissioners/written/25134.html

In financial year 2014-15, the Department spent £1,112,580.53 on education specialist contractors to support the regional school commissioners.

Invitation to tender including the contract was published on contracts finder on GOV.UK on 12 August 2015 at:

https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/fcbd797d-c613-47f5-8853-79f2ad7d74a9

The information is available about each academy trust in the notes to their financial statements which are published online by the Department for Education and at Companies House.

The information is available about each academy trust in the notes to their financial statements which are published online by the Department for Education and at Companies House.

This is a matter for Ofqual, the Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation. I have therefore asked its Chief Regulator, Glenys Stacey to write directly to the Honourable Member. A copy of her reply will be placed in the House of Commons Library.

All Wave 1 Area Reviews have held a number of local steering group meetings, of which RSCs are members. Dates of some of the steering group meetings are in the public domain, as are details of membership of the steering groups.

To date, £4.3m has been spent on the programme, the majority of which has been initial, one-off start-up costs. The funding has been allocated to trainee salaries in addition to programme costs to deliver the degree qualification and teacher training requirements.

One cohort has completed their training to date with a further two cohorts currently in training. In total, 144 teachers have been recruited through the scheme.

There has only been one cohort to complete to date. The retention rate for this cohort was 76 per cent.

The current retention rate for cohort 2 is 90 per cent, and for cohort 3 it is 96 per cent.

This is a matter for Ofqual, the Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation. I have therefore asked its Chief Regulator, Glenys Stacey, to write directly to the Honourable Member. A copy of her reply will be placed in the House of Commons Library.

There are a range of ways in which Regional Schools Commissioners (RSCs) and members of Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) contribute to area reviews, for instance through the Area Review Advisory Group.

All Wave 1 Area Reviews have held a number of local steering group meetings, and RSCs and LEPs are members. In terms of specific attendance, an RSC may attend in person, or may instead send a representative. The area review guidance published in September 2015 does indicate that the LEP should be a member of the local steering group, but it does not require a particular representative to attend. LEPs do not usually have chief executives.

RSC and LEP representatives have attended various steering group meetings in Birmingham and Solihull, Greater Manchester, Sheffield City Region, Tees Valley, Sussex, Solent and West Yorkshire from September 2015 to the present.

Regional Schools Commissioners are responsible for monitoring the performance of academies within their region, including performance at sixth form level. Decisions regarding intervention action are informed by the academy’s performance against minimum standards, including the 16-19 minimum standards, and Ofsted judgements, as well as local intelligence.

Higher education institutions (HEIs) are responsible for their own recruitment to initial teacher training (ITT) courses, both through offering their own ITT places and supporting the wider school-led system.

The National College for Teaching and Leadership (NCTL) has introduced a new system for postgraduate ITT recruitment for the 2016/17 academic year. Full information has been published on GOV.UK: www.gov.uk/government/publications/initial-teacher-training-itt-recruitment-controls

The Government is committed to attracting more top graduates into teaching, and has already announced increased bursaries and other financial incentives in those core academic subjects that best help children achieve their potential; including tax free bursaries of up to £30,000.

The Department for Education has launched a programme of marketing activities highlighting the benefits of a career in teaching to attract people into the profession. This includes TV advertising, the “Get into Teaching” website, digital advertising and activity on social media. Officials attend more than 40 graduate recruitment and Train to Teach events each year in order to promote teaching to those interested in applying.