Asked by: Steve Race (Labour - Exeter)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent discussions she has had with Skills England on the use of the growth and skills levy to support people to reskill in the technical and digital fields.
Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The government is developing a comprehensive strategy for post‐16 education and skills to break down barriers to opportunity and support employers to develop the skilled workforces they need to help drive economic growth.
Skills England has been established to form a coherent national picture of skills gaps and to help shape the technical education system so that it is responsive to skills needs. It will work closely with the Industrial Strategy Council and the Migration Advisory Committee to achieve this.
The government’s new Industrial Strategy will channel support to eight growth-driving sectors. Digital and Technologies has been identified as one of the eight growth-driving sectors and the department is considering how it supports this sector to develop the skills needed now and in the future.
Additionally, the government is reforming the apprenticeship levy into a new growth and skills levy that will deliver greater flexibility for learners and employers in England, aligned with the Industrial Strategy. As a first step, this will include shorter duration and foundation apprenticeships in targeted sectors, helping more people learn new high quality skills at work, fuelling innovation in businesses across the country and providing high quality entry pathways for young people.
Skills England was asked to engage with employers and other key partners regarding early priorities for the new growth and skills offer over the autumn. It has spoken to over 700 stakeholders, including representatives in the digital and technology sector, and has shared its findings with the department. Skills England will publish its findings from this engagement process in early 2025.
Asked by: Steve Race (Labour - Exeter)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to expand AI apprenticeships.
Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The government is committed to ensuring both learners and employers have access to crucial digital and artificial intelligence (AI) skills that have the potential to increase productivity and create new high value jobs in the UK economy. To achieve this, the government is reforming the skills system.
The government has established Skills England to form a coherent national picture of skills gaps and to help shape the technical education system so that it is responsive to skills needs.
In addition, the government’s new Industrial Strategy will channel support to eight growth-driving sectors. Digital and Technologies has been identified as one of the eight growth-driving sectors and the department is considering how it supports this sector to develop the skills needed now and in the future.
The government is also reforming the apprenticeships levy into a growth and skills levy which will deliver greater flexibility for learners and employers. As a key first step toward greater flexibility, we are introducing new foundation apprenticeships for young people, as well as shorter duration apprenticeships in targeted sectors. The minimum duration of an apprenticeship will be reduced to eight months, down from the current minimum of 12 months from August 2025. Three trailblazers in the key priority sectors of green energy, healthcare and film/TV production will be among the first to pioneer, and benefit from, the flexibilities that the new shorter duration apprenticeships offer. These will support more people to gain high quality skills at work, fuelling innovation in businesses across the country.
Apprenticeships are a great way for individuals to begin, or progress in, a successful career in the digital sector. Employers have developed more than 30 digital apprenticeships, including Level 3 Digital Support Technician and Level 5 Data Engineer.
The Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education’s Digital Skills and Characteristics Framework also supports the inclusion of appropriate digital content such as AI and data driven technologies in new and revised occupational standards at all levels, ensuring that occupational standards keep pace with technological advancements and market trends.
Asked by: Steve Race (Labour - Exeter)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking through Young Futures Hubs to help tackle violence against women and girls.
Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The government has set an ambitious target to halve violence against women and girls in a decade. To achieve this, we plan to reduce the current levels of offending and reoffending and prevent abuse from happening altogether.
This focus on prevention also sits at the heart of the Young Futures programme, which will establish a network of Young Futures Hubs and Young Futures prevention partnerships.
Young Futures Hubs will be set up across the country, bringing together services to improve access to opportunities and support for young people at community level, promoting positive outcomes and enabling young people to thrive.
Young Futures Prevention Partnerships will bring local partners together to intervene earlier to ensure that vulnerable children at-risk of being drawn into a variety of crime types (including anti-social behaviour, knife crime and violence against women and girls) are identified and offered support in a more systematic way.
Officials from across government, including my department, the Home Office, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, the Department for Health and Social Care and the Ministry of Justice are working together using their various bodies of evidence of what works to shape Young Futures Hubs.
Asked by: Steve Race (Labour - Exeter)
Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps she is taking to help ensure that the transport system supports economic growth.
Answered by Simon Lightwood - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Transport)
Growth is the priority Mission of this government. Transport provides the connectivity needed to achieve it.
We are improving connectivity through infrastructure programmes such as HS2, East West Rail, and the Transpennine Route Upgrade.
We are empowering leaders, improving bus services, and better integrating networks to improve access to opportunities.
Asked by: Steve Race (Labour - Exeter)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions she has had with Cabinet colleagues on improving multi-agency teams to improve (a) early intervention and (b) support for young people.
Answered by Jess Phillips - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)
Effective joint working, at both a cross-Government and local agency level, is critical to ensuring that effective early intervention and support for young people is delivered.
These values are at the heart of the Young Futures Programme, which is bringing departments together from across Government (including the Department for Education, Department for Health and Social Care, Department for Culture, Media and Sport, the Ministry of Justice and the Home Office), to establish a network of Young Futures Hubs and Young Futures Prevention Partnerships.
The Young Futures Programme will bring local partners together across England and Wales to intervene earlier, ensuring vulnerable children and young people are identified and offered support in a more systematic way, as well as creating opportunities for young people in their communities, through the provision of open access to mental health and careers support.
Young Futures Prevention Partnerships will look to build on the excellent multi-agency working delivered through Violence Reduction Units and the Serious Violence Duty, and using the strong networks that have been created to improve how we identify, reach, and support young people at risk of being drawn into crime.
Asked by: Steve Race (Labour - Exeter)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that company directors consider the interests of (a) workers and (b) the environment.
Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Under section 172(1) of the Companies Act 2006, company directors are required to have regard to the interests of the company’s employees and the impact of the company’s operations on the environment. Since 2019, directors of large companies have been required to report annually on how they have met this duty.
The Government will consult this year on requirements for economically significant companies to report on their sustainability-related risks and opportunities via UK Sustainability Reporting Standards, and on how best to take forward the Government’s manifesto commitment on climate transition plan requirements.
Asked by: Steve Race (Labour - Exeter)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what support his Department is offering to businesses to alter articles of association to align the interests of (a) people, (b) the planet and (c) profit.
Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Under section 21 of the Companies Act 2006, a company may alter its articles of association by special resolution (requiring 75% approval of its shareholders), and under section 172(2) of the Act, a company may set out a distinctive purpose that its directors must lawfully follow. Many businesses already use these provisions to set out how their directors should consider the interests of shareholders, employees and the environment.
Asked by: Steve Race (Labour - Exeter)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how much money has been allocated from the Net Zero Innovation Portfolio.
Answered by Kerry McCarthy - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government has provided innovation funding through the £1.3 billion Net Zero Innovation Portfolio (NZIP) and Advanced Nuclear Fund (ANF) to accelerate the commercialisation of innovative, low-carbon technologies, systems and business models in power, buildings and industry.
The NZIP and ANF have supported over 600 projects, which has in turn supported 5,500 jobs and leveraged a further £750 million of private sector match funding in the UK.
The portfolio funds a range of programmes from small scale grants with SMEs to large-scale programmes, such as the Low-Cost Nuclear Programme with Rolls Royce SMR Ltd. To date, £1.1 billion has been allocated from the portfolio with around half allocated to small businesses in the UK.
A final Progress Report on the performance of the NZIP is expected to be published later this year.
Asked by: Steve Race (Labour - Exeter)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the Net Zero Innovation Portfolio on the economy.
Answered by Kerry McCarthy - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government has provided innovation funding through the £1.3 billion Net Zero Innovation Portfolio (NZIP) and Advanced Nuclear Fund (ANF) to accelerate the commercialisation of innovative, low-carbon technologies, systems and business models in power, buildings and industry.
The NZIP and ANF have supported over 600 projects, which has in turn supported 5,500 jobs and leveraged a further £750 million of private sector match funding in the UK.
The portfolio funds a range of programmes from small scale grants with SMEs to large-scale programmes, such as the Low-Cost Nuclear Programme with Rolls Royce SMR Ltd. To date, £1.1 billion has been allocated from the portfolio with around half allocated to small businesses in the UK.
A final Progress Report on the performance of the NZIP is expected to be published later this year.
Asked by: Steve Race (Labour - Exeter)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, how much and what proportion of Net Zero Innovation Portfolio funding has been allocated to small businesses.
Answered by Kerry McCarthy - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government has provided innovation funding through the £1.3 billion Net Zero Innovation Portfolio (NZIP) and Advanced Nuclear Fund (ANF) to accelerate the commercialisation of innovative, low-carbon technologies, systems and business models in power, buildings and industry.
The NZIP and ANF have supported over 600 projects, which has in turn supported 5,500 jobs and leveraged a further £750 million of private sector match funding in the UK.
The portfolio funds a range of programmes from small scale grants with SMEs to large-scale programmes, such as the Low-Cost Nuclear Programme with Rolls Royce SMR Ltd. To date, £1.1 billion has been allocated from the portfolio with around half allocated to small businesses in the UK.
A final Progress Report on the performance of the NZIP is expected to be published later this year.