Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will take steps to increase the subsidy from the public purse for health and safety courses undertaken as part of the Construction Skills Certification Scheme card application process.

The Construction Skills Certification Scheme (CSCS) plays an important role in promoting relevant competency standards and health and safety awareness in construction. Government recognises the positive contribution that the Scheme makes, both to the construction industry and the clients it serves. However, the CSCS card is not a Government scheme, nor is the holding of a CSCS card a statutory requirement for employment in the construction industry. We therefore have no current plans to subsidise the Scheme.