Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many apprenticeships have been created in his Department in each region in each of the last five years; and how many participants in those apprenticeships subsequently secured a job within the Civil Service.

Prior to 2015, the Department had no apprentices working in any of its locations.

Five or fewer apprentices joined the Department during 2015. We are unable to provide more details or we risk identifying the individuals concerned.

The Department is committed to delivering the Civil Service target that a minimum of 2.3% of the workforce in England will be new apprenticeships each year. This is expected to result in 46 apprentices being in position across London and Leeds by the end of the current accounting year.