Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will pause the defunding of applied general qualifications scheduled for 2025 and 2026.

In July 2024, my Right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education announced a short pause to the defunding of qualifications to enable a review of post-16 qualification reforms at level 3 and below. This was followed by a Written Ministerial Statement by my noble Friend, the Minister for Skills, on 25 July. This statement is available here: https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-statements/detail/2024-07-25/hlws20.

The department is now working to review the defunding due to take place in 2025 and it will set out the position before Christmas.

The department has not announced any defunding for 2026.