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1054028

	registered interest
	date	04/02/2019
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Vocational Education
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	What steps he is taking to ensure that (a) academies and (b) local authority maintained schools comply with section 2 of the Further Education and Technical Act 2017; and if he will make a statement.
	tabling member constituency	Harlow
	tabling member printed	Robert Halfon
	uin	908969
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/02/2019 answer text <p>Inviting providers of technical education into schools is vital to give all pupils a full picture of their options. We are writing to local authorities to make sure that schools comply.</p><p>We have written to the largest multi academy trusts currently not meeting the duty, reminding them what is required, and will take further action if we have evidence schools are still not complying.</p> answering member constituency Guildford answering member printed Anne Milton question first answered 04/02/2019 17:29:03 answering member 1523 label Biography information for Anne Milton
	tabling member	3985 label Biography information for Robert Halfon

1039013

	registered interest
	date	10/01/2019
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Apprentices: Taxation
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to his oral contribution of 17 December 2018, Official Report Column 509, if he will place in the Library a copy of the 30 November 2018 presentation by the Institute for Apprenticeships at Exeter College citing the projected £500 million overspend on the apprenticeship levy budget.
	tabling member constituency	Harlow
	tabling member printed	Robert Halfon
	uin	207232
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/01/2019 answer text <p>The Institute for Apprenticeships (IfA) is a non-departmental public body, independent of government. The IfA are considering whether it would be appropriate to publish the presentation given at Exeter College on 30 November 2018.</p> answering member constituency Guildford answering member printed Anne Milton question first answered 15/01/2019 18:00:13 answering member 1523 label Biography information for Anne Milton
	tabling member	3985 label Biography information for Robert Halfon

1039014

	registered interest
	date	10/01/2019
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Apprentices: Finance
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 18 December 2018 to Question 202058 on apprentices: finance, by what means his Department controls expenditure in a demand-led apprenticeship programme; and what steps his Department is taking to prevent an overspend in each of the next three years.
	tabling member constituency	Harlow
	tabling member printed	Robert Halfon
	uin	207233
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/01/2019 answer text <p>The departmental budget for spending on apprenticeships in England from 2015-16 to 2019-20 was set initially in the 2015 Spending Review, based on forecast demand and considering factors such as historical start levels.</p><p>Funding bands set the maximum that government will contribute towards the training and assessment costs of an individual apprenticeship and are set to achieve high-quality delivery while securing value for money. The Institute for Apprenticeships makes regular recommendations on the pricing of standards, and in 2018 we introduced additional funding bands to ensure that all standards are funded at the appropriate level.</p><p>We also set the amount of funding available for supporting non-levy payers, which is delivered through contracts with training providers: currently government pays 90% of training and assessment costs and 100% for the smallest employers who take on 16 to 18 year olds. We have awarded funding totalling more than £500 million to providers across the country between January 2018 and March 2019. This  includes more than £70 million growth funding.</p><p>We constantly monitor levels of spend and forecast demand and consider the overall budget position, including as part of the wider departmental position.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Guildford answering member printed Anne Milton question first answered 15/01/2019 16:46:36 answering member 1523 label Biography information for Anne Milton
	tabling member	3985 label Biography information for Robert Halfon

1038494

	registered interest
	date	09/01/2019
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Schools: Vocational Education
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what sanctions are available to (a) Ofsted, (b) Regional Schools Commissioners and (c) his Department to ensure that schools comply with section 2 of the Further Education and Technical Act 2017.
	tabling member constituency	Harlow
	tabling member printed	Robert Halfon
	uin	206808
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/01/2019 answer text <p>Section 2 of the Technical and Further Education Act (2017), often referred to as the ‘Baker Clause’, requires all maintained schools and academies to make sure that there is an opportunity for a range of education and training providers to meet pupils in year 8 to year 13 for the purpose of informing them about approved technical education qualifications or apprenticeships.</p><p>We introduced the ‘Baker Clause’ in January 2018 and published statutory guidance on careers guidance and on access for education and training providers which explains what schools must do to comply with this law. This is available at the following link: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/careers-guidance-provision-for-young-people-in-schools" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/careers-guidance-provision-for-young-people-in-schools</a>.</p><p>In the event of suspected non-compliance with the duty and statutory guidance, our approach is for the parties involved to try to resolve the matter locally. This might include Regional Schools Commissioners or local authorities discussing and addressing any barriers to compliance with multi-academy trusts, individual academies or maintained schools.</p><p>If the department finds fault with a school’s policies following a complaint, then remedial action could be taken. This could include an official or a minister from the department writing to the school and, ultimately, the possibility of the Secretary of State using intervention powers.</p><p>Regarding Ofsted, this is a matter for Her Majesty’s Chief Inspector, Amanda Spielman. I have asked her to write to the right hon. Member and a copy of her reply will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.</p> answering member constituency Guildford answering member printed Anne Milton question first answered 16/01/2019 11:30:33 answering member 1523 label Biography information for Anne Milton
	tabling member	3985 label Biography information for Robert Halfon

1024699

	registered interest
	date	13/12/2018
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Apprentices: Finance
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, by how much the apprenticeship budget is set to be overspent in the academic year (a) 2018-19 and (b) 2019-20.
	tabling member constituency	Harlow
	tabling member printed	Robert Halfon
	uin	202058
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/12/2018 answer text <p>By 2019/20, the funding available for apprenticeships in England will have risen to over £2.5 billion, which is more than double what it was in 2010, including the additional £115 million confirmed in this year’s budget.</p><p>Spending on the apprenticeship programme is demand-led. Therefore, employers can choose which apprenticeships they offer, the level of the apprenticeships and when they offer the apprenticeships. Furthermore, levy payers have two years to spend the funds available to them. For the 2018-19 and 2019-20 financial years, the fully audited accounts are due to be published following the end of the respective financial year.</p> answering member constituency Guildford answering member printed Anne Milton question first answered 18/12/2018 18:25:29 answering member 1523 label Biography information for Anne Milton
	tabling member	3985 label Biography information for Robert Halfon

993627

	registered interest
	date	23/10/2018
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Apprentices: Minimum Wage
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what enforcement procedures have been put in place in England to ensure that apprenticeship providers pay their apprentices the National Minimum Wage.
	tabling member constituency	Harlow
	tabling member printed	Robert Halfon
	uin	182745
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 31/10/2018 answer text <p>Enforcement of all minimum wages, including the National Minimum Wage (NMW) for apprentices, is the responsibility of Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC).</p><p>In the period 2017 to 2018, HMRC identified a record £15.6 million in total arrears owed to 200,000 workers who were underpaid the minimum wages and issued £14 million in penalties. HMRC continues to investigate 100% of complaints received from workers in respect of minimum wage law.</p><p>The government’s naming scheme, which was introduced in 2013, provides HMRC with the power to publicly name employers who fail to pay minimum wages. 1,900 businesses have already been named. Between them, these businesses owed workers total arrears of more than £11 million. Apprentices are distinguished separately.</p><p>Each new apprentice on a government-funded apprenticeship receives a letter from the Minister of State for Apprenticeships and Skills which sets out what they can expect from their apprenticeship. This letter includes information on apprentices’ entitlement to the NMW.</p><p>The Education and Skills Funding Agency’s Find an Apprenticeship service also has built-in automated checks to ensure that no apprenticeship vacancy can be advertised with a wage rate below the NMW level. An employer would not be able to submit a vacancy to Find an Apprenticeship until the NMW requirements are met.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Guildford answering member printed Anne Milton question first answered 31/10/2018 15:48:46 answering member 1523 label Biography information for Anne Milton
	tabling member	3985 label Biography information for Robert Halfon

964637

	registered interest
	date	03/09/2018
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Apprentices
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether the Government still has a target of three million apprentices by 2020.
	tabling member constituency	Harlow
	tabling member printed	Robert Halfon
	uin	169297
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/09/2018 answer text <p>In 2015 we set an ambitious goal of three million apprenticeship starts by 2020, and that remains our ambition.</p><p>Whilst we want to see an increased number of apprenticeships starts we will not sacrifice quality for quantity. It is important that all apprenticeships are of the highest quality - delivering the skills valued by employers that will increase productivity and help stimulate growth.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Guildford answering member printed Anne Milton question first answered 11/09/2018 07:04:38 answering member 1523 label Biography information for Anne Milton
	tabling member	3985 label Biography information for Robert Halfon

964638

	registered interest
	date	03/09/2018
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Apprentices: Finance
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much money the Government has invested in apprenticeships so far; and how much money the Government plans to have invested in apprenticeship by 2020.
	tabling member constituency	Harlow
	tabling member printed	Robert Halfon
	uin	169298
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/09/2018 answer text <p>The table below sets out participation spending for the apprenticeship programme for the period 2012-2018, the only years for which comparable figures are available. This is the sum spent by providers of training on delivery, and does not include other costs of the programme:</p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p><strong>Financial Year</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>2012-13</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>2013-14</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>2014-15</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>2015-16</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>2016-17</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>2017-18</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>Total spend £(millions)</strong></p></td><td><p>1,461</p></td><td><p>1,459</p></td><td><p>1,551</p></td><td><p>1,540</p></td><td><p>1,632</p></td><td><p>1,559</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p>The total budget for the apprenticeship programme in 2019-20 is £2.45 billion.</p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency Guildford answering member printed Anne Milton grouped question UIN 169299 question first answered 11/09/2018 16:47:17 answering member 1523 label Biography information for Anne Milton
	tabling member	3985 label Biography information for Robert Halfon

964639

	registered interest
	date	03/09/2018
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Apprentices: Finance
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether the government still plans to invest £2.5 billion in apprenticeships by 2020.
	tabling member constituency	Harlow
	tabling member printed	Robert Halfon
	uin	169299
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/09/2018 answer text <p>The table below sets out participation spending for the apprenticeship programme for the period 2012-2018, the only years for which comparable figures are available. This is the sum spent by providers of training on delivery, and does not include other costs of the programme:</p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p><strong>Financial Year</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>2012-13</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>2013-14</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>2014-15</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>2015-16</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>2016-17</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>2017-18</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p><strong>Total spend £(millions)</strong></p></td><td><p>1,461</p></td><td><p>1,459</p></td><td><p>1,551</p></td><td><p>1,540</p></td><td><p>1,632</p></td><td><p>1,559</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p>The total budget for the apprenticeship programme in 2019-20 is £2.45 billion.</p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency Guildford answering member printed Anne Milton grouped question UIN 169298 question first answered 11/09/2018 16:47:17 answering member 1523 label Biography information for Anne Milton
	tabling member	3985 label Biography information for Robert Halfon

938484

	registered interest
	date	11/07/2018
	answering body	Department for Education
	answering dept id	60
	answering dept short name	Education
	answering dept sort name	Education
	hansard heading	Pupil Exclusions: Employment
	house id	1
	legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
	question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to improve the accessibility of routes to employment for pupils who have been excluded from school.
	tabling member constituency	Harlow
	tabling member printed	Robert Halfon
	uin	163075
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/07/2018 answer text <p>There are duties in place to make sure that suitable, full time alternative provision (AP) is available for children of compulsory school age who have been excluded for a fixed period or permanently. Local authorities are responsible for making sure that provision meets the needs of young people in their area. This includes identifying 16 to 19 year olds who are not in education, employment or training, such as those excluded from school, and providing the help they need to participate and progress.</p><p>The department is raising the proportion of young people leaving AP to engage in education, employment and training. A high proportion of these students will have special educational needs and/or a disability and through the Children and Families Act 2014 we have put in place support to help these students to succeed alongside their peers. Young people also have access to a range of support and guidance, including the 16-19 Bursary Fund to assist with the costs associated with staying in post-16 further education and Access to Work funding to support apprentices who are disabled or have a physical or mental health condition.</p><p>In March 2018, the government published its vision for AP, including a plan for improving the support it offers to young people. We will continue to engage with AP and post-16 providers to identify and share new ways of helping young people make the transition into post-16 settings and adult life. We have commissioned primary research into the recent experiences of children, schools, AP and post-16 providers regarding this transition. We are also in the process of assessing bids from organisations who have applied to the AP Innovation Fund to design and test new approaches to improve outcomes for young people leaving AP at age 16.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Guildford answering member printed Anne Milton question first answered 19/07/2018 17:44:21 answering member 1523 label Biography information for Anne Milton
	tabling member	3985 label Biography information for Robert Halfon