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1046035

registered interest
date	22/01/2019
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Productivity and Skilled Workers: Midlands
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment he has made of his Department's progress in tackling the skills and productivity gap in the Midlands.
tabling member constituency	Mansfield
tabling member printed	Ben Bradley
uin	211345
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 30/01/2019 answer text <p>We are working closing with the West Midlands Combined Authority on the implementation of the Skills Deal, which is designed to help tackle the skills and productivity gap in the region. This includes supporting them to maximise the opportunities of the Apprenticeship Levy; and to drive adult learning and retraining in digital skills via a pilot that will inform the National Retraining Scheme.</p><p> </p><p>From the 2019/20 academic year, the adult education budget will be devolved to the West Midlands Combined Authority. Once devolved, the combined authority will decide how best to use this funding, to meet the needs of their residents and the local economy. The department has worked very closely with officials in the combined authority to support their preparations, and a strong relationship has been established. A Memorandum of Understanding between the department and the combined authority establishes a collaborative way of working at all levels to maximise the potential of adult education devolution.</p><p> </p><p>We are also establishing Skills Advisory Panels, which bring together local employers and skills providers to pool knowledge on skills and labour market needs, and to work together to understand and address key local challenges. Both the West Midlands Mayoral Combined Authority and Greater Lincolnshire Local Enterprise Partnership were in the first phase of local areas, working with the department to develop the policy. The West Midlands Combined Authority has already held its inaugural meeting of its Skills Advisory Panel in November 2018. The department is working with all panels across England, including in the Midlands, to establish their Skills Advisory Panels by October 2019, in line with the guidance[1] the department published in December 2018.</p><p> </p><p>We are also supporting, alongside other government departments, the Midlands Engine’s Vision for Growth, which includes tackling the mismatch between business skills needs and the skill levels of residents in the region.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>[1] Department for Education (DfE) (December 2018) Skills Advisory Panels: Guidance on the Role and Governance, available at: <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/762629/Skills_Advisory_Panels-Guidance_on_the_Role_and_Governance.pdf" target="_blank">https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/762629/Skills_Advisory_Panels-Guidance_on_the_Role_and_Governance.pdf</a> and DfE (December 2018) Skills Advisory Panels Analytical Toolkit, avaialbe at: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/skills-advisory-panels-analytical-toolkit" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/skills-advisory-panels-analytical-toolkit</a>.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Guildford answering member printed Anne Milton question first answered 30/01/2019 13:23:23 answering member 1523 label Biography information for Anne Milton
tabling member	4663 label Biography information for Ben Bradley

1027248

registered interest
date	17/12/2018
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Distance Learning
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans he has to increase the number of individuals aged 24 and over taking part in distance learning.
tabling member constituency	Mansfield
tabling member printed	Ben Bradley
uin	202813
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/12/2018 answer text <p>​Within higher education, we have already made a number of changes to support part-time and mature part-time learners. This academic year, for example, part-time students are, for the first time ever, able to access full-time equivalent maintenance loans.</p><p>As stated in the government response to the consultation on part-time maintenance loans, we would like to extend these new loans to distance learning courses, but we must maintain confidence in the student finance system and ensure that adequate controls are in place to prevent the misuse of public funds. The department will extend these loans to distance learners only if robust controls are put in place to manage the risks associated with that mode of study. The department is currently considering those controls, and a final decision regarding whether it is feasible to extend maintenance loans to distance learners will be made once this scrutiny is completed.</p><p>Beyond student finance, the National Retraining Scheme is an ambitious, far-reaching programme to drive adult learning and retraining, in order to respond to changes in the economy and support people to progress in work, redirect their careers and secure the higher-paid, higher-skilled jobs of the future, focusing on those individuals that need it most.</p><p>To inform the design of the scheme, the Flexible Learning Fund is supporting 31 pilot projects across England with a total value of £11.4 million. The projects are designing and testing innovative, flexible learning that is easy to access. The pilots are aimed at adults who are working, or who are returning to work, with either low or intermediate skills. A range of delivery methods are being tested; most of the projects will make use of on-line technologies to a degree, as well as ‘blended learning’ that combines online and face-to-face learning.</p><p>​We know that technology can play a really important role in making learning more flexible and adaptive, as well as breaking down the barrier of distance. It is important that we take advantage of these developments as part of the scheme.</p> answering member constituency Kingswood answering member printed Chris Skidmore question first answered 20/12/2018 15:49:05 answering member 4021 label Biography information for Chris Skidmore
tabling member	4663 label Biography information for Ben Bradley

1023319

registered interest
date	11/12/2018
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Training: Finance
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many pots of funding there are in his Department for external bodies to access for training, upskilling and incentivising recruitment; and what the value is of those funds.
tabling member constituency	Mansfield
tabling member printed	Ben Bradley
uin	201263
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/12/2018 answer text <p>We do not routinely report on funding in the terms requested therefore the information requested is not held centrally.</p> answering member constituency Guildford answering member printed Anne Milton question first answered 19/12/2018 09:51:44 answering member 1523 label Biography information for Anne Milton
tabling member	4663 label Biography information for Ben Bradley

1022900

registered interest
date	10/12/2018
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Physical Education and Sports
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to support the least active young people to participate more in PE and school sport.
tabling member constituency	Mansfield
tabling member printed	Ben Bradley
uin	200686
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/12/2018 answer text <p>The government firmly believes in the importance of physical education (PE) and sport to develop all children’s physical competency and teach valuable life skills such as character, resilience, communication and team work that can be carried through into adulthood and improve overall wellbeing and employability.</p><p> </p><p>Since 2013, the government has invested over £1 billion through the primary PE and sport premium to improve PE, sport, physical activity and extra-curricular activities for all pupils. We encourage schools to use this funding to support their least active pupils achieve the Chief Medical Officers’ guidelines of 60 minutes of physical activity each day, of which 30 minutes should be during the school day. Schools have the freedom to use the funding to determine which activities will improve participation, especially for their least active pupils and a commitment in the childhood obesity plan to promote a national ambition for every primary school to embrace an active mile, such as the Daily Mile. £100 million from the soft drinks industry levy is being used to provide the healthy pupils capital fund to improve pupils’ access to facilities for physical activity, healthy eating, mental health and wellbeing and medical conditions.</p><p> </p><p>The Equality Act (2010) requires that all schools must implement accessibility plans which include increasing the extent to which disabled pupils can participate in the curriculum, and improve the physical environment of schools to enable disabled pupils to take better advantage of education, benefits, facilities and services provided. Since 2014 the department has funded a grant to ensure pupils with special educational needs and disabilities have improved opportunities to take part in PE and school sport.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Stratford-on-Avon answering member printed Nadhim Zahawi grouped question UIN 200687 question first answered 18/12/2018 10:11:02 answering member 4113 label Biography information for Nadhim Zahawi
tabling member	4663 label Biography information for Ben Bradley

1022903

registered interest
date	10/12/2018
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Physical Education: Disability
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to support schools and children’s groups to develop appropriate physical activity facilities and equipment for children with disabilities.
tabling member constituency	Mansfield
tabling member printed	Ben Bradley
uin	200687
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/12/2018 answer text <p>The government firmly believes in the importance of physical education (PE) and sport to develop all children’s physical competency and teach valuable life skills such as character, resilience, communication and team work that can be carried through into adulthood and improve overall wellbeing and employability.</p><p> </p><p>Since 2013, the government has invested over £1 billion through the primary PE and sport premium to improve PE, sport, physical activity and extra-curricular activities for all pupils. We encourage schools to use this funding to support their least active pupils achieve the Chief Medical Officers’ guidelines of 60 minutes of physical activity each day, of which 30 minutes should be during the school day. Schools have the freedom to use the funding to determine which activities will improve participation, especially for their least active pupils and a commitment in the childhood obesity plan to promote a national ambition for every primary school to embrace an active mile, such as the Daily Mile. £100 million from the soft drinks industry levy is being used to provide the healthy pupils capital fund to improve pupils’ access to facilities for physical activity, healthy eating, mental health and wellbeing and medical conditions.</p><p> </p><p>The Equality Act (2010) requires that all schools must implement accessibility plans which include increasing the extent to which disabled pupils can participate in the curriculum, and improve the physical environment of schools to enable disabled pupils to take better advantage of education, benefits, facilities and services provided. Since 2014 the department has funded a grant to ensure pupils with special educational needs and disabilities have improved opportunities to take part in PE and school sport.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Stratford-on-Avon answering member printed Nadhim Zahawi grouped question UIN 200686 question first answered 18/12/2018 10:11:02 answering member 4113 label Biography information for Nadhim Zahawi
tabling member	4663 label Biography information for Ben Bradley