The below Parliamentary question was asked by Peter Kyle on 2015-12-10.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, whether the apprenticeship targets for public sector organisations announced in the report, English Apprenticeships: Our 2020 Vision, published on 7 December 2015, will include targets for the creation of apprenticeships at Level 3 and above.
Nick Boles
We do not intend to set any targets for the creation of apprenticeships at specific levels.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Catherine West on 2015-12-10.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, whether apprentices are required to achieve a Level 2 Qualification including mathematics and English in order to be entered for an Advanced Level apprenticeship and for those entries to be in accordance with Trailblazer apprenticeships standards.
Nick Boles
In order to maximise accessibility, there are no centrally set entry requirements to start an apprenticeship. However, as apprenticeships are jobs with training, individual employers may set their own entry requirements for a specific apprenticeship.
The government does set requirements relating to training and achievement in English and maths during apprenticeships. This is because English and maths are fundamental to career progression and access to further learning.
All apprenticeship frameworks must comply with the Specification of Apprenticeship Standards for England (SASE). Under SASE, English and maths qualifications are a mandatory component of all Intermediate and Advanced apprenticeships. However, all adult apprentices are assessed for prior learning, and people who start an apprenticeship with current English and maths qualifications at the right level need not repeat these.
We are reforming apprenticeships to ensure that they are based on standards designed by employers.The government sets minimum requirements for apprenticeship standards, though employers are able to go further in the standards they design. They are able to specify a higher level of English and/or maths achievement or to specify a particular qualification or qualifications where this is needed for a particular occupation or sector. . The minimum requirements are – passing level 1 English and maths and taking the test for level 2 before taking the end-point assessment for an intermediate apprenticeship; and passing level 2 English and maths before taking the end-point assessment for an advanced or higher apprenticeship.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Jim Cunningham on 2015-12-10.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many staff made up the BIS Automotive sector team in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.
Anna Soubry
Information on the number of staff in the BIS Automotive sector team over each of the last five years is illustrated in the table below.
|
Year (Calendar) |
Number of Staff (Full-Time Equivalent) |
|
2011 |
15 |
|
2012 |
15 |
|
2013 |
17 |
|
2014 |
20 |
|
2015 |
20 |
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gordon Marsden on 2015-12-10.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what consultations he or officials in his Department have had with (a) further education college representatives, (b) further education providers and (c) sector skills councils about the structures on board composition of the proposed Institute for Apprenticeships announced in the Spending Review and Autumn Statement 2015.
Nick Boles
The creation of the Institute for Apprenticeships has been informed by feedback from employers and employer groups such as the CBI, as well as organisations working alongside our employer-led trailblazers to develop new apprenticeship standards. This includes representatives of training providers and sector skills councils.
The chair and board members of the Institute will be appointed though a public appointments process in 2016.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Margaret Ferrier on 2015-12-10.
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department has made an assessment of the accuracy of reports by Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch that a UK-produced bomb was used in an airstrike against a civilian factory in Yemen.
Penny Mordaunt
We are aware of the allegation that a ceramics factory in Sana’a Governorate was attacked on 23 September 2015 causing civilian casualties and are monitoring this alleged incident.
In doing so, the Ministry of Defence is considering a range of evidence from Government sources, foreign governments, the media and international non-governmental organisations. Our consideration of this allegation is on going.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Peter Kyle on 2015-12-10.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what modelling his Department conducted on the effect of the Apprenticeship Levy prior to its announcement.
Nick Boles
HM Treasury and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, conducted internal modelling on which rate and scope would result in sufficient levels of income to fund growth in high-quality apprenticeships up until 2020. It will continue to conduct analysis and have an open dialogue with employers to understand the cost and benefits of the apprenticeship levy.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Nigel Dodds on 2015-12-10.
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what recent discussions his Department has had with the Northern Ireland Executive on Small Business Saturday and its benefits to promoting the value of small businesses to the economy.
Anna Soubry
Officials in the department meet with their counterparts in the Northern Ireland Executive on a regular basis, to discuss a range of matters connected to small business, including Small Business Saturday.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Fiona Bruce on 2015-12-10.
To ask the Attorney General, how many alleged human traffickers have been prosecuted by the CPS as a result of calls made to the NSPCC human trafficking and modern slavery helpline between July 2014 and June 2015.
Robert Buckland
In the last financial year the CPS successfully prosecuted 130 human trafficking cases. However, the CPS does not record how an allegation of human trafficking or modern slavery was brought to the attention of the investigative authorities.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Armstrong of Hill Top on 2015-12-10.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their estimate of the cost in each year between 2016 and 2021 of young parents under 25 years old, who are single claimants and care leavers, receiving the same rate of standard allowance in universal credit as single claimants who are parents aged 25 years old; and how many people this would affect.
Lord Freud
The information requested is not available.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Armstrong of Hill Top on 2015-12-10.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many single parents aged between 18 and 25 currently receive Income Support and Jobseeker’s Allowance; and of those, how many they estimate are care leavers.
Baroness Altmann
The Department collects information for those aged 18 to 24 and the latest information available at May 2015 shows that for this age group there were 121,950 lone parents receiving Income Support and 3,500 people, without an additional payment for a partner and with at least one dependent child, receiving Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA).
Please note that the figures are rounded to the nearest ten.
The information requested for those who are care leavers is not readily available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.