Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Apprentices: Wales Office

Wednesday 3 February 2021 · 2 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 2 Not answered 0

Key points

  • The Wales Office recognises the importance of apprenticeships and has funded dedicated roles since 2011.
  • The Welsh Government has not met the public sector apprenticeship target of 2.3% as it only applies to bodies in England.
  • Welsh police forces are paying into the apprenticeship levy scheme but are not receiving benefits due to devolution issues.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Robert Halfon Con
Employment Wales
Context

The question stems from a broader discussion on the importance and implementation of apprenticeships within governmental bodies, specifically focusing on the Wales Office's stance and actions.

Question

What steps he is taking to employ more apprentices in the Wales Office. The Wales Office recognises the importance of apprenticeships but there are concerns about the effectiveness of current schemes and their accessibility within specific sectors like public services.

Answer from Simon Hart

The Wales Office recognises the importance of apprenticeships and the opportunity they provide. We have funded dedicated apprenticeship roles since 2011 and continue to be fully committed to the apprenticeship scheme.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Specific steps taken by the Wales Office for increasing apprentice employment were not detailed, instead referencing a general commitment.

How: We Are Fully Committed

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Q2 Robert Halfon Con
Wales Local Government
Context

The question arises from ongoing discussions on public sector apprenticeship targets and the lack of progress within certain sectors like police forces in Wales, despite contributions to the apprenticeship levy scheme.

Question

Will my right hon. Friend outline what progress the Welsh Government have made towards meeting the public sector apprenticeship target of 2.3%, and what progress frontline services in Wales such as the police have made on offering apprenticeships to their employees? The public sector apprenticeship target is not applicable to Wales, but there are concerns about contributions to the apprenticeship levy scheme without corresponding benefits.

Answer from Simon Hart

I am delighted that my right hon. Friend has raised this point. The public sector apprenticeship target is applicable only to bodies in England, but he raises a critical point about devolution. We are concerned that Welsh police forces are paying into the apprenticeship levy scheme but not getting anything out of it because the Welsh Government do not support police apprenticeships.

Partly answered

Not addressed: The specific progress made towards meeting the 2.3% public sector apprenticeship target was not provided, only highlighting concerns about devolution and lack of benefits from the levy scheme for police forces.

How: We Are Concerned

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