Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Skills England

Monday 8 December 2025 · 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

  • Ministerial Questions on Skills England were held on 2025-12-08
  • Damian Hinds raised concerns about the Department's role in upholding qualification standards
  • Gareth Snell inquired about Skills England's impact in areas without mayoral combined authorities

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Damian Hinds Con East Hampshire
Education Standards & Ethics
Context

Skills England is responsible for upholding standards in qualifications and its placement within the Department for Work and Pensions has raised concerns about potential conflicts of interest.

Question

It really is not ideal to have the body responsible for upholding standards in qualifications inside a Department that will be judged on how many people it gets through to passing those qualifications. It was not ideal when it was at the Department for Education; it is even less ideal now that it is at the Department for Work and Pensions. Will the Minister give a commitment that once Skills England is up and running, he will make it independent from Government, with a guaranteed voice for industry, and will he set that out in statute?

Answer from The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (Andrew Western)

I appreciate the point that the right hon. Gentleman makes. Clearly we want to ensure that Skills England is set up to be successful and to have a real impact in delivering the skills that we need in the workforce now and into the future. I am very happy to commit today to setting up a meeting for the right hon. Gentleman, should he so wish, with the chair of the board of Skills England, Phil Smith, to discuss his concerns directly.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Commitment was not set out in statute and did not address making Skills England independent from Government.

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Q2 Gareth Snell Labour (Co-op) Stoke-on-Trent Central
Local Government
Context

Skills England programmes are being piloted through mayoral combined authorities, and there are concerns that areas without such authorities may miss out on these opportunities.

Question

Skills England has the potential to really make an impact in places like north Staffordshire, where there are skills that we need for the jobs of tomorrow. However, those programmes are too often piloted through mayoral combined authorities, and we are a long way from that in Staffordshire. How will the Minister ensure that areas that do not have mayors on the horizon can access the same exciting opportunities as everywhere else?

Answer from The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Work and Pensions (Andrew Western)

I recognise that my hon. Friend takes a keen interest in the delivery of these courses and in various skills training sectors in his constituency. Indeed, I am writing to him today in response to his last question. He is absolutely right that we need to ensure that areas that are further away from the establishment of MCAs are not left behind. That is a valid concern, and I will be certain to share it with my noble Friend the Skills Minister on his behalf.

Partly answered

Not addressed: No concrete measures or timeline for ensuring equal access to programmes were provided.

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