North Wales Assembly Member Mark Isherwood has called for clarification from the Welsh Government over funding for apprenticeships in Wales.
In this week’s Business Statement, Mr Isherwood called for a Statement on funding for apprenticeships following claims regarding the Apprenticeship Levy made by the Deputy Minister for Economy and Transport last week in his Statement on ‘Apprenticeships: Investing in Skills for the Future’.
He said:
“A week ago, in the Chamber, the Deputy Minister for Economy and Transport delivered a Statement on Apprenticeships and Investing in Skills for the Future. During his contribution, he said, that there has been 'a conjuring trick taking place by the UK Government on the funding of apprenticeships, because we were not given additional funding to reflect the levy. The levy is, in fact, a tax on businesses and we've not had the funding passed on - £120 million or so was cut by the Government in England on public sector apprenticeships, and, lo and behold, £120 million appeared in our budget to fund this scheme. So, the overall funding has not increased'.
“However, a letter dated 20 July 2018 from the UK Home Secretary to Eluned Morgan, who was then Minister for Welsh Language and Lifelong Learning, said that ‘The amount of money being passed back to Welsh Government under the Barnett formula has been guaranteed in the spending review. This sum was £128 million in 2017/18, rising to £133 million in 2018/19 and £138 million in 2019/20’.
“So, could we have a statement clarifying (a) how much the Welsh Government received under the previous system, (b) how much public services in Wales are having to pay into the levy, which the Welsh Government then has to compensate with the amount it receives from the UK Government, and (c) confirming that it is actually receiving the figures covered in that letter from the Home Secretary last July, or otherwise if you have evidence to the contrary?”
Responding, the Minister for Finance and Trefnyss, Rebecca Evans AM, said she would write to Mr Isherwood “with the clarity you require relating to the apprenticeship levy”.
