I can absolutely reassure my noble friend that the uplands are very close to my heart. My mother’s family were upland farmers in Wales and I currently live in Cumbria, so I know the issues around upland farming very well. The SFI offer that is coming forward will include seven moorland actions. I know that not all uplands are moorlands, but it will help and payment rates will be increased. I have had very constructive meetings with Dr Hilary Cottam, who is looking at a new approach working very much from the ground up in

upland communities and bringing them together. We are looking at pilots first in Dartmoor and then in Cumbria because we know that it is a challenging landscape to farm in, and we want to support the best we can.

On energy prices, the transition to green energy is absolutely critical for the sector. We remain as committed as always to sovereign energy supplies that can withstand the global shocks we are seeing through Iran and the war in Ukraine. We have that commitment and the only way we can bring down energy prices is with secure domestic supply. The noble Lord made a further point around the steel strategy in Wales. I refer him to the steel strategy; it is important that our steel industry is protected in the whole of the UK. The infrastructure he mentioned remains critical to ensuring that our steel industry can be competitive in the long term.

The most recent statistics on apprenticeship starts by industry characteristics cover the 2021/22 academic year and are published on Explore Education Statistics at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/apprenticeships-in-england-by-industry-characteristics. Data for the 2022/23 academic year will be published in June 2025.

These statistics report on new apprenticeship starts in a given academic year and will not include those that are part-way through their apprenticeship. Therefore, they do not show a full count of apprentices in the workforce at that time.

Gender is not collected within the Individualised Learner Record, so this data is based on sex.

Data on apprenticeship starts below level 6 and at level 6+, by sex, in the aerospace industry is provided below.

Apprenticeship starts by level and sex in the aerospace industry:

Based on ONS data the UK aerospace manufacturing, repair and maintenance sectors directly accounted for 100,000 jobs in 2024 and supported an additional 150,000 jobs in other areas of the economy through its purchases of input goods and services.

According to ONS business survey figures, the UK aerospace industry exported £20.0 billion of its production in 2023 and £23.1 billion in 2024 (in current prices).

We are disappointed by the United States’ announcement of an increase in tariffs and we understand businesses, including in the aerospace industry, are concerned. We will continue to engage with the US to understand the details of how these tariffs will be implemented. We remain resolute in our support for UK industry; Ministers and officials will continue to meet with stakeholders and assess impacts.

There are 22 Atlas A400M aircraft in service.

All capability requirements, including those for tactical airlift, are being considered as part of the Strategic Defence Review process.

My Lords, I think I get the point my noble friend raises. He is absolutely right: new nuclear can bring many high-quality jobs, enhance our skills chain and help us grow the economy. He mentioned Wylfa in particular, and I well understand. He will know that Great British Nuclear has bought Wylfa, which is one of the sites identified in the planning statement in relation to nuclear. We are looking to make our siting policy more flexible to give us more opportunities in the future. We see new nuclear as having a hugely important role to play in our future energy structure.

HMG allocated £225m in 2023-24 and £195m in 2024-25 to support the aerospace industry. This funding primarily supports the Aerospace Technology Institute (ATI) programme, which co-invests alongside industry in research and development to maintain and grow the UK’s competitive position in civil aerospace and decarbonise aviation.

The Autumn Budget 2024 announced an extension to the ATI programme providing £975m of funding up to 2030.

All young people should have access to high quality education and training that meets their needs and provides them with opportunities to thrive. This is why, in the 2025/26 financial year, the government is providing an additional £300 million for further education to ensure young people are developing the skills they need to succeed.

The department recognises the financial strain that some higher education (HE) providers are under and are working closely with the Office for Students (OfS) to monitor any risks and to ensure there are robust plans in place to mitigate them. Sir David Behan has been appointed as interim OfS Chair to oversee the important work of refocusing the OfS’ role to concentrate on key priorities, including the HE sector’s financial stability.

HE providers are autonomous and responsible for managing their own budgets and business models. However, in recognition of the financial challenges the sector is facing, the government has made the difficult decision to increase tuition fee limits by forecast Retail Prices Index inflation. As a result, the maximum fee for a standard full-time undergraduate course in the 2025/26 academic year will increase by 3.1%, from £9,250 to £9,535. Longer-term funding plans for the HE sector will be set out in due course.

Adapting to the changed context of the HE sector over the next decade will require providers to undertake a more fundamental re-examination of business models and much less wasteful spending. In return for the increased investment we are asking students to make in the sector, we will need to see far greater collaboration across the sector to drive efficiency. We will expect the sector to be significantly more transparent on how it is managing its resources and to be held to account for delivering great value for money for students and the taxpayer.

According to ONS business survey figures, the UK aerospace industry generated goods exports valued at £18.8 billion in 2022 and £20.0 billion in 2023 (in current prices). Figures for the year 2024 are not yet available.

The most recent statistics on apprenticeship starts by industry characteristics cover the 2021/22 academic year and are published here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/apprenticeships-in-england-by-industry-characteristics. Apprenticeship starts in the aerospace sector by year, from 2017/18 to 2021/22, can be found attached and also in the following linked table: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/d7e45bd9-6d39-419d-ea95-08dcfb0032ff.

The latest published data shows a total of 131,862 available beds under the care of a consultant in England, in quarter one of 2024/25. This compares to a total of 136,459 available beds in quarter one of 2013/14. Data on National Health Service bed numbers is published on the NHS England website.

The latest published data shows a total of 131,862 available beds under the care of a consultant in England, in quarter one of 2024/25. This compares to a total of 136,459 available beds in quarter one of 2013/14. Data on National Health Service bed numbers is published on the NHS England website.

I totally understand the point that the noble Lord is making. He highlights the dilemma of carbon-reduction policies in these areas, where we impose carbon taxes and emissions trading

systems and schemes, and of course that has an effect on domestic industries that emit a lot of carbon—the so-called carbon leakage problem. We are working closely with the steel industry to try to help it adjust to greener manufacturing methods, and of course it receives free emissions permits.

We are developing a Care Workforce Pathway, which will set out the knowledge, skills and behaviours needed to work in adult social care, as well as a clear career structure for the workforce. We intend to publish the first part of the pathway, focused on staff in direct care roles, in autumn 2023.

According to Skills for Care, there were 1.5 million people working in adult social care roles in England in 2021/22.

There are 14,858 registered care homes in England.

The Department collects data on the number of people residing in care homes on a monthly basis.

The Data reported in Capacity Tracker (CT) shows that in the week ending 14/05/2023 the number of people in younger and older adult care homes was 363,972. This figure is made up of both private and local authority funded clients. Data is from adult social care in England, monthly statistics, COVID-19 Vaccination statistics June 2023, Table 10.

The Short- and Long-Term collection (SALT) shows that at year end 2021/22 the number of people in care homes (residential and nursing) accessing long term support was 175,680. This figure only includes clients whose care is commissioned or funded by local authorities. Those who privately finance and organise their care are not included. Data is found in SALT Table 38.