Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education (Transfer of Functions etc) Bill: Reasoned Amendment on Second Reading

Parliament voted on 25 February 2025 on a reasoned amendment (a motion explaining why MPs decline to give a bill its second reading) to the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education (Transfer of Functions etc) Bill. The amendment, tabled by opposition MPs, sought to block the bill from progressing by arguing that transferring the functions of the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education (IfATE) to government control was undesirable. The amendment was defeated by 312 votes to 70, allowing the bill to proceed to its next parliamentary stage.

The bill proposes to abolish IfATE, an arm's-length body (an organisation that operates independently from direct ministerial control) established in 2017, and transfer its responsibilities for approving apprenticeship standards and technical qualifications to the Secretary of State. In practical terms, this would give ministers direct authority over the content and structure of apprenticeship and technical education programmes in England, which affect hundreds of thousands of learners and employers each year. Those voting for the amendment argued this removes an independent check on political interference in skills policy, while those voting against supported consolidating control within government as part of a broader reform of the skills and technical education system.

The Conservatives did not appear in the voting figures, which is notable given they would normally lead opposition to such a measure. The Liberal Democrats provided the bulk of the 70 aye votes, with 58 of their MPs supporting the amendment, joined by the Democratic Unionist Party with 5 votes, 6 independents, 2 Reform UK members and one Traditional Unionist Voice MP. Labour and its Co-operative Party allies voted unanimously against the amendment, as did the Greens. The bill continued through Parliament and reached its Lords Report Stage on 31 March 2025, where further amendments were defeated before the bill passed its Third Reading in the Lords by 304 votes to 62, indicating sustained government momentum in legislating this change.