Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education (Transfer of Functions etc) Bill [Lords]: Third Reading

Parliament voted on 31 March 2025 to give final approval to the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education (Transfer of Functions etc) Bill at Third Reading, passing it by 304 votes to 62. Third Reading is the last opportunity for the House of Commons to approve a bill in its final form before it becomes law. The bill transfers the functions of the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education (IfATE) to the Secretary of State and to Skills England, a new body the government is establishing to oversee technical education and apprenticeships in England.

The practical effect of the bill is to abolish IfATE as a standalone arm's-length body and bring its responsibilities directly under ministerial control, with day-to-day delivery passing to Skills England. IfATE has been responsible since 2017 for approving apprenticeship standards, overseeing technical qualifications, and working with employers on skills needs. The change affects apprentices, employers, training providers, and the broader further education sector across England. The government argues the restructuring will produce a more coherent and responsive skills system; critics have argued it concentrates power with ministers and reduces independent oversight of apprenticeship quality.

The vote divided largely along government-versus-opposition lines, with Labour and Labour and Co-operative MPs voting unanimously in favour, joined by the Greens, several independents, and the smaller Northern Irish unionist parties. The Liberal Democrats were the only party to vote against, providing all 62 No votes. The Conservatives were absent from the division, having opposed the bill at Second Reading in February 2025 when they tabled a reasoned amendment attracting 70 votes. The bill had already cleared the House of Lords before arriving in the Commons, and report stage amendments tabled on the same day, 31 March 2025, were each defeated by margins of roughly 300 to 167.