Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education (Transfer of Functions etc) Bill [Lords] Report Stage: New Clause 4

Parliament voted on 31 March 2025 on whether to add a new clause (New Clause 4) to the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education (Transfer of Functions etc) Bill at Report Stage. The clause was proposed by the opposition and would have modified the government's plans for reforming the governance of skills and apprenticeships training. The motion was defeated by 306 votes to 167, meaning the clause was not added to the Bill. The Bill transfers the functions of the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education (IfATE) to the Secretary of State and Skills England, a new body the government is creating to oversee technical education and apprenticeships. New Clause 4 sought to add conditions or protections to that transfer of functions. Its defeat means the government's original reform plan proceeds without the modifications the opposition sought, leaving the Secretary of State with broader direct control over the functions previously held by IfATE. The vote divided almost entirely along party lines. All 299 Labour and Labour and Co-operative MPs who voted did so against the clause, while the 95 Conservatives, 64 Liberal Democrats, 4 Reform UK members, 4 Democratic Unionist Party members, and both the Ulster Unionist and Traditional Unionist Voice representatives voted in favour. The Greens joined Labour in opposing the clause. This was one of several opposition amendments defeated on the same day during Report Stage, with similar results across related divisions on Amendment 6 and New Clause 1. The Bill subsequently passed its Third Reading on the same day by 304 votes to 62.