Sellers of castor beans and rosary peas could face licence-only sales under new proposals

Sellers of castor beans and rosary peas would only be allowed to sell them to individuals with a valid licence under proposed changes aimed at reducing the risk of these materials being used to produce dangerous poisons.

The Government is proposing to add castor beans containing ricin and rosary peas containing abrin to the list of regulated poisons under the Poisons Act 1972, making it a criminal offence to sell them to members of the public without a licence.

Employers do not need to apply for the payment, with eligible apprentices identified when they start their training and the money passed to the employer through their apprenticeship training provider.

The £2,000 is paid in two £1,000 instalments, with the first payment made after 90 days and the second after one year, or after 242 days for shorter and foundation apprenticeships, provided the apprentice remains employed at each payment point.

The funding can be used towards employment-related costs such as equipment, travel or uniforms, giving retailers flexibility over how they use the support.

The payment forms part of the Government’s wider youth employment drive, which aims to deliver 50,000 more youth apprenticeships alongside almost one million opportunities for young people through an additional £2.5 billion investment in the Youth Guarantee and Growth and Skills Levy.

It also comes as the retail sector works with the Government on a separate drive to create up to 100,000 jobs for young people by the end of the Parliament, including work experience and employment opportunities.

The Government says the new apprenticeship payment is intended to help smaller businesses meet the costs of taking on and training young people while building their future talent pipeline.

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