§ Mr. YeoTo ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what discussions she has had on the needs of employers with the Secretary of State for Education and Skills in connection with formulation of policies on further and higher education. [87489]
§ Ms HewittI am well aware that the business perspective needs to be reflected in the higher education and further education agendas.
To this end, I have regular meetings with my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Education and Skills to discuss these issues. The last such meeting was on 1 December 2002. There are regular meetings between my right hon. and hon. Friends, the Minister for Work and Pensions, the Minister for Adult Learning, the Economic Secretary and the Minister for E-Commerce and Competitiveness, in order to develop the agenda. Also, senior officials from the two Departments meet regularly to discuss the strategy fully.