§ 13. Mr. David NicholsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a statement on the progress achieved by TECs in meeting their objectives.
§ Mr. HowardTraining and enterprise councils have made excellent progress. All 82 are now operational and they are developing a wide range of innovative approaches to meeting the objectives that I have agreed with them.
§ Mr. NicholsonI am grateful for my right hon. and learned Friend's reply. He will be aware of the progress being made by the training and enterprise council in Somerset and, in particular, the important role that it is playing in helping to set up an effective chamber of commerce and industry to represent and assist business in the county. Will my right hon. and learned Friend give me a pledge that he will do all that he can to help the Somerset TEC to maintain the quality of its youth training?
§ Mr. HowardI am happy to give my hon. Friend that pledge. The Somerset training and enterprise council is making excellent progress in improving the training being provided in the county and tailoring it to suit local circumstances. What is being achieved is what we expect to see when training is placed in the hands of local 806 employer-led bodies, which are in the best possible position to ensure that the training is relevant to local circumstances.