National Vocational Qualifications (Hansard, 19 April 1994)

§ 1. Mr. Ainger
To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what oversight his Department has of the validation policies of organisations that examine and award national vocational qualifications.

§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Employment (Miss Ann Widdecombe)
The Department sets a framework for the National Council of Vocational Qualifications, which in turn oversees quality assurance arrangements for national vocational qualifications. I shall write to the hon. Member with fuller details of our procedures than can be given in a parliamentary reply.

§ Mr. Ainger
The Minister will be aware that a number of large companies, including Ford Motor Co. Ltd. in the UK, have expressed their concern about a fall in standards —in their opinion—of training and vocational qualifications. She will also be aware that the National Council of Vocational Qualifications is currently conducting an investigation into the fraudulent award of national vocational qualifications and general national vocational qualifications. Bearing in mind those serious matters, will the Minister conduct an independent inquiry into those issues, especially into the bonuses paid to colleges and training agencies on a pass basis rather than a quality of training basis?

§ Miss Widdecombe
The hon. Gentleman raises a serious matter. Procedures are already in place that require our training and enterprise councils to set in being audit trails which should track and monitor carefully the quality of training that is provided. The hon. Gentleman slightly understates—indeed, he considerably understates—the amount of confidence that employers show in NVQs. Of all employers, 44 per cent. are already users and 96 per cent. say that they are either experiencing benefits or expect to experience benefits as a result of NVQs. I share the hon. Gentleman's wish to get NVQs right, but I believe that we have made great strides towards that goal and I should not like an odd case to detract from that.

§ Mr. Rowe
Does my hon. Friend accept that there is widespread interest in the whole system of NVQs across the world in countries such as Malaysia, Singapore and many others? Those countries feel great anxiety that if they go down the same road as Britain, which they are sorely 724 tempted to do and which would provide a great export opportunity for this country's skills, there should be a guarantee of consistency of standards.

§ Miss Widdecombe
There is a general shared perception that we should ensure that standards are consistent, nationally recognised, continually updated and widely respected.

§ Mr. Tony Lloyd
Doe the Minister agree that the whole credibility of NVQs is on the line when, as my hon. Friend the Member for Workington (Mr. Campbell-Savours) has revealed in early-day motions 1016 and 1017, we know that there has been systematic abuse of the system of payment? If the Minister were honest she would admit to the House that I have written asking her to look into the question of fraud in output funding and NVQs, but that she has done nothing. Does she accept that the basis of output funding and the lack of credible audit procedures allow that systematic fraud to take place?

§ Miss Widdecombe
No, I do not accept that there is systematic or widespread fraud. When allegations of particular frauds are made, they are carefully investigated. I have written to the hon. Member for Workington (Mr. Campbell-Savours), who has raised some serious issues in early-day motions, and I have asked him to supply me with the evidence behind those issues so that they may be properly investigated.