HC Deb 21 February 1996 vol 272 cc347-8
1. . Mr. William O'Brien

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment when she last met the chairmen of the training and enterprise councils to discuss the Government's objectives on training issues; and if she will make a statement. [14662]

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Education and Employment (Mr. James Paice)

I regularly meet training and enterprise council representatives to discuss a wide range of topics, including the Government's objectives on training.

Mr. O'Brien

Will the Minister consider extending the coal funding for training and enterprise councils beyond March this year? That funding was introduced to help train redundant mineworkers and other workers in coal areas where pits have closed. Less than a quarter of the work force in Wakefield has academic or professional qualifications. Cuts in vocational training services to help people into the next century will be devastating to Wakefield. Will the Minister ensure that there will be no cuts in training provision for Wakefield because the redundant mineworkers, the unemployed and the young will suffer more? Will he assure me that training programmes to help people obtain professional and academic qualifications will continue?

Mr. Paice

Officials in the regional office are currently in discussion with Wakefield training and enterprise council, as they are with all TECs throughout the country, about its contract for next year. Those discussions will take into account the unemployment situation and the perceived needs of every TEC. I therefore cannot tell the hon. Gentleman what the budget for Wakefield TEC will be next year because it has not yet been resolved.

There is no overall reduction in the amount of money being made available to TECs this year compared with what we expect them to spend. We have increased their overall resources and made more available for modern apprenticeships, for example. Negotiations are continuing and I shall make sure that regional officers are aware of the situation in Wakefield which, as we understand, reflects the decline of the coal industry.

Mr. Byers

Is the Minister aware of the concern expressed by training and enterprise councils about the bureaucratic burdens that are imposed on them? Has he had an opportunity to examine the report of the Employment Select Committee on the work of TECs and, in particular, the evidence that individuals on training for work schemes have to complete no fewer than 31 separate forms and that training providers calculate that 40p out of every £1 allocated for training is eaten up by administration costs? Can the Minister explain how, at a time of training cuts, the Government are spending more on bureaucrats and administrators rather than providing for the training and skills needs of our people and our country?

Mr. Paice

We had to wait for the soundbite at the end of that question. In reality, as I said in reply to the hon. Member for Normanton (Mr. O'Brien), there are no cuts overall in training budgets this year. We are increasing TEC budgets by 5 per cent., which is considerably ahead of inflation this year. The hon. Gentleman knows full well that the administration of training programmes is predominantly the responsibility of individual TECs, and we are pressing them to reduce the burden that they put on providers.

I have had a chance to study the Select Committee report briefly. Clearly, we shall examine the recommendations in considerable detail and respond to them in due course. That is the correct approach. My immediate reaction was basically that the report is extremely good in its attitude to training and enterprise councils and I welcome many of the Committee's supportive remarks. I emphasise that we are very much aware of the need to reduce bureaucracy for TECs. We are already dealing with that aspect and we shall obviously consider the recommendations in that light.

Mr. Sykes

That was a good answer from the Minister. Does he not think it a bit rich to be taking lectures about bureaucracy from Labour Members, when they voted against the Deregulation and Contracting Out Bill?

Mr. Paice

My hon. Friend makes his point perfectly well. We hear so much about reducing the burdens when the Opposition think that it is someone else's fault, but when they are given the chance to do something about it, as in so many other cases, they are woefully lacking.