§ Mr. Freudasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he will make a statement on the provision of opportunities for study available to civil servants within his Department; and what steps he is taking to increase those facilities.
§ Mr. Chris PattenThe Department encourages its staff to pursue studies with a view to obtaining academic and professional qualifications, or improving expertise and updating knowledge in work-related areas through courses and seminars mounted internally in the Department's training centre, courses and seminars mounted at the Civil Service college, where resources are available for training senior staff and specialist grades, and courses of study at external institutions including colleges of further education. These courses may be work-related or of general developmental benefit to individuals and their careers. Staff under 18 are required to participate in day release courses and are normally able to continue on day release after the age of 18 in order to complete a course already started.
Where external training is directly work-related study takes place in working hours. Where it is of general developmental value individuals study in their own time. In both cases financial assistance is available for the payment of fees and purchase of books and, in the case of general courses, time off with pay may be allowed for revision and the taking of examinations.
The objectives of the staff training centre and the scale and nature of training provision are reviewed annually to ensure that the skills and abilities of staff meet the varying and changing needs of the Department.