Skill Centres (Hansard, 25 June 1990)

§ Mr. McLeish
To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what is the total expenditure involved in the payment to METEL for the acquisition of the Liverpool skill centre.

§ Mr. Eggar
No payment was made to METEL for its acquisition of Liverpool skill centre. METEL paid the Government £65,000 for the centre.

§ Mr. McLeish
To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what is the total payment to the Training Business Group Ltd. for the acquisition of the Lambeth skill centre.
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§ Mr. Eggar
The sale of the training businesses at Lambeth skill centre to the Training Business involved a payment of some £800,000 from the Government to the consortium.

§ Mr. McLeish
To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will list the members of the Lakin consortium who successfully bid for skill centres.

§ Mr. Eggar
The members of the consortium, headed by Mr. Christopher Lakin, who successfully bid for the training businesses at Cumbria, East Lancashire, Ipswich and St. Helens skill centres, are:

Mr. Christopher Lakin

Mr. Howard Lien and

Mr. Clive Ibbison-Steele

§ Mr. McLeish
To ask the Secretary of State for Employment which skill centres have achieved approved training organisation status for employment training.

§ Mr. Eggar
Employment training providers have two years to achieve approved training organisation status. The assessment process for organisations which joined employment training at its outset on 5 September 1988 is still under way. No skill centres have as yet been fully assessed.

§ Mr. McLeish
To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what is the total payment to Mr. Lakin for acquisition of skill centres.

§ Mr. Eggar
The sale of the training businesses at Cumbria, East Lancashire, Ipswich and St. Helens skill centres to the consortium headed by Mr. Christopher Lakin involved a payment of some £2.1 million from the Government to the consortium.

§ Mr. Blair
To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many of the dismissed staff at Liverpool skill centre have been offered re-engagement by the METEL group; and under what terms and conditions of employment.

§ Mr. Eggar
Merseyside Education Training Enterprise Ltd.—METEL—purchased Liverpool skill centre on 14 May 1990. From the completion of the sale contract, responsibility for the continuing employment of former STA staff, and the terms and conditions of their employment passed to it. It is understood that four former STA staff were offered re-engagement, but I am not aware of the terms and conditions which are a matter for METEL.