§ Mr. Alex CarlileTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he has any proposals to enable or encourage greater co-operation between chambers of commerce and training and enterprise councils; and if he will make a statement.
Mr. JacksonMy Department is keen to encourage the greatest possible degree of co-operation between training and enterprise councils (TECs) and all the key players in the local business support network. Working closely together in concert avoids wasteful duplication of effort, and makes the best use of both public and private sector funding. I am pleased to report that many TEC plans make working with their local chamber of commerce a leading priority. In many cases, TEC board members are directors of their local chamber of commerce, and vice versa.