§ Mr. BurdenTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will make a statement on the budget for the Skills Development Fund for 1999–2000; how many applications were received for assistance from the Fund for 1999–2000 and how many were successful; and what was the total value of applications for assistance from the Skills Development Fund received for the 1999–2000 bidding round. [110100]
§ Mr. WicksIn 1999–2000, a Skills Development Fund budget of £31.75 million was allocated to the Regional Development Agencies (RDAs) to enable them to support skills projects. RDAs have provided funding for over 100 SDF projects. The RDAs report that there was considerable interest in the Fund. Information is not held centrally on the number of bids received or their total value.