HC Deb 24 July 2002 vol 389 cc1354-61W
Paul Holmes

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will list(a) the total sums made available to training and enterprise councils and (b) the sums spent by TECs on (i) work-based training for young people, (ii) work-based training for adults and (iii) other Government-funded programmes, in each year from 1995–96 to 2000–01. [71169]

Mr. Ivan Lewis

The following table gives details of sums made available to TECs and actual spend between the years 1996–97 and 2000–01. Information for earlier years is not available.

Training and Enterprise Council Budget and Spend 1996–2001 for PQ71169
(£000s) Spend Sums made available (Budget)
2000–01
Work Based Training Young People 810,592 859,237
Work Based Training Adults 260,448 279,314
Other Programmes 198,900 183,407
Total 1,269,940 1,321,958
1999–2000
Work Based Training Young People 770,876 832,376
Work Based Training Adults 233,360 298,622
Other Programmes 215,929 222,078
Total 1,220,165 1,353,076
1998–99
Work Based Training Young People 696,499 727,908
Work Based Training Adults 130,337 169,891
Other Programmes 206,675 218,993
Total 1,033,511 1,116,792
1997–98
Work Based Training Young People 729,834 730,530
Work Based Training Adults 213,806 223,577
Other Programmes 201,279 213,470
Total 1,144,919 1,167,577
1996–97
Work Based Training Young People 736,807 750,165
Work Based Training Adults 265,875 271,046
Other Programmes 153,537 154,882
Total 1,156,219 1,176,093

Paul Holmes

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will list in respect of each training and enterprise council the number of staff(a) employed at the end of 1999–2000, (b) transferred to the Learning and Skills Council, (c) transferred to the Small Business Service, (d) transferred to Business Links, (e) transferred to other organisations and (f) made redundant by the TEC prior to 31 March 2001. [71173]

Mr. Ivan Lewis

Please following table shows the number of staff employed by the Training and Enterprise Councils (TECs) for the period 1999–2000. These figures were taken from the TEC audited Statutory Accounts. As TECs were private limited companies engaged in a wide range of activities the Department was not in a position to monitor the actual destination of each individual employed by them.

However the Department can confirm that of the staff in post at March 25 2001, 3750 transferred with TUPE rights of employment to the LSC and just over 320 to the Employment service. A further 520 staff with transfer rights took voluntary severance or were made redundant for technical reasons.

Information relating to the numbers of staff transferring to other organisations or otherwise being made redundant is not available.

Staffing Statutory Accounts 1999–2000
TECS Staff numbers
Hampshire 195
Wight 85
Kent 237
Milton Keynes 127
Heart of England 105
Surrey 71
Sussex 159
Thames Valley 159
SOUTH EAST TOTAL 1,138
AZTEC 87
FOCUS 185
LeTEC 189
N London 156
NW London 102
SOLOTEC 177
W London 160
LONDON TOTAL 1,056
WESTEC 116
Prosper 307
Dorset 103
Gloucester 132
Somerset 138
Wiltshire 60
SOUTH WEST TOTAL 856
Birmingham 179
Cov/War 239
Dudley 97
HAWTEC 222
Sandwell 98
Shropshire 115
Staffordshire 152
Walsall 81
Wolverhampton 92
WEST MIDS TOTAL 1,275
Greater Nottingham 107
Leicester 114
Lincoln 183
Northamptonshire 95
North Derbyshire 79
North Nottingham 117
South Derbyshire 194
EAST MIDS TOTAL 889
Bedford 155
Cambs TEC 78
Essex 130
Greater Peterborough 120
Hertfordshire 219
Nor/Wav 112
Suffolk 70
EASTERN TOTAL 884
Barnsley/Doncaster 128
Bradford 98
Cardles/Kirkles 162
Humberside 200
Leeds 129
North Yorkshire 124
Rotherham 128
Sheffield 160
Wakefield 68
Y and H TOTAL 1,197
Bolton/Bury 157
Manchester 500
Wigan 151

Staffing Statutory Accounts 1999–2000
TECS Staff numbers
Oldham 99
Rochdale 75
S and E Cheshire 190
Stockport 134
Cumbria 213
ELTEC 130
LAWTEC 128
N and Mid Cheshire 93
CEWTEC 205
Mersey 309
St Helens 90
NORTH WEST TOTAL 2,474
C Durham 114
Northumberland 197
Tees Valley 154
Tyneside 221
Sunderland 147
NORTH EAST TOTAL 833
GRAND TOTAL 10,602

Paul Holmes

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will list the aggregate amounts for each year from 1995–96 to 2000–01 to which her Department gave consent to transfer by training and enterprise councils between budget heads, showing for each budget head the total amount transferred out and the heads to which it was transferred. [71171]

Mr. Ivan Lewis

This information is not available. Training and enterprise councils obtained approval from Government Offices to transfer between budget heads on an individual TEC basis. This information was not collated centrally.

Paul Holmes

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what guidance was given by her Department to training and enterprise councils on the virement of funds between the budgets allocated for work-based training for young people and adults and those for central TEC administration, for each of the years 1995–96 to 2000–01. [71170]

Mr. Ivan Lewis

The guidance relating to the virement of funds between budgets allocated for work-based training for young people and adults was detailed and complex but in essence prior to 1999–2000 TECs were allowed to vire up to 10 per cent. of their surpluses from one "budget" (funding block) to another subject to them meeting certain minimum performance targets.

This guidance was revised in the 1999–2000 TEC Licence to formally restrict the levels of surpluses that could be generated and switched from one funding block to another to 7 per cent. in total.

Paul Holmes

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will list in respect of each training and enterprise council(a) her estimate of the aggregate of training and enterprise council surpluses attributable to public funds, (b) the amount paid over to public funds to date in respect of those surpluses, and (c) the action her Department is taking to recover outstanding amounts. [71174]

Mr. Ivan Lewis

We are not yet able to give a final account of the individual or aggregate amounts of Training and Enterprise Councils (TECs) surpluses

attributable to public funds and we will not be able to do so until the Liquidators appointed to wind up the TEC companies (59 of the 72 TECs) have completed their work. In the case of the remaining TECs who are to continue trading, we will not be able to give the figures until we have finally resolved the amount of attributable reserves due back to us.

However the Department believes that by March 2003 they will have received back from the Training and Enterprise Councils (TECs) approximately £250 million worth of reserves. This amount includes £127 million in respect of Individual Learning Accounts (ILAs), £45 million in legacy funds for the Learning and Skills Council, £40 million in fixed assets transferred to a range of successor bodies or for use in the local community and £38 million for the National Transition Budget which is used to meet specific costs incurred in setting up the LSC, e.g., new IT system.

To date we have received £100 million for ILAs, £24 million for LSC legacy funds and 16m towards the National Transition Budget.

The return of funds has taken longer than initially expected due to the variety and complexity of issues which have had to be resolved, prior to TECs being able to appoint a liquidator or agree a clean break with the Department where the TEC have decided to continue. The Department are currently working closely with the relevant TECs and liquidators to ensure that outstanding issues are resolved and funds released as a matter of urgency. We have on occasions threatened the appointment of an administrative receiver where we have failed to secure the level of co-operation needed.

In return for releasing funds the Department is offering TEC Boards and or liquidators financial guarantees in the form of indemnities that ensure the funds will be repaid if they need them to meet genuine contractual commitments. In our experience all liquidators have been reluctant to release reserves until they have completed the wind-up, which in most cases is proving a complex and time-consuming process that can take over a year from appointment.

Paul Holmes

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) if she will list in respect of each training and enterprise council for 2000–01 the proportion of total expenditure on Government-funded programmes represented by central administration costs; and what assessment she has made of whether the sums spent on central administration represented value for public money; [71172]

(2) if she will list (a) the total sums made available by her Department or its predecessors to training and enterprise councils for their central administration costs and (b) the amounts actually spent by TECs on central administration for each year from 1995–96 to 2000–01. [71168]

Mr. Ivan Lewis

Information on central administration costs is not available. Training and enterprise councils were not provided with specific funds for their central administration costs. They received payments for programme and strategic budgets deemed to include an unspecified contribution towards administration costs. The amounts spent by TECs on administration and its disclosure were a matter for individual TECs and varied between them. Some TECs showed no administration costs within their statutory accounts under this heading, while most excluded the costs of staff involved in the direct delivery of their programmes. However, all TECs had to show staffing costs as a note within their accounts.

While this understates administration costs, as it does not cover expenditure on premises, information technology and other support systems, it is the best proxy for the information sought. I have therefore provided

TEC/CCTE Administration Costs
TECS by Region 1995–96 Staff costs £ 1996–97 Staff costs £ 1997–98 Staff costs £ 1998–99 Staff costs £ 1999–2000 Staff costs £ 2000–01 Staff costs £
NORTH EAST
County Durham 2,311,019 2,381,375 2,418,663 2,445,110 2,264,783 2,190,271
Northumberland 2,883,378 2,902,466 3,095,325 3,242,676 3,470,126 3,333,138
Teesside 2,474,000 2,546,000 2,706,000 3,175,000 3,804,000 3,651,000
Tyneside 0 4,356,000 4,887,000 5,373,000 5,191,000 5,087,000
Sunderland 0 2,171,496 2,530,218 2,970,942 3,090,144 3,454,791
TOTAL 7,668,397 14,357,337 15,637,206 17,206,728 17,820,053 17,716,200
NORTH WEST
Bolton/Bury 0 2,263,878 2,745,104 3,255,303 3,542,121 3,837,185
Manchester 1,856,463 6,177,225 8,495,725 11,080,599 12,635,740 13,101,439
Wigan 1,387,932 1,758,968 2,963,066 2,872,720 3,124,399 2,954,404
Oldham 0 0 1,811,362 2,146,895 2,288,594 2,283,321
Rochdale 0 0 1,193,879 1,499,157 1,675,210 1,970,153
SECTEC 0 3,891,142 4,072,153 4,537,011 4,068,952 4,313,025
Stockport 0 2,049,794 2,284,839 2,919,825 3,642,684 4,463,939
Cumbria 0 0 4,148,320 4,348,398 4,167,719 2,706,589
ELTEC 0 2,569,201 2,712,421 2,748,113 2,844,807 3,264,345
LAWTEC 0 3,091,784 3,312,162 3,934,181 3,395,214 3,984,551
NORMID 0 1,821,911 1,959,869 2,030,310 2,276,603 2,195,353
CEWTEC 0 2,174,555 3,718,651 4,096,319 4,441,424 4,368,431
Merseyside 3,634,498 4,694,248 5,003,540 5,981,867 6,924,000 7,048,000
St Helens 1,150,150 1,537,204 1,610,316 1,879,467 1,990,971 1,985,784
TOTAL 8,029,043 32,029,910 46,031,407 53,330,165 57,018,438 58,476,519
Y and H
Barnsley/Doncaster 2,143,000 2,197,000 2,445,000 2,974,000 3,328,000 5,369,000
Bradford 1,789,517 2,059,238 2,102,648 2,272,563 2,267,865 2,253,228
Calderdale/Kirklees 1,715,654 2,483,786 3,303,476 3,654,117 3,863,677 3,872,012
Humberside 2,958,170 3,260,066 3,641,593 4,384,166 5,941,686 5,602,448
Leeds 1,914,944 2,298,615 2,771,812 3,049,722 3,263,066 3,911,480
North Yorks 0 1,831,000 2,009,000 2,418,000 2,871,000 2,840,000
Rotherham 0 2,117,437 2,479,131 2,842,753 3,034,383 3,187,066
Sheffield 0 2,670,000 3,160,000 4,215,000 3,704,000 3,950,000
Wakefield 0 1,302,102 1,759,642 1,456,005 1,476,719 1,883,145
TOTAL 10,521,285 20,219,244 23,672,302 27,266,326 29,750,396 32,868,379
EASTERN
Bedfordshire 1,347,352 1,466,866 2,074,747 2,984,815 3,749,095 3,613,427
Cambridgeshire 913,069 913,733 1,009,261 1,632,060 2,231,354 2,313,959
Essex 2,317,688 2,528,000 2,619,000 2,832,000 4,154,000 3,764,000
Gtr Peterborough 0 1,771,605 2,253,241 2,830,365 2,881,068 2,823,756
Hertfordshire 0 3,118,000 3,266,000 4,875,000 5,744,000 6,035,000
Norfolk and Waveney 2,212,000 2,576,000 2,676,000 2,714,000 3,106,000 3,352,000
Suffolk 1,147,572 1,225,160 1,415,769 1,488,925 2,076,086 1,306,817
TOTAL 7,937,681 13,599,364 15,314,018 19,357,165 23,941,603 23,208,959
EAST MIDS
Gtr Nottingham 1,196,000 1,243,000 1,442,000 1,738,000 2,313,000 3,011,000
Leicester 1,747,112 1,937,746 2,053,777 2,190,371 2,834,946 3,036,332
Lincolnshire 0 3,109,697 3,681,204 4,067,859 3,945,748 4,403,380
Northamptonshire 0 1,654,135 1,825,258 2,228,847 2,628,728 2,906,319
North Derbyshire 1,576,138 1,713,066 1,886,098 1,827,427 1,788,715 1,761,888
North
Nottinghamshire 0 2,015,070 2,298,889 2,525,876 2,969,381 3,179,244
South Derbyshire 0 0 3,329,000 3,663,000 3,911,000 4,521,000
TOTAL 4,519,250 11,672,714 16,516,226 18,241,380 20,391,518 22,819,163

below figures for each of the financial years from 1995–96 to 2000–01 showing spend on staffing costs of each of the former Training and Enterprise Councils (TECs) in England as stated in their consolidated annual statutory audited accounts for the full range of activity TECs undertook.

Any direct comparison of staff costs between TECs is misleading, both because there is no statutory definition of staff costs and also because the range of training and enterprise activities differed between TECs.

TEC/CCTE Administration Costs
TECS by Region 1995–96 Staff costs £ 1996–97 Staff costs £ 1997–98 Staff costs £ 1998–99 Staff costs £ 1999–2000 Staff costs £ 2000–01 Staff costs £
WEST MIDS
Birmingham 2,481,000 3,067,000 3,306,000 4,115,000 4,911,000 4,915,000
CENTEC 0 1,069,644 1,177,224 0 0 0
Cov/Warwick 0 3,821,050 4,453,813 4,725,901 5,061,723 5,355,204
Dudley 919,800 1,930,312 1,765,958 1,838,992 2,402,219 2,100,788
HAWTEC 0 264,995 3,169,812 3,991,952 5,258,626 4,829,276
Sandwell 0 1,519,404 2,077,656 2,406,903 2,587,877 2,267,000
Shropshire 1,108,286 1,714,043 1,897,373 2,000,996 2,055,106 1,663,543
Staffordshire 2,123,000 2,412,000 2,461,000 2,682,000 3,459,000 3,609,000
Walsall 1,152,790 1,322,744 1,580,134 1,727,060 2,197,035 2,027,310
Wolverhampton 417,000 1,700,000 2,022,000 2,203,000 2,156,000 2,516,000
TOTAL 8,201,876 18,821,192 23,910,970 25,691,804 30,088,586 29,283,121
SOUTH WEST
WESTEC 2,094,000 2,328,000 2,425,000 2,017,000 2,342,000 2,617,000
Prosper 4,126,000 4,886,000 5,559,000 6,296,000 8,282,000 8,283,000
Dorset 0 1,359,210 1,518,023 1,939,118 2,198,014 2,672,488
Gloucester 1,385,007 1,646,505 1,939,644 2,879,008 3,172,585 3,757,699
Somerset 1,016,565 1,363,417 1,618,554 2,648,489 2,813,010 1,839,239
Wiltshire 1,285,468 1,486,814 1,492,318 1,501,086 1,571,918 1,899,769
TOTAL 9,907,040 13,069,946 14,552,539 17,280,701 20,379,527 21,069,195
LONDON
Aztec 1,401,327 1,486,758 1,609,045 2,002,548 2,714,681 2,429,414
Centec 2,144,932 2,646,805
Cilntec 1,653,706 0
FOCUS 0 0 5,371,000 6,259,000 6,368,000 8,410,000
LETEC 2,463,241 3,640,819 4,521,474 4,898,407 5,617,403 5,890,489
North London 2,012,587 2,451,110 2,991,331 3,750,158 4,408,581 3,629,736
North West London 666,888 1,194,798 1,512,188 1,967,655 2,726,005 3,568,732
SOLOTEC 2,859,000 3,555,000 4,174,000 5,492,000 4,851,000 5,385,000
West London 0 3,548,546 5,684,669 5,583,113 5,244,201 5,556,025
TOTAL 13,201,681 18,523,836 25,863,707 29,952,881 31,929,871 34,869,396
SOUTH EAST
Hampshire 0 2,613,000 3,474,000 4,399,000 4,867,000 5,492,000
Isle of Wight 582,378 618,585 733,424 1,241,925 1,582,489 1,575,765
Kent 1,999,858 2,832,777 3,624,774 4,138,710 6,315,951 6,255,099
Milton Keynes 0 2,760,094 2,940,610 3,022,377 3,302,090 2,810,683
Heart of England 1,616,454 1,855,421 2,146,037 2,354,176 2,483,181 2,747,806
Surrey 1,606,187 1,515,129 1,827,970 2,037,138 2,259,269 2,331,546
Sussex 2,534,000 3,246,000 3,619,000 3,952,000 4,229,000 5,018,000
Thames Valley 0 3,656,480 3,757,432 4,037,146 4,432,670 4,781,825
TOTAL 8,338,877 19,097,486 22,123,247 25,182,472 29,471,650 31,012,724
GRAND TOTAL 78,325,130 161,391,029 203,621,622 233,509,622 260,791,642 271,323,656