HC Deb 31 October 1989 vol 159 cc154-7W
21. Mr. Boyes

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what provision his Department has made for the provision of employment training and YTS under the training and enterprise councils.

Mr. Eggar

The Training Agency will contract with training and enterprise councils to deliver employment training and YTS in their areas.

23. Mr. Gerald Bowden

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how many areas have now made applications to set up training and enterprise councils.

Mr. Fowler

To date, 40 applications for development funding from prospective training and enterprise councils have been received by the national training task force. A table that lists the areas from which applications have been received has been placed in the House of Commons Library.

30. Mr. Brazier

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what progress is being made in establishing training and enterprise councils in the south-east; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Nicholls

I have been very encouraged by the excellent response from employers in the south-east and throughout the country to our invitation to form training and enterprise councils. Some 40 groups of senior employers from around the country have applied for development funding of which six are from employer groups in the south-east.

52. Mr. Tony Lloyd

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how his Department will monitor the spending of public funds by the training and enterprise councils.

Mr. Nicholls

Training and enterprise councils will be required to submit an income and expenditure account for each programme funded by my Department at the end of every four-week accounting period. In addition, TECs will be required to submit a balance sheet showing their financial position at the end of each accounting period.

53. Dame Janet Fookes

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what progress is being made in establishing training and enterprise councils in the west country; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Nicholls

My right hon. Friend has been very encouraged by the excellent response from employers in the west country and throughout the country to our invitation to form training and enterprise councils.

Some 40 groups of senior employers from around the country have applied for development funding, of which four are from employer groups in the Training Agency's south-west region.

48. Mr. Tom Clarke

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how he intends to ensure that training and enterprise councils provide a uniform quality of training provision throughout the United Kingdom.

Mr. Nicholls

In England and Wales, training and enterprise councils will arrange training provision within a broad national framework, to suit local circumstances. The TECs will be required to set out their strategy for delivering quality training in their corporate and business plans. In Scotland, local enterprise companies will have similar arrangements for ensuring quality training.

58. Mr. Brandon-Bravo

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what progress is being made in establishing training and enterprise councils in the east midlands; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Nicholls

My right hon. Friend has been very encouraged by the excellent response from employers in the east midlands and throughout the country to our invitation to form training and enterprise councils.

Some 40 groups of senior employers from around the country have applied for development funding, of which three are from employer groups in the Training Agency's east midlands and eastern region.

60. Mr. Soames

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what progress has been made in establishing training and enterprise councils; and if he will make a statement.

93. Mr. Haselhurst

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what progress is being made in establishing training and enterprise councils; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Nicholls

My right hon. Friend has been very encouraged by the excellent response from employers throughout the country to our invitation to form training and enterprise councils.

A total of 40 groups of senior employers in England and Wales have applied for development funding, of which 31 have been approved; the table lists the areas from which we have had applications and indicates their status.

List of training and enterprise councils that have applied for development funding at 23 October
Status
South East
Milton Keynes Approved
Hertfordshire Approved
Essex Approved
Hampshire Approved
Isle of Wight Approved
Thames Valley Approved
London
Kingston/Merton Approved
London East Under consideration
South West
Devon/Cornwall Approved
Dorset Approved
Somerset Approved
Avon Under consideration
West Midlands
Birmingham Approved
Walsall Approved
Staffordshire Approved
Coventry/Warwickshire Under consideration
Dudley Under consideration
East Midlands and Eastern
North Nottinghamshire Approved
Norfolk/Waveney Approved
Suffolk Under consideration
Yorkshire and Humberside
Sheffield Approved
Calderdale/Kirklees Approved
North Yorkshire Approved
Status
Rotherham Approved
North West
Cumbria Approved
East Lancashire Approved
Rochdale Approved
Oldham Approved
South and East Cheshire Approved
Wigan Approved
Manchester Under consideration
Stockport/High Peak Under consideration
Northern
Teeside Approved
Tyneside Approved
Wearside Approved
County Durham Under consideration
Northumberland Under consideration
Wales
Mid Glamorgan Approved
North East Wales Approved
West Wales Approved

77. Ms. Mowlam

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how training and enterprise councils will respond to the interests of small firms and voluntary organisations within the local community.

Mr. Nicholls

Training and enterprise councils will be expected to undertake a comprehensive assessment of local market needs to enable them to draw up their corporate and business plans. Consultation with a range of organisations and individuals, including employers of all sizes and voluntary organisations, will be vital to this assessment.

90. Mr. Lord

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what progress is being made in establishing training and enterprise councils in East Anglia; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Nicholls

My right hon. Friend has been very encouraged by the excellent response from employers in East Anglia and throughout the country to our invitation to form training and enterprise councils. A total of 40 groups of senior employers in England and Wales have applied for development funding, of which three are from the East Anglia area.

95. Mr. Waller

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a statement on the small business support programmes of the training and enterprise councils.

Mr. Nicholls

Training and enterprise councils will be directly responsible for the major current programmes which help small firms and promote self-employment. These include the enterprise allowance scheme, business growth training, enterprise in employment training and counselling for small firms in England. Some training and enterprise councils are also being invited to run elements of the Department of Trade and Industry's enterprise initiative. The councils will also be able to use their local initiative fund to strengthen and expand existing programmes and services or to finance new initiatives to support business growth and enterprise.