§ 21. Ms. ArmstrongTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment how his Department intends to avoid preferential funding by TEC members in organisations in which they may have an interest.
§ Mr. HowardEvery TEC's memorandum and articles will contain a clause requiring a director to refrain from voting on any matter in which he has an interest. TECs' plans will be scrutinised to ensure they reflect market needs and they will contract on a competitive basis for training and enterprise services. Furthermore, a TEC will publish an annual report of its performance against its plan.
§ 22. Mr. OppenheimTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment what progress is being made with the establishment of training and enterprise councils.
§ Mr. HowardI have been very encouraged by the excellent response from employers throughout the country since we issued the invitation to form training and 221W enterprise councils. Applications for development funding from over 50 groups of senior employers from around the country have been approved. A table listing the areas from which we have had applications and indicating their current status has been placed in the Library.
§ 61. Mr. David MartinTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment what further applications have been received to set up training and enterprise councils; and if he will make a statement.
§ 63. Mr. BoswellTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a statement on recent progress with the training and enterprise council programme.
§ 78. Mr. LathamTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will make a statement on the progress of training and enterprise councils.
§ Mr. EggarI have been very encouraged by the excellent response from employers throughout the country since we issued the invitation to form training and enterprise councils. Applications for development funding from over 50 groups of senior employers from around the country have been approved. The table lists the areas from which we have had applications and indicates their status.
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List of training and enterprise councils that have applied for development funding Applications South East Milton Keynes Approved Hertfordshire Approved Essex Approved Hampshire Approved Isle of Wight Approved Thames Valley Approved Oxfordshire Approved Kent Approved Surrey Under Consideration London Kingston/Merton Approved London East Under Consideration South London Under Consideration South West Devon/Cornwall Approved Dorset Approved Somerset Approved Avon Approved Gloucestershire Under Consideration West Midlands Birmingham Approved Walsall Approved Staffordshire Approved Coventry/Warwickshire Approved Dudley Approved Wolverhampton Approved Sandwell Under Consideration East Midlands and Eastern North Nottinghamshire Approved Norfolk/Waveney Approved Suffolk Approved Greater Peterborough Approved Bedfordshire Under Consideration Central and South Cambridgeshire Approved Lincolnshire Under Consideration Northamptonshire Under Consideration Yorkshire and Humberside Sheffield Approved Calderdale/Kirklees Approved
Applications North Yorkshire Approved Rotherham Approved Leeds Approved Barnsley/Doncaster Approved Wakefield Under Consideration North West Cumbria Approved East Lancashire Approved Rochdale Approved Oldham Approved South and East Cheshire Approved Wigan Approved Manchester Approved Stockport/High Peak Approved Bolton/Bury Approved St. Helens Approved Northern Teesside Approved Tyneside Approved Wearside Approved County Durham Approved Northumberland Approved Wales Mid Glamorgan Approved North East Wales Approved West Wales Approved North West Wales Approved South Glamorgan Approved Gwent Approved
§ 44. Mr. LofthouseTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment how his Department will assess the competence of training and enterprise council board members.
§ Mr. EggarThe competence of training and enterprise councils will be judged by their ability to achieve agreed levels of performance on quality as well as quantity. TECs will also be accountable to their community by holding public meetings and by publishing an annual report. It will be for board members themselves to consider the competence of other members of their board.