HC Deb 28 February 1991 vol 186 cc570-2W
Mr. Hinchliffe

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what provisions exist for hon. Members to obtain copies of the minutes of board meetings of training and enterprise councils.

Mr. Jackson

TECs are private companies and minutes of board meetings are confidential to the TEC.

Mr. Hinchliffe

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will list his latest estimate of the average funding paid to training providers for individual YTS training in each training and enterprise council.

Mr. Jackson

The information requested is not available.

Mr. Hinchliffe

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what provisions exist to enable training agencies to appeal against decisions of training and enterprise councils.

Mr Jackson

Training providers should take up any concerns they may have with the chief executive of the relevant training and enterprise council.

Mr. Morgan

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment whether, pursuant to his answer of 25 February, he has made provision for his financial assistance commitment to the South Glamorgan TEC headquarters to be carried over into the financial year 1991–92.

Mr. Jackson

A contribution towards the cost of the proposed new South Glamorgan TEC headquarters is part of my Department's expenditure plans in Wales for 1991–92.

Mr. Hinchliffe

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what rights directors of training and enterprise councils have to be consulted on policy decisions by the training and enterprise councils.

Mr. Jackson

Training and enterprise councils are private companies and their directors therefore have the rights and obligations that are established in company law. In addition a TEC's memorandum and articles of association will contain provisions relating to the conduct of business.

Mr. Hinchliffe

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will call for a report from the chairman of the Wakefield training and enterprise council on the circumstances leading up to the withdrawal of contracts for the provision of employment training and youth training from the NACRO New Careers training agency.

Mr. Jackson

No. Training and enterprise councils are responsible for deciding with whom they should contract for training.

Mr. Hinchliffe

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what mechanisms exist to enable the monitoring of the use of public funds by training and enterprise councils.

Mr. Jackson

TECs operate under a performance-based contract and are required to provide my Department with regular management and financial information on their performance and activities.

Mr. Hinchliffe

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what is the total amount of Government funding that will be received by the Wakefield training and enterprise council during the current financial year.

Mr. Jackson

Wakefield training and enterprise council, which became operational on 7 January 1991, has a budget of £2,348,000 for the current financial year.

Mr. Hinchliffe

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what proportion of the places to be provided by the training agencies with whom the Wakefield training and enterprise council proposes to contract during the next financial year will be reserved for trainees with special needs.

Mr. Jackson

Provision of training opportunities, including those for people with special needs, in the Wakefield area is the responsibility of the Wakefield training and enterprise council (TEC).