§ Mr. David NicholsonTo ask the President of the Board of Trade what assessment he has made of the contribution of literacy skills to industrial competitiveness; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. SainsburyGood literacy skills are essential to industrial competitiveness. According to a recent report by the Government-funded adult literacy and basic skills unit, the cost to British industry of poor basic skills among the work force is almost £5 billion a year. The raising of standards is a top priority for the Government's policies for education, both at school, via the national curriculum and the testing arrangements that go with it, and for adults, for whom basic skills provision is a specific responsibility of the new further education funding councils.