HC Deb 30 November 1993 vol 233 cc504-6W
13. Mr. Hendry

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment which TECs have met all the targets set down by his Department for two consecutive years.

Miss Widdecombe

Two training and enterprise councils met all their targets for performance-related funding in both 1991–92 and 1992–93, Stockport and High Peak TEC and Northumberland TEC.

24. Mr. Gordon Prentice

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment if he will take steps to make the training and enterprise councils more accountable to their local communities.

Miss Widdecombe

TECs are already accountable to their local communities in a number of ways. They consult all local interests in preparing their strategies and plans. They publish summaries of these plans and hold public meetings at least annually. They also publish an annual report.

26. Mr. Steen

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment how much public funding has been provided for the South West TEC based in Plymouth; and how many people are currently having help and training there to find work.

Miss Widdecombe

The Employment Department has agreed a budget of £64.2 million for 1993–94 with Devon and Cornwall TEC.

The TEC helps many people in many different ways. Numbers currently include 6,305 young people on youth training, 3,871 adults undertaking training for work and 127 participating in learning for work.

Ms Short

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what level of accumulated reserves was held in total and by each TEC in England at 1 April 1992 and at 1 April 1993; and if he will make a statement.

Miss Widdecombe

The level of reserves held by each training and enterprise council—TEC—is contained within the TECs' published accounts. A full set of accounts for all 75 English TECs, for the year ending 31 March 1992, has already been placed in the House of Commons Library. Each TEC's accounts for the year ended 31 March 1993 is being placed in the Library as they become available to the Employment Department.

TECs are allowed to generate a surplus and create a reserve by subcontracting at a lower unit price than negotiated with the Department. A surplus may also be generated where a TEC's administrative costs are kept below the management fee paid by the Department. The surplus is available to the TEC, with the agreement of the Secretary of State for Employment, for further expenditure on programmes—and TEC administrative costs—for initiatives outside the programmes but within the TEC's articles and memorandum of association, or as a contribution to the TEC's general reserves.

Ms Short

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment what powers training and enterprise councils have to switch their allocation of funds between various parts of their budgets; how much each TEC in England has transferred from the budgets it was allocated for youth training and employment training; to what purposes the funds were subsequently allocated; and if he will make a statement.

Miss Widdecombe

Training and enterprise councils—TECs—may switch their allocation of funds between youth training, training for work—which replaced employment training—compacts, education business partnerships, and business and enterprise support, so long as no budget is increased or decreased by more than 5 per cent. TECs may also increase their learning from work budget by up to a maximum of 5 per cent.

During the current financial year, five TECs have used this facility to]transfer funds out of either their youth training or training for work budgets. Details are shown in the table.

TEC Amount £ Additional provision purchased
Switches from youth training
Avon 258,000 Training for work
Birmingham 928,000 Training for work compacts Education business partnerships Business and enterprise support
Central England 216,000 Training for work compacts Education business partnerships Business and enterprise support
Wolverhampton 149,000 Training for work Business and enterprise support
Switches from training for work
Wearside 251,000 Youth training

Ms Short

To ask the Secretary of State for Employment which TECs are using adult training credits within their training for work provision; and if he will make a statement.

Miss Widdecombe

The following training and enterprise councils in England are currently using adult training credits within their training for work provision with assistance from the Department:

  • Barnsley and Doncaster;
  • Bedfordshire;
  • Bradford;
  • Cambsetc;
  • Hertfordshire;
  • Milton Keynes and North Bucks;
  • North London;
  • Rotherham;
  • South Thames;
  • Stockport and High Peak.

In addition, a number of other TECs are issuing adult training credits within their training for work provision using other resources.

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