§ 18. Ms EagleTo ask the Secretary of State for Employment if his Department will make a statement on the implications for training provision and the losses to the public purse of the privatisation and subsequent bankruptcy of the Astra training agency.
§ Miss WiddecombeThe receivership of Astra Training Services has had no implications for training provision, as training and enterprise councils have found alternative training for those affected. Astra was losing £30 million a year before privatisation. The Department is now a creditor of Astra for the statutory payments made by the redundancy payments service to those employees made redundant. It is therefore too early to say what the net cost will be.