§ Mr. MorganTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales what discussions he has had with the Royal Society of Arts and City and Guilds in relation to preparation of courses and examination leading to general national vocational qualifications through the medium of Welsh; and when he expects to conclude these discussions.
§ Mr. Redwood[holding answer 25 October 1994]The position is as stated in my hon. Friend's letter to the hon. Member on 20 September 1994. Following negotiations between my officials and the GNVQ awarding bodies, the RSA and City and Guilds of London Institute have now agreed to provide GNVQ unit tests through the medium of Welsh to meet demand from schools and colleges in Wales during the 1994–95 academic year. The two awarding bodies will carry out pilots to test the systems and the quality of the qualifications.
Officials expect to be in a position to finalise contracts with the two awarding bodies within the next few weeks.