HC Deb 30 June 1998 vol 315 cc133-4W
Mr. Darvill

To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what targets have been set for the Training and Employment Agency for Northern Ireland for the period 1998 to 2001. [48482]

Mr. Worthington

The following targets have been set for the Agency:

  1. 1. All 16 and 17-year-olds leaving school will be offered the opportunity of a training place; 65 per cent. of those leaving the Jobskills programme will transfer to employment or to other education or training opportunities; and 65 per cent. of entrants to the programme will achieve a qualification at NVQ level 2 or equivalent.
  2. 2. 25 per cent. of 16 to 24-year-olds involved in an Agency training programme will initially enter a Modern Apprenticeship or transfer to a Modern Apprenticeship on completion of level 2 training.
  3. 3. To publish a skills survey each year of the Corporate Plan.
  4. 4. To ensure that CDP projects increase the achievement rate of their agreed productivity targets from 65 per cent. in 1998–99 to 85 per cent. in 2000–2001.
  5. 5. To increase the number of local organisations achieving Investors in People (IiP) status from 120 to 300.
  6. 6. To ensure that overall Agency spend in Training and Social Needs areas is no less than 60 per cent. of Agency programme budget.
  7. 7. To achieve a score of 500 against the Business Excellence Model by the year 2001.
  8. 8. To maintain the Agency's IiP standard and accreditation following reassessment in August 1998.

Current membership Experience Total fees (£) paid since 1 April 19971 Total travel and subsistence costs (£) incurred since 1 April 19971
Lord Neill of Bladen, QC Extensive legal experience. Former Chairman of the Bar 22,000 25,609.50
Council, Warden of All Souls College, Oxford and Vice
Chancellor of Oxford University. Chairman of numerous high
level committees and enquiries.
Sir Clifford Boulton, GCB Former Clerk of the House of Commons. 4,945.00 682.85
Sir Anthony Cleaver Chairman of AEA Technology plc. Extensive business 360.00 —
experience. Academic interests. Involvement with various
public sector committees.
Lord Goodhart, QC Legal and political experience. Liberal Democrat Peer. 4,860.00 25,309.80
Frances Heaton Director, Lazard Brothers, and Bank of England. Legal, civil 1,980.00 24,916.90
service and private sector background.
Professor Anthony King Academic. Professor of Government, Essex University. 3,785.00 882.40
The right hon. John Extensive political experience Conservative Member of 3— 430.65
MacGregor, OBE MP Parliament.
The right. hon. the Lord Shore Extensive political experience. Labour Peer. 1,055.00 668.90
of Stepney
Sir William Utting, CB Extensive experience in social work. Former Chief Inspector 3,015.00 —
of Social Services.
Ms Diana Warwick Chief Executive, Committee of Vice Chancellors and 5,450.00 48.50
Principals. Trades Union background. Member of various
public and private sector boards.
1 Relates to all transactions recorded on the Cabinet Office Resource Accounting System at 24 June 1998
2 Total includes overseas study trips. Lord Neill visited Germany, Sweden, Canada and the USA, and was accompanied by Lord Goodhart (except Sweden), and Frances Heaton (except Germany)
3 John MacGregor receives payment from the public purse as a Member of Parliament.

  1. 9. The Agency will contribute to the achievement of the national targets set for New Deal in terms of employment outcomes and employability. We will publish details as soon as they become clear.
  2. 10. The Agency will set targets for lifelong learning on an annual basis as the initiatives under lifelong learning emerge and develop.

Copies of the Targets have been placed in the Library of the House.