§ Mr. WillisTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment when he expects to award the first individual learning accounts; and which category of students will be eligible. [56203]
§ Mr. MudieA national framework for individual learning accounts will be in place in the year 2000. It will begin with one million 'starter' accounts. Around 100,000 of these will start to become available from Spring 1999. Under the national framework learning accounts will be available to all, although we expect the starter accounts to be mainly targeted at those who will benefit most. The four groups outlined in the Green Paper "The Learning Age" were people without qualifications or with low skills, areas of skill shortage, employees in small firms and people returning to work.