§ Mr. ChaytorTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what guidance he has issued to local authorities, training and enterprise councils and colleges of further education concerning the membership and responsibilities of the proposed learning and skills councils. [96710]
§ Mr. Wicks[holding answer 1 November 1999]: The "Learning to Succeed" White Paper set out that employers will be the single largest group on the Council. On 28 October, the Secretary of State announced that at least 40 per cent. of people on the Boards of the new Learning and Skills Councils, together with the national Chair and majority of local Chairs, will be people with significant business experience. It is expected that Board members will be drawn from a wide range of bodies that have an interest in education and training. We want to attract the best individuals available and we will be looking for people from a variety of backgrounds to represent individual and community interests.
In December we will be publishing a document setting out the Government's plans for implementing the proposals in the White Paper. The document will outline how the new structures will work and set out the next steps for implementation.
§ Mr. WillisTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment (1) what plans he has to make the Integrated Youth Service areas coterminous with local education authority, regional development agency or sub-regional local learning and skills/small business service boundaries; and if he will make a statement; [97057]
(2) what plans he has to make careers and guidance areas coterminous with the sub-regional local learning and skills councils/small business service boundaries; and if he will make a statement. [97058]
§ Mr. Wicks[holding answer 2 November 1999]: The "Learning to Succeed" White Paper and the Social Exclusion Unit's report "Bridging the Gap" announced the creation of a new youth support service which will provide guidance and support for all young people aged 13-19, building on what is currently provided by the Careers Service, parts of the Youth Service and other organisations.
We have been consulting on the functions and local delivery arrangements for the new service. A further announcement on the Youth Support Service, including the local boundaries, will be made later in the year.
§ Mr. ChaytorTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what guidance he has issued to local authorities, training and enterprise councils and colleges of further education concerning the division of 325W responsibilities between the proposed local learning and skills councils and (a) local lifelong learning partnerships and (b) the National Learning and Skill Council. [96777]
§ Mr. Wicks[holding answer 3 November 1999]: We issue regular updates to all our partners on the implementation of our proposals, in "Learning to Succeed", to establish a Learning and Skills Council with both a national and local presence. The Local Councils will be accountable to the National Council for the implementation of national frameworks and policies in their areas. The Local Councils will be accountable to their local communities for meeting local needs, through mechanisms such as public meetings, dissemination of information on the LSC's activities, and effective feedback and complaints mechanisms.
In September, a joint letter was sent from the Department for Education and Employment and its main national partners to all TECs, local education authorities, further education colleges and other local partners summarising the responsibilities of Learning Partnerships in the new post-16 arrangements. Learning Partnerships will continue to be voluntary groupings of post-16 learning providers and users with a local focus. They will be responsible for ensuring that provision is responsive to local community needs. The work of the Learning and Skills Council will need to be informed by an understanding of local labour market needs—Lifelong Learning Partnerships are perfectly placed to provide that.
In December we intend to publish a document outlining how the new structures will work and setting out the next steps for implementation. We also plan to issue more detailed guidance to Learning Partnerships in December on their role, responsibilities and relationship with Local Learning and Skills Councils.
§ Mr. ChaytorTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what guidelines he has issued to the training and enterprise councils in respect of(a) redundancy payments and (b) incentive payments to staff pending the establishment of learning and skills councils. [96718]
§ Mr. Wicks[holding answer 3 November 1999]: Government Offices are currently discussing with TECs their proposals to retain key staff during the transition period to the new Learning and Skills Council and packages for staff in the event that redundancies should be necessary. Those discussions have been based on initial guidance we have provided to Government Offices. We are in the process of finalising the guidance in the light of those discussions and will be issuing it to TECs shortly. I will provide my hon. Friend with a copy of that final guidance as soon as it is issued and I will also place copies in the Libraries of the House.