§ Mrs. MayTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many of the 753 staff of his Department employed in the Government Offices will transfer in April 2001 to the Learning and Skills Council; and what fraction of the aid budget will be transferred as a result. [142289]
§ Mr. Wicks[holding answer 12 December 2000]: The work that Government Offices (GO) currently perform in respect of TEC contracts will no longer be necessary once the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) is in place. There will therefore be no formal direct transfer of staff and work from Government Offices to the LSC. We do, however, expect a small number of GO staff to find opportunities with the Learning and Skills Council over 234W time. We have estimated that, as a result of the creation of the LSC, GO running costs will be some £15 million less than they otherwise would have been.