HC Deb 24 July 2002 vol 389 cc1361-3W
Angus Robertson

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills when(a) the EU Socrates Committee, (b) the Erasmus and (c) the Comenius subcommittees are next due to meet; whether representatives of the Scottish Executive (a) have been and (b) are members of them; and if she will make a statement. [66458]

Margaret Hodge

The EU Socrates Committee and sub-committees are scheduled to meet next as follows: Socrates Committee 7–8 November 2002; Higher Education sub-committee 23–24 October 2002; Schools sub-committee 4 November 2002. The UK is represented on the committees by officials from the Joint International Unit of the Department for Work and Pensions and the Department of Education and Skills, but members of the Scottish Executive and the representatives of the other Devolved Administrations are also "Alternate Members" of the Socrates Committee, in rotation. The Scottish Executive are consulted about the content of the meetings in advance, and make their views known, in accordance with the Memorandum of Understanding between the UK Government and the Devolved Administrations. Representatives of the Scottish Executive, and of the other Devolved Administrations, are members of the Socrates Network Committee which oversees the administration and implementation of the programme in the UK.

Angus Robertson

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills when the EU Tempus Committee is next due to meet; whether representatives of the Scottish Executive(a) have been and (b) are members of it; and if she will make a statement. [66462]

Margaret Hodge

The next meeting of the EU TEMPUS Committee is provisionally set for 13 December 2002. The UK has two seats on the Committee and is represented by officials from the Department for Education and Skills and from the Joint International Unit of the Department for Education and Skills and the Department for Work and Pensions. Scottish Executive officials, as with officials from the other Devolved Administrations, are consulted and make their views known, in accordance with the Memorandum of Understanding between the UK Government and the Devolved Administrations. We understand the Executive is content with this arrangement.

Angus Robertson

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills when the EU Advisory Committee on vocational training is next due to meet; whether representatives of the Scottish Executive(a) have been and (b) are members of it; and if she will make a statement. [66464]

Margaret Hodge

The next meeting of the EU Advisory Committee on vocational training (ACVT) is due to take place on 9 and 10 December 2002. Members of the Scottish Executive have not been and are not members of the committee. The ACVT was established by Council Decision No. 63/266/eec dated 2 April 1963 which laid down general principles for implementing a common vocational training policy across the EU. Its purpose is to offer advice and submit opinions to the European Commission on vocational training policy which the Commission is obliged to take account of. Membership of the committee comprises Government officials and representatives from employers' organisations and trades unions. Member States are represented by one person from each group making a total of three per delegation. The representative of Government for the UK is an official from the Joint International Unit of the Department of Work and Pensions and the Department for Education and Skills, who routinely consults policy colleagues in the Scottish Executive, Northern Ireland Executive and the National Assembly for Wales on issues to be discussed by the Committee. These arrangements are in accordance with the Memorandum of Understanding between the UK Government and the Devolved Administrations.