§ Paul HolmesTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how long it takes for a new qualification to be approved under Section 9 of the Learning and Skills Act 2000; what measures he has taken to reduce this period; and if he will make a statement. [102423]
§ >Margaret HodgeSince August 2002 the approval of external qualifications under Section 96 of the Learning and Skills Act 2000 are agreed monthly. Until then approvals were published on an annual basis. It currently takes, on average, fourteen working days from receipt of advice from the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority to approve new qualifications.
An examination of the approval process is currently under way to identify any scope for a further streamlining of the process while maintaining the necessary quality and rigour.
§ Mr. JenkinTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills when the Learning and Skills Council will provide Essex county council with the information to enable Essex county council to provide schools with their budgets for 2003–04; and if she will make a statement. [103326]
§ Margaret HodgeProvisional allocations were announced in December 2002. There has been a short delay in setting final allocation but the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) sent final details of school sixth form allocations for the financial year 2003–04 to local LSCs on Thursday 6 March. They have now been passed to local education authorities for incorporation in the calculation of schools' budget shares for 2003–04.