§ Mr. Damian GreenTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what discussions his staff have had with the examination awarding bodies since December 2002; and if he will make a statement. [128099]
§ Mr. MilibandDiscussions between DfES officials and the examination awarding bodies are held in accordance with the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the DfES and the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority.
DfES officials formally meet the chief executives from three unitary awarding bodies, AQA, Edexcel and OCR twice a year. Since December 2002, one meeting has taken place on 1 April and another is scheduled for November. The majority of DfES's contacts with the awarding bodies occur at meetings organised by the QCA.