§ Mrs. DeanTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) whether the Learning and Skills Council National Contracting Service is required to take account of existing contractual agreements and relationships that a local Learning and Skills Council and local providers already have with industry when issuing contracts to national providers; [129417]
(2) at what stage of the process local Learning and Skills Councils and providers will be informed of the intention to issue a contract through the Learning and Skills Council National Contracting Service; [129418]
(3) if he will list by (a) value of contract and (b) region, the contracts that have been issued by the Learning and Skills Council National Contracting Service to fund, or part fund, employer-based learning; [129419]
(4) how many contracts have been issued by the Learning and Skills Council National Contracting Service to offer free training for a qualification; how 552W many of these were in areas where an existing locally-based contract was already present; and if he will make a statement. [129420]
§ Alan JohnsonThese are matters for the Learning and Skills Council. John Harwood, the Council's Chief Executive, will write to my hon. Friend with the information requested and place a copy of his reply in the Library.