HC Deb 22 June 2004 vol 422 cc1394-5W
Vera Baird

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to the answer of 6 May 2004,Official Report, column 1760W, to the hon. Member for Meriden (Mrs. Spelman), on Learning and Skills Council, whether elected regional assemblies will be given full responsibility for Learning and Skills Councils budgets. [176898]

Mr. Ivan Lewis

[holding answer 8 June 2004]: No. In our White Paper "Your Region, Your Choice' we set out proposals for local LSCs to be required to have regard to assembly strategies, including in drawing up their spending plans; and to consult the relevant assembly about their local plans. Assemblies will not have responsibility for Learning and Skills Council budgets: that responsibility will remain, as now, with the council.

Mr. Simmonds

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will make a statement on the progress of the Learning and Skills Council's Widening Adult Participation strategy. [177381]

Mr. Ivan Lewis

In September 2003, the LSC published "Successful Participation for All: Widening Adult Participation", setting out the Council's strategy for extending access to learning. The strategy requires local LSCs to adopt specific measures to support disadvantaged groups. It is being implemented by local LSCs, supported by a regionally held £2.5 million pa Widening Participation Action Fund. Every local LSC has identified groups which are under represented in learning and adopted impact measures for improvement. This work is integral to meeting the objective in the White Paper, "21st Century Skills, Realising Our Potential", to help individuals to obtain the skills they need to be both employable and personally fulfilled.