Skills in the Recession

Part of Opposition Day — [11th Allotted Day] – in the House of Commons at 4:27 pm on 18 May 2009.

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Photo of John Denham John Denham Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills 4:27, 18 May 2009

I beg to move an amendment, to leave out from "House" to the end of the Question and add:

"notes the Government's belief that in a recession it is important to give people the skills they and their employers need to recover from the downturn;
commends this year's Budget for investing £1.2 billion in creating jobs and providing training to young people who have been unemployed for 12 months;
further notes that there are now more 18 to 24 year-olds working or engaged in full-time education compared to 1997; commends the Government for its sustained investment in skills with record numbers of people now receiving training, far more than was originally planned for this year;
further commends the Government for spending over £5 billion on adult skills this year, helping three million learners, and for increasing investment in higher education by 24 per cent. in real terms since 1997; further notes that the Government is prioritising helping people to gain employability skills;
further notes that the Train to Gain budget has risen to £925 million this year;
further notes the budget for apprenticeships is over £1 billion this year and that there are 250,000 starts planned;
commends the Government for confirming that no current learner will lack the funds to complete their course;
further notes that this Government is spending £2.6 billion on further education capital projects over this spending review period;
and further notes that Sir Andrew Foster has recently produced an independent review of the Building Colleges for the Future programme."

I welcome this debate, but I am surprised by the temerity of Mr. Willetts in raising it. The hon. Gentleman quite often repeats unfounded allegations that, as the House heard earlier, he is unable to justify. That is a shame, because the issues we are debating are of real importance to our society and they are better conducted by not making allegations that cannot be substantiated.

It is true that, as this country works to recover from the impact of the global recession, it is going to be British business and the skills of the British people that ultimately ensure that the upturn comes as quickly, as strongly and as sustainably as possible. Investing in the skills of the British people is one of the most important things we can do. Through training, we can improve their productivity and the productivity of their companies. Through training, we can give individuals the skills they need—skills to keep their jobs, skills to get new jobs and skills to develop their careers and provide a decent life for themselves and their families.