Clause 35 - Abolition of office of Chief Executive of Skills Funding

Part of Deregulation Bill – in a Public Bill Committee at 12:15 pm on 13 March 2014.

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Photo of Toby Perkins Toby Perkins Shadow Minister (Business, Innovation and Skills) 12:15, 13 March 2014

The right hon. Gentleman should allow me to develop my argument a little and then he can be the judge of that himself.

This is by no means the first time that members of the Committee have had the opportunity to consider the rapacious appetite of the Secretary of State for Education to take further powers to himself. Members might reasonably think that that would send a chill down many a spine, but I take the view that the more opportunity the Secretary of State for Education has to take over the powers in this clause, at least he has a little less time to demoralise the teaching profession. In that regard at least, it might be useful if the Secretary of State spent his time on this issue.

The Association of Colleges voiced support for this measure, calling it

“a useful simplification of the current system”.

We agree with that. The promotion of adult skills is vital to Labour’s vision of a one nation economy, which we have spoken about already in our debates on the Deregulation Bill. With his agenda 2030 programme, my hon. Friend the Member for Streatham (Mr Umunna) has laid out a raft of measures that will give Labour an opportunity to set out a broader skills programme to ensure a skills base that provides the country with a significant foundation to be competitive in the race to the top in future.

The Skills Funding Agency funds adult further education and skills training in England and forms part of a network of organisations in England that commission, manage and promote training for adults. It is obviously important that this body maintains its independence and flexibility to deliver.