Gordon Marsden – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Gordon Marsden on 2016-02-11.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, for what reasons he has decided to withdraw funding from the UK Commission for Employment and Skills; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Boles

The UK Commission for Employment and Skills’ (UKCES) work over the last parliament has helped in setting the skills agenda for the future; and their activities have created the conditions to move to the next phase of more devolution, greater employer ownership and the apprenticeship levy. We have, however, concluded that we need new structures to move onto that next phase and have announced the establishment in England of a new Institute for Apprenticeships.

In light of this, a decision was taken as part of the spending review by Whitehall Departments to withdraw funding from UKCES during 2016-17 in the context of the need to make savings in non-participation budgets to allow the core adult skills participation budgets to be protected in cash terms.