---

Further Education and Training Bill [HL]

I know that this matter concerns priorities and money. However, the Minister will be aware that there is widespread worry within the sector about the squeeze on adult education. In many sectors—my own, for example, is the museum sector—we are becoming increasingly dependent on people who have either chosen to retire or who have been retired early to do jobs that initially they did not necessarily have the complete skills to do. They get some retraining; they may take a course in further education; and they make an extremely valuable contribution, as indeed would be the case throughout the third sector. Bearing in mind issues of public expenditure, I believe that we will become increasingly dependent on the third sector. It would be very short-sighted not to ensure that education and training facilities are available to the people in that sector who wish to make a contribution.