---

Further Education and Training Bill [HL]

I thank the Minister for his response. Sub-paragraph (v) really extends from Section 10 of the Children Act, part of the purpose of which is to promote the well-being of all children in the area. We took directly from that and thought that it might be appropriate. There is a sense in which it is right to think of further education colleges as having an open door and saying to everyone in an area, ““Come inside and talk about your educational needs, and we will see if we can help you””. That philosophy adheres in some further education colleges, and it is very exciting when applied. An enormous number of people in the community have educational needs and shy away from talking about them and realising their potential. Where you can fulfil that potential, well-being is immensely increased. However, I accept that the provision would be a blank cheque. I argue that the terms of the current Learning and Skills Act, which we are amending in this Bill, are not really declaratory. In the first place, the Minister spoke about how the council must secure the provision of reasonable facilities for education, training and organised leisure time. That is fine, but the Act goes on to define it: "““Facilities are reasonable if (taking account of the Council’s resources) the facilities are of such a quantity and quality that the Council can reasonably be expected to secure their provision””." It becomes, if I might say so, tautological and pretty meaningless, and it has no great vision. The ideas in the first part of the amendment came directly from the Education and Inspections Act. We spent the best part of three or four days talking about the issue when that Bill was going through this House. They embody a bit of our vision of what we want to achieve from education, but they apply to those at the age of compulsory education. It is appropriate that the Learning and Skills Council is the means by which education for those over the compulsory school leaving age is delivered. Would it not be nice to have a little bit of vision written into the Bill? For the moment, we are not going to get any further. I beg leave to withdraw the amendment. Amendment, by leave, withdrawn.