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Further Education and Training Bill [HL]

moved Amendment No. 19: 19: Clause 9 , page 7, line 37, leave out from ““ending”” to ““the”” in line 38 and insert ““immediately before the coming into force of this section,”” The noble Lord said: My Lords, I shall also speak to Amendments Nos. 20, 45, 46, 56 and 57. These are technical amendments relating to Clauses 9, 20 and 25, which concern the powers of the Learning and Skills Council and further and higher education corporations to form certain bodies corporate. Clause 9 amends the Learning and Skills Council's current power to form companies as set out in Section 18 of the Learning and Skills Act 2000, to make it clear that it can form companies limited by guarantee as well as those limited by shares, subject to the Secretary of State's consent. Similarly, Clauses 20 and 25 amend the powers of further and higher education corporations to make it clear that they can form companies limited by guarantee as well as those limited by shares. Clauses 9(4), 20(6) and 25(4) make retrospective provision. These technical amendments make it absolutely clear that the retrospective provision is only required until immediately before the amendments come into force. Once they are in force the retrospective provisions are no longer required, as the amendments themselves provide that the Learning and Skills Council and further and higher education corporations will have the power to form companies limited by guarantee. The clauses as drafted provide that Clauses 9(4), 20(6) and 25(4) relate to the period ending on the date that the remainder of Clauses 9, 20 and 25 come into force. I am informed that there is therefore an overlap of one day. The amendment shortens the period so that it ends immediately before the rest of Clauses 9, 20 and 25 commence, so that there is no overlap. The second amendment to each clause is purely a grammatical change. I beg to move. On Question, amendment agreed to.