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Further Education and Training Bill [HL]

My Lords, where a local education authority exercises its powers to suspend a failing school’s delegated budget, it becomes the direct employer of the staff and can take decisions, including on the employment of teachers. The powers are comparable. However, I cannot stress too greatly, in response to the noble Baroness, Lady Morris, that these are in extremis powers to be used in casesof objective failure and underperformance. The autonomy of governing bodies to sustain failure, which is essentially the noble Baroness’s case, would not be supported by the Government or, I hope, by the noble Baroness on reflection. We are talking about cases of failure and underperformance that are demonstrated in inspection reports and are objective. We are not talking about any discretionary power to intervene that would undermine the proper autonomy and freedom of governing bodies of institutions that are running well to conduct that institution’s affairs. I hope that the distance between us is narrower than the noble Baroness portrayed. She was presenting a great point of principle that I do not believe pertains. If she were sitting where I am and had to take decisions about institutions that are failing and therefore offering a substandard education to their students, I am not sure that she would see it so much in terms of the absolute principle that she has set out. I understand that there are strong feelings because the powers, if exercised, are draconian. I would liketo reassure the House that they would be used onlyin extremis. I would also like to speak to our Amendments Nos. 27 to 33 and 35 in this group, which, as the noble Baroness generously acknowledged, go some way to meeting the concerns set out in Grand Committee. My amendments would ensure that the failure policy under which the Learning and Skills Council is operating is approved by the Secretary of State and laid before the House. We believe that there will be proper accountability for the overall policy under which the Learning and Skills Council acts in this area. It is already accountable to the Secretary of State for a comprehensive framework that includes quarterly ministerial reviews and a performance forum that charts progress against annual targets. As I stressed, the amendments that I am moving will, over and above that, require the Secretary of State formally to approve and to lay the statement of intervention policy before each House of Parliament, which will further increase transparency and accountability. As the noble Baroness, Lady Walmsley, rightly said, cases of outright failure are extremely rare; nevertheless, we want to address more effectively and efficiently any such instances and those of inadequate provision. That is the reason for these powers. However, when it comes to intervening, in all cases the LSC will raise any concerns with the institution’s chair of governors and college principal and agree an appropriate way forward. Regardless of the scale of concern, the LSC will issue a notification to the institution setting out the agreed action arising from the initial discussion and monitor progress against that notification. In more serious cases a formal notice to improve will be issued, specifying the required improvements and a timescale of no more than 12 months to secure them. We believe it is right that providers have the opportunity to improve before any formal intervention takes place. That is another stage that has to be gone through before the formal intervention powers set out in the Bill could take effect. In cases of outright failure, where insufficient progress is made against the agreed improvement plan, and where the college is unable to demonstrate that it has the capacity and capability to bring about improvement, the LSC could consider the use of powers under Clause 17. Those powers might also be considered in exceptional circumstances where there is immediate and significant risk, such as fraud. The notice will specify any immediate action; for example, a direction to remove the chair of the governing body or to dismiss a specified senior member of staff. I stress, though, that the use of these powers must be relevant and appropriate in the given circumstances. The intervention policy that will be developed to set out the procedures will illustrate the circumstances when it would be appropriate to consider the direction to dismiss a senior office-holder. I stress again that these powers will not be unfettered. As a result of the government amendments I have just spoken to, the Secretary of State must approve the intervention policy. He will also retain the power to direct the LSC itself, should that be necessary. In addition to these powers, the LSC continues to be accountable to the Secretary of State through the comprehensive accountability framework. The judgment made on failure or unsatisfactory performance will not be imprecisely defined. The LSC’s published intervention policy will make clear precisely what is meant in practice. The precursorto that document, Identifying and Managing Underperformance, which I have made available to noble Lords, refers to providers who have been awarded a grade 4 by Ofsted inspectors, which isthe most unsatisfactory inspection grade, and to situations where an area of provision is deemed to be unsatisfactory or where the LSC’s analysis of learner success rates shows that more then 25 per cent of provision falls below the minimum level of performance. The definitions we have in place now, as set out in the guidance document Identifying and Managing Underperformance, will, no doubt, be extensively debated during the consultation process that the LSC will be required to conduct as a result of government Amendment No. 29. We will take full account of the consultation undertaken as a result of that amendment. We expect that, in the vast majority of cases where failure is identified under the procedures I have just set out, the governing body would take the necessary action to improve performance before any intervention was needed. The LSC would continue to work with the governing bodies and to respect their autonomy during that process. I also reassure noble Lords, and reiterate for the record, that the LSC would only be able to direct dismissal where the governing body already has the power to dismiss under its own articles of association, so the role of the LSC would be akin to that of a local authority in a case of extreme failure on the part of a school. The corporation of the institution, which is normally the governing body, being the employer of the staff in an FE college, would continue as the employer, and this would not change that relationship. Where the LSC has invoked its power to direct a governing body to dismiss a member of staff, there will be a very clear evidence base for such a decision. That should provide sufficient evidence for governing bodies to successfully defend any claims of unfair dismissal under employment law. The Secretary of State’s retention of the powers to direct the LSC where he is satisfied that it would be appropriate to do so is also important in this matter. The noble Baroness, Lady Morris of Bolton, wished to press the principle of Clauses 17 and 18. I entirely respect her decision. However, on the point by the noble Baroness, Lady Walmsley, if Clauses 17 and 18 remain in the Bill, we would be prepared to look sympathetically at her Amendment No. 26, which sets out a requirement for a further formal statutory process to be gone through. We would consider bringing back amendments at Third Reading to ensure that there is a further, formal statutory process whereby the principal of a college of further education has to be written to, along with the governing body, by the Learning and Skills Council. We would further require that that report must set out in writing, at the beginning of the process of intervention, the Learning and Skills Council’s concerns. I have given a good deal of reassurance about how these powers will be exercised. As I say, they are for cases of extreme failure. In that context, I hope that the House will feel able to continue to support Clauses 17 and 18.