My Lords, I have listened to and reflected carefully on concerns voiced in the other place about the importance of public authorities knowing whether or not they will be required to publish information. I have tabled amendments to provide such clarification.

Regarding the information required for publication, I have written this...

My Lords, I have listened to and reflected carefully on concerns voiced in the other place about the importance of public authorities knowing whether or not they will be required to publish information. I have tabled amendments to provide such clarification.

Regarding the information required for publication, I have written this...

My Lords, I thank the noble Baroness for raising this issue, which I was intending to cover today. To assist the House, I am happy to clarify that the Government have already published consultation impact assessments alongside the public consultations that support our package of reforms, as well as an...

My Lords, I thank the noble Baroness for raising this issue, which I was intending to cover today. To assist the House, I am happy to clarify that the Government have already published consultation impact assessments alongside the public consultations that support our package of reforms, as well as an...

My Lords, this has been a wide-ranging debate. I was confident that your Lordships would take a keen and knowledgeable interest in the Bill, and that has been amply confirmed this evening.

I congratulate the noble Lord, Lord Livermore, on his first speech in our House. He brings with him both...

My Lords, this has been a wide-ranging debate. I was confident that your Lordships would take a keen and knowledgeable interest in the Bill, and that has been amply confirmed this evening.

I congratulate the noble Lord, Lord Livermore, on his first speech in our House. He brings with him both...

Fine. If the local authority "agrees with", it is getting into the interstices of a college and telling it, "We are going to fund this sort of course, and that is what you will provide". Not only that but, in order to "secure" it, it must ensure that the capacity...

Fine. If the local authority "agrees with", it is getting into the interstices of a college and telling it, "We are going to fund this sort of course, and that is what you will provide". Not only that but, in order to "secure" it, it must ensure that the capacity...

I will have one more go. "Secure" means reaching an agreement with the college on how much it can deliver on each course. If it cannot deliver for all demand, of course the local authority will need to look elsewhere. So it is a collaborative process, involving discussions with the...

I will have one more go. "Secure" means reaching an agreement with the college on how much it can deliver on each course. If it cannot deliver for all demand, of course the local authority will need to look elsewhere. So it is a collaborative process, involving discussions with the...

Yes, I will. There are one or two other points that I want to come on to. If what I said is not true, how is a local education authority to live up to the wording of lines 8 and 9 on page 23, to, ""secure that enough suitable education...

Yes, I will. There are one or two other points that I want to come on to. If what I said is not true, how is a local education authority to live up to the wording of lines 8 and 9 on page 23, to, ""secure that enough suitable education...

I thought I had endeavoured to cover that. I am happy, however, to return to the issue again. Local authorities are uniquely well placed to take on the crucial leadership to continue and increase on the improvements in participation and achievement. They will have access to detailed intelligence about the...

I thought I had endeavoured to cover that. I am happy, however, to return to the issue again. Local authorities are uniquely well placed to take on the crucial leadership to continue and increase on the improvements in participation and achievement. They will have access to detailed intelligence about the...

I cannot say I find myself much reassured by that. We seem to be replacing a system that has relied on the expressed wishes of the individual learners as reflected in their applications to colleges and the colleges’ response to that with one that supposes that half a dozen people...

I cannot say I find myself much reassured by that. We seem to be replacing a system that has relied on the expressed wishes of the individual learners as reflected in their applications to colleges and the colleges’ response to that with one that supposes that half a dozen people...

I cannot argue with the maths. We would say that on that basis we are picking up a huge amount. There may well be other cases. We would say that we are picking up most of the requirements in that 90 per cent. I will come back to the noble...

I cannot argue with the maths. We would say that on that basis we are picking up a huge amount. There may well be other cases. We would say that we are picking up most of the requirements in that 90 per cent. I will come back to the noble...

I am emphatically not saying that. I do not want to be misrepresented. I am not saying that that is how it will operate. In fact, I have taken great pains to say the complete opposite—that they will be working in partnership to try to assess the nature of demand,...

I am emphatically not saying that. I do not want to be misrepresented. I am not saying that that is how it will operate. In fact, I have taken great pains to say the complete opposite—that they will be working in partnership to try to assess the nature of demand,...

But none the less what the noble Lord is saying is that the local authorities will have the power to tell colleges what courses they should teach and when and to whom.

But none the less what the noble Lord is saying is that the local authorities will have the power to tell colleges what courses they should teach and when and to whom.

I must admit that I am now a trifle puzzled by the noble Lord. On the one hand he wants ultimate flexibility, but on the other he is now saying that he does not really want that in his commissioning process. With sub-regional groupings, that is exactly what we need...

I must admit that I am now a trifle puzzled by the noble Lord. On the one hand he wants ultimate flexibility, but on the other he is now saying that he does not really want that in his commissioning process. With sub-regional groupings, that is exactly what we need...

I am not sure that I am much wiser at the end of that. I agree with the noble Lord that local authorities are in a position of great knowledge and potential leadership, and I hope there is nothing in my amendments that goes against that. What I do not...

I am not sure that I am much wiser at the end of that. I agree with the noble Lord that local authorities are in a position of great knowledge and potential leadership, and I hope there is nothing in my amendments that goes against that. What I do not...

I am interested in these amendments that the noble Lord, Lord Lucas, has put down—somewhat belatedly, if I might say so. It would have been good if he had alerted us to them a little earlier. I take on board the points he is making. The noble Lord said that...

I am interested in these amendments that the noble Lord, Lord Lucas, has put down—somewhat belatedly, if I might say so. It would have been good if he had alerted us to them a little earlier. I take on board the points he is making. The noble Lord said that...

Do I understand the Minister right? He said that 90 per cent of students would be picked up by the sub-regional grouping concept. That implies that one in 10 will not be.

Do I understand the Minister right? He said that 90 per cent of students would be picked up by the sub-regional grouping concept. That implies that one in 10 will not be.

I apologise in advance for what will probably be quite a lengthy contribution, because I want to place on record a range of key principles that have been addressed by the noble Lord, Lord Lucas, and, to some extent, by other noble Lords. Although I echo the point of the...

I apologise in advance for what will probably be quite a lengthy contribution, because I want to place on record a range of key principles that have been addressed by the noble Lord, Lord Lucas, and, to some extent, by other noble Lords. Although I echo the point of the...

This government amendment takes account of the recommendations of the Delegated Powers and Regulatory Reform Committee, looking at the regulation-making powers in Clause 39. The committee’s recommendation is that they should be subject to the affirmative, rather than the negative, procedure. It is appropriate that we should take these recommendations...

This government amendment takes account of the recommendations of the Delegated Powers and Regulatory Reform Committee, looking at the regulation-making powers in Clause 39. The committee’s recommendation is that they should be subject to the affirmative, rather than the negative, procedure. It is appropriate that we should take these recommendations...

Schedule 1: Employee study and training: minor and consequential amendments Amendment 91 91: Schedule 1, page 161, line 34, at end insert— " In section 236(3) (orders and regulations subject to affirmative Parliamentary procedure), after "47C," insert "63D, 63F(7),"."

Schedule 1: Employee study and training: minor and consequential amendments Amendment 91 91: Schedule 1, page 161, line 34, at end insert— " In section 236(3) (orders and regulations subject to affirmative Parliamentary procedure), after "47C," insert "63D, 63F(7),"."