Member

Assessing the cost implications and affordability for the education sector of agreements reached by the SSSNB on pay and conditions will be important for the Department for Education prior to the Secretary of State ratifying any agreements. The Secretary of State has the power to refer matters back to the SSSNB or to issue alternative regulations should the agreements not be practicable. This is the fail-safe that I think the noble Baroness is looking for. It would not be appropriate to specify in primary legislation that these assessments will be contained in annual reports to be produced by the SSSNB. We anticipate that the Department for Education will be better placed to undertake assessments than the SSSNB itself and to decide whether they should be implemented.