Member

The noble Baroness, Lady Barran, suggested that six months is too short. I reassure her that the six-month timeline will kick in from the abolition of IfATE, which is unlikely to be upon Royal Assent but later. We will commence the functions in a way that leaves the abolition of IfATE until the very end. In reality, as Skills England has already been operating in shadow form, and as the functions are transferred to it, the six-month period is not six months from today or even from Royal Assent. I believe that there will be a reasonable balance between responding to the concerns of noble Lords—by being clear, soon, about how Skills England is operating with the functions that have been transferred to it—and making sure that that is sufficiently broad.