Member

The amendment also suggests that the transfer of functions that the Secretary of State takes on through this Bill should happen within 12 months. To reiterate, we have carefully considered the range of options for the model that Skills England could take. We have concluded that the executive agency is the most appropriate model, in light of the urgent need to plug skills gaps in key sectors and to unlock economic growth. Setting up Skills England as an executive agency will help us move quickly, which is crucial given the urgency of the skills challenge that we face. It builds in the right level of independence while maintaining proximity to the Department for Education, and enables high levels of transparency about its functions and accountability for its impact.