Member

On the point about the review, which I wrote about in the letter that I circulated to noble Lords, it is good practice for new arm’s-length bodies to be reviewed after the start of full operations. I am clear that there should be such a review, led by the Department for Education, within 18 to 24 months of the establishment of Skills England. Such a review will align with the requirements of any future Cabinet Office review programme. It will ensure that Skills England’s functions remain useful and necessary and assess whether there are more efficient and effective alternatives to deliver the Government’s objectives, including consideration of alternative types of arm’s-length body and whether Skills England should be brought on to a statutory basis.