Comment on extracts from the Enterprise, Trade and Investment Committee Report on Strategy 2010.

The Committee broadly supports the views in the extracts sent to them. However, the Higher and Further Education, Training and Employment Committee would wish to raise the following points:

1. Under the Executive Summary point 27, reference should be clearly made that this is within the remit of the Department of Higher and Further Education, Training and Employment.

2. In reference to point 4.8, the report should clarify which parts of the Dearing Report this refers to, eg student numbers, tuition fees, etc. Again this is the responsibility of the Department of Higher and Further Education, Training and Employment.

3. The Higher and Further Education, Training and Employment Committee agrees with your recommendation 8; 4.11, however, the Committee wants to fully consider and agree the exact mechanism as to how this should be implemented.

4. Finally my Committee expressed the view that more time was needed to consider these extracts. The Committee has given broad support to your recommendations, qualified by the fact that due to the time pressures, some members did not have sight of the extracts. In any case, the Committee reserves the right, within its own departmental remit, and especially within the context of our ongoing Inquiry on training, to come to its own judgement on appropriate policy measures.

Esmond Birnie

Dr Esmond Birnie
Chairperson
20 March 2001

HFETE Committee minutes of 22 March 2001