Part of Oral Answers to Questions — Education and Skills – in the House of Commons am 11:30 am ar 24 Mawrth 2005.
Mr David Rendel
Shadow Minister (Higher Education), Education & Skills
11:30,
24 Mawrth 2005
In her statement on Tuesday, the Secretary of State said:
"I am committed to supporting people in gaining the skills and qualifications needed to get satisfying jobs and a decent standard of living for themselves and their families."—[Hansard, 22 March 2005; Vol. 432, c. 732.]
Following the previous supplementary question, I am rather sad to hear that the Secretary of State sees adult learning purely in terms of employment prospects. Important though it is to give people skills to do jobs, does she agree that adult learning also has a crucial part to play in enhancing the quality of life for students and their communities—as, for example, with the provision of language training for people who may be involved in town twinning? Does she accept that enhancing the quality of life is just as important an aspect of Government business as enhancing the standard of living?
Secretary of State was originally the title given to the two officials who conducted the Royal Correspondence under Elizabeth I. Now it is the title held by some of the more important Government Ministers, for example the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs.
