Education and Skills Bill

The letter, which the noble Baroness has not yet had the opportunity to read, deals with the first issue. I shall quote its comments on guidance. There is almost nothing which my department expects local authorities to do on which it does not issue elaborate guidance, and we do not intend this matter to be an exception. The letter states: "““We will issue detailed guidance to local authorities on how to interpret the concept, and on how to exercise appropriately their duties in relation to appropriate support and powers in relation to enforcement action. The guidance will reflect the interpretation of reasonable excuse set out in this letter. We are keen to work with local authorities, voluntary sector organisations, Targeted Support services and other interested parties in developing that guidance. An element of local discretion will remain extremely important however, since ultimately the interpretation of what a reasonable excuse is depends on what would be reasonable in the circumstances””." I hope that that deals with the noble Baroness’s first question. The issue of accreditation and what constitutes appropriate courses will be subject to the normal accreditation procedures. Rather than seek to set those out exhaustively now, I shall write to the noble Baroness because the same process does not apply in each area. For example, I have no doubt that somewhat different arrangements may apply to sport from those in other areas. However, there is great flexibility here. Just in this debate we have referred to courses with a sporting content which could count and to family learning and parenting courses. There is a great desire to ensure that appropriate learning relevant to the individual in question is encompassed within the duty under the Bill. However, there needs to be a minimum time and a minimum accreditation requirement; otherwise, anything could count and, in many cases, nothing will happen.