Oral Answers to Questions Debate

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Oral Answers to Questions

Andrew Percy Excerpts
Thursday 14th July 2011

(12 years, 9 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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Mark Prisk Portrait Mr Prisk
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It is encouraging that almost all the LEPs that I have visited have demonstrated that they are involving FE colleges in their programmes. The hon. Gentleman is right that that is crucial. They are ideally suited to get FE colleges producing what local businesses need; that is one of the crucial projects that at least half a dozen of them have already begun.

Andrew Percy Portrait Andrew Percy (Brigg and Goole) (Con)
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The pan-Humber local enterprise partnership is now up and running and it has recently put in a bid for a local enterprise zone across the Humber, which will be based around the renewables sector. As a result, the area covered by that potential enterprise zone is quite large. Will the Minister give an assurance that its size—and the need for it to be of that size given that it will be structured around the renewable energy industry—will be taken into account?

Mark Prisk Portrait Mr Prisk
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Absolutely; the key issue is the added value. The case will be judged on such merit and we will not seek to preclude anything on, perhaps, spurious grounds.