Business of the House

Tom Blenkinsop Excerpts
Thursday 23rd June 2011

(13 years, 5 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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Lord Young of Cookham Portrait Sir George Young
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By a miracle, my hon. Friend the Minister for Further Education, Skills and Lifelong Learning is now in his place and will have heard those wishes for a happy birthday, which I am sure are shared by hon. Members on both sides. I pay tribute to him for what he has been doing. It is a substantial achievement to have delivered 326,700 apprenticeships in the first nine months of this academic year and 114,000 in the previous year—more than double what we set out to do. That is the right way to provide a sound platform for long-term economic prosperity.

Tom Blenkinsop Portrait Tom Blenkinsop (Middlesbrough South and East Cleveland) (Lab)
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May we have a debate on the Floor of the House about why the Government have decided to stop publishing time to pay statistics in July and whether this is the beginning of the end of time to pay?

Lord Young of Cookham Portrait Sir George Young
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I will make suitable inquiries and write to the hon. Gentleman about time to pay.