Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, when he took the decision not to provide funding to trainees to support the cost of gaining a large goods vehicle licence.

There is a longstanding principle, dating back to 2005, which was communicated to the sector in the 2007/08 funding year, that, in general, we do not provide funding for provision that is either an employer or a statutory requirement. Instead, we believe that these costs should be met by employers or individuals themselves.