Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, for what reasons the Chief Executive of Skills Funding and the Young People’s Learning Agency agreed to execute a legal document on the sale of Newton Rigg in 2011 containing provisions purporting to absolve the parties cited in that legal document from liability for negligence or fraud; and whether that decision to execute a legal document was approved by his Department.

The deed of release was agreed by the Skills Funding Agency and Young People’s Learning Agency in line with the policy on further education assets adopted by its sponsor department (Department for Business, Innovation and Skills at the time).