Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make it his policy to reconstitute Skills England as an independent body.

Skills England has been established as an executive agency of the Department for Education, a model of arm’s length body with a clearly defined status, established and governed in line with Cabinet Office guidance. As an executive agency, Skills England will be sufficiently independent so that it can focus on the delivery of its functions, at arm’s length from the department, while also ensuring sufficient proximity to inform decisions on skills policy and delivery quickly and efficiently. In carrying out its functions, Skills England will be scrutinised and supported by its independent chair and board.

In line with good practice for new arm’s length bodies, the government has committed to review Skills England between 18 and 24 months after it is set up. This review will include an assessment of whether the executive agency model is enabling Skills England to deliver its objectives.