BUILDING COLLEGES FOR THE FUTURE PROGRAMME

That this House notes with great concern the reduction in the Building Colleges for the Future programme in England funded by the Learning and Skills Council; notes that this will undermine the long-term plans of the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills for improving the nation's skills base; regrets the consequent loss of some 40,000 construction jobs at a time of great difficulty for the industry, along with the waste of taxpayers' money in bidding costs for cancelled projects; and urges HM Treasury to recognise both the short- and long-term economic importance of this programme by allocating sufficient resources to permit its immediate revival.