Tag: Lord Jones of Cheltenham

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Jones of Cheltenham on 2014-06-05.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what progress has been made in negotiations to provide air services to St Helena once the new airport is completed in February 2016; and what steps they are taking to develop the local tourism industry there, including the provision of suitable tourist accommodation.

Baroness Northover

St Helena Government (SHG) issued the Pre-Qualification Questionnaire (PQQ) for the air service procurement in June 2014. The PQQ is the first stage of the air service procurement and will allow interested airlines to register their intent to bid for the air service.

Enterprise St Helena (ESH), St Helena’s Economic Development Agency, is leading St Helena’s plans to develop its tourism industry and its accommodation. In parallel, ESH is working with local businesses to ensure that the island’s tourist attractions are developed and accredited to international standards.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Jones of Cheltenham on 2014-06-11.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of their stated intention of building more houses, what is their assessment of the availability of skilled personnel to carry out the building work necessary; and what measures they are taking to train sufficient numbers to ensure the success of the house building programme.

Viscount Younger of Leckie

There has been no specific assessment of the availability of skilled personnel for the home building sector. The Construction Industry Training Board’s (CITB) latest Construction Skills Network Report forecasts an annual recruitment requirement for the construction sector, including home building, of 36,400 a year for the 2013 – 2018 period.

Under the auspices of the Construction Leadership Council, the house building industry is developing an action plan to address two immediate priorities: improving the image of house building and attracting back experienced workers who left during the recession, and other workers with relevant skills. More widely, the Government is making a number of reforms to the skills system to improve skills supply, putting employers in the driving seat and making providers more responsive to their needs.

The Government is also currently undertaking a triennial review of the way the CITB operates and challenging it on the service it delivers to the sector.