Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning Bill

I have two further questions. The Minister mentioned just now that the SFA was going to be overseen by a small executive board. One of the issues that I raised was the whole question of the absence of what in the LSC was called the adult learning committee: an absence, in a sense, of those who would advise the chief executive and who come from the community and represent the community—in so far as a small executive board will be on that small executive board. The other issue that I meant to raise but forgot to in my initial remarks relates to the role that the regions will play in the SFA. In the second paragraph of a letter sent to Jim Brathwaite at SEEDA on 31 July, the noble Lord, Lord Mandelson, says very clearly: ""I can confirm that I am considering the case for modifying the existing plans for the creation of the Skills Funding Agency … to allow the existing skills landscape to be simplified by making the RDAs the single body with responsibility for producing the regional skills strategy and being the champion and advocate for skills at the regional level. Under this scenario, RDAs would be assigned the lead role in identifying, as part of their wider responsibilities for regional economic development, demand-side needs for skills in their regions. Those needs will be expressed in a regional skills strategy, led by the RDA, which will constitute an investment plan which would become binding on the Skills Funding Agency"." That is a somewhat different scenario from that presented in the Bill. It is a very substantial change. Can the Minister tell us something about it?