Consultation on the Future of the Right to Request Time to Train Regulations: Government Response

a BIS publication, reference URN 11/1052

Executive Summary

1. Ministers of the new United Kingdom coalition Government wished to look at what more could be done to help the economy and to consider the regulatory burden being placed on business. As a first step, in summer 2010 a review of all pipeline regulations was announced to consider all the regulations planned by the previous Government. As part of this review, on 11 August Skills Minister John Hayes launched a consultation on the future of the right to request time to train which had been introduced across Great Britain in April 2010 for employees in organisations with 250 or more employees. Under plans of the previous Government, it was due to extend to cover employees in all other organisations from April 2011. 
2. There was a good response to the consultation, from businesses, public sector organisations, professional bodies, individuals, employer representative bodies, trades unions and staff associations, and others.  147 responses were received by the closing date. These responses revealed an extremely polarised position between those supporting retention of the right seeing it as a key way in which individuals could be supported to access training and those wanting to see the right repealed seeing it as an unhelpful and unnecessary burden on business.   
3. In taking forward this decision the Government kept two objectives in mind. First, the need to maintain a sharp focus on the importance of workplace training in line with the recently published Skills Strategy and secondly, the need to protect small and medium sized businesses from potential burdens in line with the Coalition Government’s principles for reducing regulation and through this create the right conditions for growth as outlined in the Plan for Growth published alongside the Budget. 
4. Of the options put forward in the consultation the Government did not feel that it was safe to conclude from the responses received that it could proceed with the planned extension of the right to all employees in April 2011. Equally, given the strong level of support in some quarters, it was not possible to conclude that the consultation had delivered a decisive message in favour of the full repeal of the right. Furthermore, the responses showed there was little support for making changes to the way the right functions so this option is not being considered further. 
5. Given this position, the right to request time to train will therefore not be extended to employees of small and mediums sized organisations for the foreseeable future. The right will continue to be available to employees in large organisations with 250 or more employees. This decision will allow time for the evidence base to support the effectiveness of the policy to develop over time. The position will be kept under review. Any future decision on the policy will take account of evidence about levels of employer and employee investment in skills, as set out in The Plan for Growth (23 March 2011).   

Full publication (PDF 27pp)

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