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• Reference: 2022/2792
• Question by: Chair, London Assembly
• Meeting date: 08 September 2022

What are the Mayor’s priorities for the Adult Education Budget (AEB) and what are the key changes that the Mayor has made to how the AEB is allocated since it was delegated?

• Question by: Len Duvall OBE
• Meeting date: 08 September 2022

Len Duvall AM: Thank you, Chair. In terms of the UKSPF and the skills in London, how does that fund adequately replace the funding London received for skills from the European Union (EU) and how does that factor in to the work of the AEB?

• Question by: Unmesh Desai
• Meeting date: 08 September 2022

Unmesh Desai AM: Thank you, Chair. Good morning, panel. My question is to you, Michelle. What are the current skills gaps facing London and how will the AEB tackle them?

• Question by: Zack Polanski
• Meeting date: 08 September 2022

Zack Polanski AM: Thank you very much, Chair. We are in a climate crisis and we know that the solutions to the cost of living crisis, the energy crisis and the climate crisis are the same solutions. One of the biggest ones at the moment is that we need to insulate homes, so I want to ask you about your green jobs. Citizens UK has been in touch with me. In April 2021 it wrote to the Mayor to ask for an annual report on green jobs, particularly around insulating homes. Will we be getting those regular reports?

• Question by: Peter Fortune
• Meeting date: 08 September 2022

Peter Fortune AM: Thank you very much, Chair, and good morning, Jules. We have talked about the devolution of responsibility to the Mayor’s Office. With that devolution comes great responsibility as well, especially, as you said, where this is the largest revenue budget that we control. I have some particular concerns around that money being used properly and efficiently, especially around the auditing of subcontractors. There are some very significant challenges there. Can you tell us what you are doing to mitigate those risks?

• Question by: Leonie Cooper
• Meeting date: 08 September 2022

Léonie Cooper AM: Thank you very much, Chair. I want to come back to the issue about what percentage of the AEB - which I understand is £318 million in total - is being spent on supporting people into training for low-carbon, circular economy, climate-ready jobs. I am being very specific about what they are.

• Question by: Krupesh Hirani
• Meeting date: 08 September 2022

Krupesh Hirani AM: Thank you, Chair. The latest available figures show that as of June [2022], London’s National Health Service (NHS) had a record vacancy rate for fulltime staff exceeding 30,000 unfilled positions. I recognise that the Mayor does not have any statutory powers over the running of health and social care in London but there are still ways in which the GLA can support the sector, particularly around non-clinical and non-medical roles in the NHS, and social care as well. Deputy Mayor, what are you and the Mayor doing to support the health and social care sector in London?

• Question by: Elly Baker
• Meeting date: 08 September 2022

Elly Baker AM: Thanks, Chair. My questions are on ESOL provision in London. M any years ago I worked for a project called the Union Learning Fund, which supported trade unions to broker training for people in the workplace. The most valuable and the most in demand of those courses were ESOL courses. We know that in London the demand for ESOL far outstrips supply, so how is the GLA increasing supply in this area?

• Question by: Sakina Sheikh
• Meeting date: 08 September 2022

Sakina Sheikh AM: Thank you, Chair, and good morning to Jules and Michelle. It is good to see you again. I certainly enjoyed hearing from you yesterday [7 March 2022] at our Economy Committee and from the whole panel. It is really clear that adult education has a huge and long-lasting effect on Londoners’ ability to reach their full potential. I just wanted to speak to how we ensure that we reach all Londoners equally and make sure all groups in our society are represented and, to that end, I wanted to ask what progress the AEB made in tackling...

• Question by: Anne Clarke
• Meeting date: 08 September 2022

Anne Clarke AM: Thank you, Chair, and good morning to you both. It is good to see you again following yesterday’s Economy [Committee] meeting. Michelle, you spoke earlier about how the numbers of learners post-COVID has changed. I am just wondering what assessment the GLA has done of the changes to adult education itself post-COVID and how this has impacted on the GLA’s plans for the AEB.