During the tour Ben Bradshaw MP met with students from Torbay's South Devon College to discuss the Governments Draft Legislative Programme for 2008/ 09, which was published by the Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, on 14 May 2008 and sets out the proposed new legislation that the Government would like to bring before Parliament in forthcoming sessions.
The students were particularly interested in the Education and Skills Bill and raised a number of concerns with the Minister; many of which were based on their personal experiences. The discussion helped to highlight a number of areas where the students thought that Government legislation could improve access to education and apprenticeship opportunities for students of all ages.
College Principal Heather Maxwell said:
"The College was very pleased to host a visit by Ben Bradshaw MP, Minister for the South West & Minister for Health. The session with students and staff discussing the Draft Legislative Programme was particularly valuable and enabled our students to discuss issues which are relevant to them.
I was particularly pleased in being able to show the Minister the excellent learning environment at South Devon College and showcase some of the outstanding work of our students."
The formal public consultation for the Draft Legislative Programme (DLP), which includes 17 Bills and other non-legislative action, will run for 12-weeks and end on 6 August 2008.
For further information about the Draft Legislative Programme, to comment on it or to see what is what going on in the South West follow the links below:
