WIREDGOV

John Hayes has today launched a consultation on the future of the right to request time to train.

The legal right for workers in businesses with more than 250 employees to request time to take up relevant training came into effect from April 6 this year.

The Government has announced a review of all regulations in a bid to reduce burdens on business. This consultation aims to gather opinions on the right to request time to train and will feed in to the review.

The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills is interested in hearing views on the regulation from employees, businesses and other interested parties.

Further Education, Skills and Lifelong Learning Minister, John Hayes, said:

“Before we make any decisions about the future of the right to request time to train, it is important that we gauge views of the regulation and whether it is improving training opportunities for employees.

“We believe it is important that all regulations are properly scrutinised and we are therefore interested in hearing views on the future of this right and its role in promoting training in the workplace, which I see as vital to our economic success.

“I have asked my officials to ensure that this consultation is actively promoted to ensure that we get a broad range of views.”

This consultation will be shorter than the normal 12 weeks and will close on September 15. The shorter consultation period will allow all representations to be made before the September 17 deadline for submissions to the next meeting of the Reducing Regulation Committee.

Notes to Editors

The Consultation is available here: www.bis.gov.uk/time-to-trainThe right to request time to train is currently available for large businesses only. A phased approach has been adopted to allow small and medium businesses prepare for the regulation which will come into effect for them from April 2011. In view of the short consultation period, the consultation on the right to request time to train will be actively promoted to interested organisations to ensure that a good response is obtained. BIS' online newsroom contains the latest press notices, speeches, as well as video and images for download. It also features an up to date list of BIS press office contacts. See http://www.bis.gov.uk/newsroom for more information.

Contacts:

BIS Press Office
NDS.BIS@coi.gsi.gov.uk

Joanna Fletcher
Phone: 020 7215 5951
Joanna.Fletcher@bis.gsi.gov.uk