Section 26.
1(1)The Council—
(a)must establish a young people’s learning committee and an adult learning committee;
(b)may establish such other committees as it thinks fit.
(2)Members of a committee may be (but need not be) members of the Council.
(3)Nothing in this Schedule applies to local learning and skills councils.
2(1)This paragraph applies to the young people’s learning committee.
(2)The committee must—
(a)investigate the provision of education and training of young persons and the provision of financial resources for their education and training;
(b)advise the Council on the provision of such education and training and the provision of such resources.
(3)The committee must also consider, and advise the Council on, what education and training would be appropriate for young persons of different abilities and aptitudes in order to prepare them for those opportunities, responsibilities and experiences of adult life which are not connected to employment.
(4)The committee is to have such other functions relating to the education and training of young persons, and such functions relating to their employment, as the Council specifies.
(5)The committee’s members are to be appointed by the Council with the approval of the Secretary of State.
(6)The Secretary of State must appoint one of the members as chairman after seeking the Council’s advice.
(7)In appointing a member the Council and the Secretary of State must have regard to the desirability of appointing a person who appears to them to understand the needs of young persons receiving education or training.
(8)A person is a young person in the period which—
(a)starts with the beginning of the year in which he attains the age of 15, and
(b)ends when he attains the age of 19.
(9)A year is a year beginning with 1 September.
3(1)This paragraph applies to the adult learning committee.
(2)The committee must—
(a)investigate the provision of education and training of adults and the provision of financial resources for their education and training;
(b)advise the Council on the provision of such education and training and the provision of such resources.
(3)The committee is to have such other functions relating to the education and training of adults, and such functions relating to their employment, as the Council specifies.
(4)The committee’s members are to be appointed by the Council with the approval of the Secretary of State.
(5)The Secretary of State must appoint one of the members as chairman after seeking the Council’s advice.
(6)In appointing a member the Council and the Secretary of State must have regard to the desirability of appointing a person who appears to them to understand the needs of adults receiving education or training.
(7)An adult is a person who has attained the age of 19.
4(1)This paragraph applies to any committee of the Council other than the young people’s learning committee and the adult learning committee.
(2)The committee’s functions—
(a)are to be such functions as the Council specifies, and
(b)are to concern such matters as the Council specifies.
(3)The committee’s members are to be appointed by the Council.
5(1)A person is to hold and vacate office as a member of a committee of the Council in accordance with the terms of his appointment.
(2)On ceasing to be a member of a committee a person is eligible for re-appointment.
(3)A person may at any time by notice in writing to the Secretary of State resign his office as a member of the young people’s learning committee or of the adult learning committee.
(4)A person may at any time by notice in writing to the Council resign his office as a member of any other committee.
6(1)This paragraph applies if the Council is satisfied that a member of a committee of the Council—
(a)has been absent from meetings of the committee for a period longer than 6 consecutive months without the committee’s permission, or
(b)is unable or unfit to carry out the functions of a member.
(2)The Council may by notice in writing to the member remove him from office, which shall then become vacant.
7The Council must pay to the members of any of its committees who are not members of the Council such travelling, subsistence and other allowances as the Secretary of State may determine.
8(1)A representative of the Secretary of State is entitled to attend and take part in any deliberations (but not in decisions) at meetings of any committee of the Council.
(2)The Council must provide the Secretary of State with such copies as he may require of any documents distributed to members of any committee of the Council.
9The validity of any proceedings of any committee of the Council is not to be affected by a vacancy among the members or by any defect in the appointment of a member.
10The Council may regulate the procedure of any of its committees, subject to the preceding provisions of this Schedule.