Originally Posted by DozyBint

Originally Posted by lsquared

Oh! well, that is £11.6 billion of Tory savings accounted for - and a good job too.

This is good for whiling away a few moments, seeing where else non-painful cuts could be made - it's the total public spending map for 2007/2008.

According to that 30 billion is payed out in child benefit and tax credits - why not just cut taxes and save a bloody fortune?

17.6 billion on the department for transport - what do they spend it on our communications infrastructure is third world!!!

30 billion on servicing the countries debt - thats just scandalous.

Mrs B. used to work in a local college and at that time had to deal with the Further Education Funding Council which around 2001 got folded into the new uber-quango.

The FEFC was a complete cluster fcuk to start with.

Have a squint at the CV's of the people who supposedly run the thing and see if you can work out the common feature.

http://www.lsc.gov.uk/aboutus/organi...ouncilmembers/

Originally Posted by barbs

The LSC, for all its byzantine complexity is funding a lot of things in Army trg that the MOD won't fund. There will be a big shock if it is taken away.

Such as?

Originally Posted by ABrighter2006

Originally Posted by barbs

The LSC, for all its byzantine complexity is funding a lot of things in Army trg that the MOD won't fund. There will be a big shock if it is taken away.

Granted Barbs. The beauty of outsourcing (and the risk) is there for all to see. The last ten years have seen more military trg outsourced, at more expense then ever before. Do soldiers get more or better trg as a result?

The very outsourcing that is always claimed to save money and deliver a better service than the in place civil servants could!

Outsourcing of the public sector if the truth be known was IMO nothing more than a band aid on the pension crisis that was known of in the mid 80's but that is another thread... Im not much taken on risk being moved from public to private sector either as i am yet to see that work.

Thus these quangos seems to be nothing more than robbing peter to pay paul

In the what you say 'Barbs' about potential loss, it seems to me that LSC providing a training gap to the MOD is no real saving as it all comes from the same single source Tax revenue, thus the MOD should run and control it.

I know that the MOD isn't perfect either but this constant sub contracting just adds to the lack of accountability i feel.

Outsourcing never gives a better product - it just looks good on some ones balance sheet. All you are doing is paying for someone else to provide the same training but chipping a bit off the budget for shareholders profits so getting a worse product. I see it all the time in my industry, it has NEVER produced a better service, ever.

Originally Posted by Kitmarlowe

Originally Posted by barbs

The LSC, for all its byzantine complexity is funding a lot of things in Army trg that the MOD won't fund. There will be a big shock if it is taken away.

Such as?

Would you believe - basic skills... and the realities of war part of Phase 1.

It isn't outsourcing, it is drawing down money to achieve these things. It is simple... the Army agrees that it wants certain things taught, but with no extra funds available. LSC can provide the cash, thus the trg can be done.

I agree with the total budgetary issue, but these things are low down on the priority scale. If the MOD had the money they still wouldn't spend it on these things because there are more important things to spend it on (usually not at Phase 1!). Therefore the removal of the LSC funding will mean that the soldiers who have been failed by state education will get little to no basic skills improvements with knowck on effects for their careers. If the money was given to the DCSF it would be a drop in the ocean.

edited to add: Do not think I am defending it, I am just pointing out a simple unintended consequence of getting rid of the LSC.