That the government is taking steps to increase openness and transparency in public services is widely acknowledged, notwithstanding your coverage (“Disappointing choices”, 3 February).

I am confident that most users of the new FE Choices website will welcome the chance to make a well-informed comparison of further education and skills providers before choosing the right one for them. The selected data on the website have been shaped by what learners and employers say they find useful. We are working with the FE sector to continue to make that information more accessible and comparable.

For my part, I think it entirely understandable that some business users of the skills system should not yet have found time to register comprehensively their approval or otherwise of the service they received. As a former businessman myself, I know that firms have many other pressing concerns.

John Hayes MP, FE minister.