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Alan Tuckett (above), chief executive of the National Institute for Adult Continuing Education, has criticised chancellor Gordon Brown's decision to phase out vocational tax relief, which lets people claim 23 per cent relief on course costs. Mr Brown said the Pounds 45 million saved would pay for course discounts for those with individual learning accounts. He said the relief had been used to subsidise non-vocational courses. On the eve of Niace's annual conference in Loughborough, Mr Tuckett said: "Some courses may or may not have an immediate vocational benefit, but the point is that the participants will gain skills and a desire to learn."