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Foundation Degrees

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what funding the Learning and Skills Council will provide to higher education institutions for foundation degrees. [152727]

Alan Johnson: The Learning and Skills Council does not fund Foundation Degrees. The responsibility for funding Foundation Degrees rests with the Higher Education Funding Council for England.

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many students he plans to be studying foundation degree courses by 2010. [152652]

Alan Johnson: We anticipate that there will be about 50,000 places on foundation degree courses by 2006. Plans for student numbers, including those taking foundation degrees, for 2005–06 to 2007–08 will be determined as part of the current spending review which will conclude later this year.

Further Education/Higher Education

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what proportion of young people between the ages of 16 and 21 years are studying at further education colleges, excluding A-Level and GCSE students. [152691]

Alan Johnson: At the end of 2002, 17 per cent. of young people aged 16–21 in England were studying at further education colleges, excluding A-Level and GCSE students.

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will make a statement on the range of further education qualifications. [152688]

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Alan Johnson: A full range of qualifications accredited by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority and funded by the Learning and Skills Council is approved for use by people under 19, The full list can be accessed through the Department's website at

www.dfes.gsi.gov.uk/section96.

The Learning and Skills Council may fund any course for use by persons over the age of 19, but may only make payments to awarding bodies in respect of their fees for qualifications approved under section 97 of the Learning and Skills Act 2000. A full list of the qualifications approved under section 97 can be accessed through the Department's website at www.dfes.gsi.gov.uk/section97.

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what definition he uses of the terms (a) further education and (b) higher education. [152655]

Alan Johnson: Both further and higher education are defined in statute. The definition of further education is to be found at s.2(3) to (6) of the Education Act 1996.

In essence 'further education' means:

a. full-time and part-time education suitable to the requirements of persons who are over compulsory school age (including vocational, social, physical and recreational training), and

b. organised leisure-time occupation provided in connection with the provision of such education,

except that it does not include secondary education or higher education.

The Act of Parliament which defines courses of higher education is the Education Reform Act 1988. Schedule 6 of the Act describes courses of higher education as:

(a) a course for the further training of teachers or youth and community workers;

(b) a post-graduate course (including a higher degree course);

(c) a first degree course;

(d) a course for the Diploma of Higher Education;

(e) a course for the Higher National Diploma or Higher National Certificate of the Business and Technician Education Council, or the Diploma in Management Studies;

(f) a course for the Certificate in Education;

(g) a course in preparation for a professional examination at higher level;

(h) a course providing education at a higher level (whether or not in preparation for an examination).

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will make a statement on Sure Start badged higher education and further education courses. [152686]

Margaret Hodge: The Sure Start Unit does not badge any qualifications but works with the sector and the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority to agree the acceptable list of qualifications. As part of the Government's drive to improve the level of qualifications and contribute to the development of the Early Years sector workforce, the Sure Start Unit worked with universities and employers to create in September 2002 the Early Years Sector Endorsed Foundation Degree (EYSEFD): a new, vocational higher education qualification at level 4 that leads to a new level of professional practice known as the 'Senior Practitioner'. The DfES, on behalf of the sector,

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formally recognises whether universities have met the Statement of Requirement for EYSEFD. There are now 44 universities and 96 affiliated colleges across England who offer the EYSEFD.

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will make a statement on the successor arrangements to academic review for directly funded higher education provision in further education colleges. [152510]

Alan Johnson: I refer the right hon. Member to the answer I gave on 3 February 2004, Official Report, column 657W.

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the process is for accessing funds in the Higher Education Innovation Fund. [152641]

Alan Johnson: The Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) has invited higher education institutions to apply for funds from the Higher Education Innovation Fund. Guidance published on 9 December 2003 asked for applications to be submitted to HEFCE by 25 February. Assessment of applications will be complete in May and successful applicants will have clear access to funds from August 2004.

Knowledge Exchanges

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment he has made of the linkages between the research status of a higher education institution and its ability to attract high quality teaching staff. [152650]

Alan Johnson: Available evidence on a positive link between teaching and research is inconclusive. There are many examples of Higher Education Institutions in England which attract and deliver high quality teaching without carrying out research. My Department has commissioned a large-scale study to find out which factors are most important in affecting academics' decisions to enter or leave Higher Education Institutions. This research will be published next winter.

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what estimate he has made of the cost to a higher education institution of applying for funding to establish a knowledge exchange. [152653]

Alan Johnson: Information on the costs and benefits associated with the proposal to establish a knowledge exchange is contained in the Regulatory Impact Assessment published on 8 January alongside the Higher Education Bill. Copies of the Regulatory Impact Assessment were placed in the Library of the House; it is also available on the Department for Education and Skills website.

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will make a statement on knowledge exchanges; and how much money has been set aside to pay for them. [152654]

Alan Johnson: £16 million is being provided for up to 20 Knowledge Exchanges within the overall distribution of the Higher Education Innovation Fund over the two years 2004–05 and 2005–06. Knowledge Exchanges will promote the critical role of less research intensive

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departments/groups in transferring technologies and knowledge, and in skills development, within local communities of practice.

Personal Advisers

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what sanctions have been imposed by the Connexions Service against personal advisers describing themselves as careers advisers; and if he will make a statement. [153059]

Margaret Hodge: I am not aware of any Connexions Partnerships imposing sanctions on people who refer to themselves as Careers advisers. We have asked Connexions partnerships to avoid a confusion of titles by referring to all practitioners, whatever their specialism, as Personal Advisers. We recognise the important role in the service played by professionals with a careers guidance qualification, but Personal Advisers offer a broader service to young people which cannot be adequately described through reference to a single specialist area.

Research Grants

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the total allocation of research grant to each higher education institution in England and Wales was in each of the past six years. [141138]

Alan Johnson: The available information is taken from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) finance records and is given in the table that has been placed in the Library.

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