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Sports Institutes

Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the total cost was, including match funding, of the capital facilities that form the UK's network of sports institutes. [222557]

Mr. Caborn: Sport England has provided just over £132 million of Lottery funding towards the English Institute of Sport's capital facilities. Sport England estimates that their funding represents approximately 87.5 per cent. of the total cost of the capital facilities with a further 12.5 per cent. (some £19 million) of the cost met by matched funding. Funding for the Scottish Institute of Sport, Sports Institute Northern

EDUCATION AND SKILLS

Abolition of Slavery (Commemoration)

Mr. Tynan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what plans she has to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the abolition of the slave trade in the British Empire. [223497]

Derek Twigg: The 200th anniversary commemoration provides a useful focus for schools to enrich curriculum work on slavery through opportunities in History and Citizenship education. The DfES and DCMS are jointly funding the Slavery, Society and Port Cities" project aimed at engaging schoolchildren and teachers to utilise the unique contribution that slavery-related cultural resources bring to the debate on cultural identity and diversity.

Adult Education

Mr. Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the expected average change in adult education course fees over the next two years is. [223255]

Mr. Ivan Lewis: Further education colleges and local authorities will retain considerable discretion in the setting of fees for adults in 2005/06. There will be no change in the fee concessions arrangements in further education that help unemployed people, those on income based benefits, and retired people and working
 
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families on low incomes, to access learning. Learners will also continue to have access to literacy, numeracy and English language courses free of charge. We will continue to make a very significant contribution to further and adult education although our assumption will remain that adults should continue to contribute to the costs of their learning unless otherwise eligible for fee concessions. Changes to the Learning and Skills Council's further education funding methodology fee assumption in 2005/06 mean that the learner contribution to the cost of their learning will increase from 25 per cent. to 27.5 per cent. of the basic course cost. Decisions about funding arrangements for 2006/07 have yet to be made.

Mr. Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what safeguards are planned to protect adult education classes that do not teach basic skills. [223256]

Mr. Ivan Lewis: The Government are committed to safeguarding learning for personal fulfilment which does not necessarily lead to qualifications. The Learning and Skills Council's budget for such learning, delivered though local education authorities, increased from £206 million in 2003–04 to £207.4 million in 2004–05 compared with £145 million in 2000–01. My Department will shortly be receiving proposals from the Learning and Skills Council on how to meet this safeguard in the long term while ensuring a fair distribution of public funding between geographical areas.

Mr. Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what changes she is proposing to make to adult education classes. [223257]

Mr. Ivan Lewis: My Department will shortly receive initial proposals from the Learning and Skills Council on the reform of the Funding and. Planning arrangements for First Steps and Personal and Community Development Learning for Adults. This follows a full public consultation last year to which the Learning and Skills Council received nearly 300 replies including from individuals, local education authorities and further education colleges. The objectives are: to maintain the safeguard for the continued availability of courses for Personal and Community Development; to ensure an equitable distribution of public funding between geographical areas; and a proper balance between public funding, and financial contributions by individuals to the cost of their own learning.

Mr. Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what measures she is taking to improve provision of adult education. [223414]

Mr. Ivan Lewis: On March 22 we published our White Paper setting out our policies and progress in improving adult education and skills—entitled Skills : Getting on in business, getting on at work". It set out the key measures we have taken in this area, including creation of the new network of Sector Skills Councils and the successful Employer Training Pilots, both of which create a powerful new employer-led direction to skills provision. It also announced our plans for further improving adult provision, including the roll out of the National Employer Training Programme, the creation of new Skills Academies to deliver training in each
 
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sector, the national roll-out of the entitlement to free tuition to NVQ Level 2, and an improved and extended service to deliver advice and guidance on careers, training and support.

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the average cost per student was at current prices of providing Level 3 courses for adults at further education colleges in each year since 1997–98; what the Government's contribution was per student; and what her estimate is for (a) 2004–05 and (b) each of the next two years. [223496]

Dr. Howells: The Department allocates funds for education and training in the post-16 learning and skills sector to the Learning and Skills Council (LSC). The costs of providing Level 3 courses for adults at further education colleges are set by the LSC and as such the Department does not collect or hold the information requested.

Mark Haysom, the Learning and Skills Council's Chief Executive will write to my hon. Friend with details of what the average cost per student was at current prices of providing Level 3 courses for adults at further education colleges in each year since 1997–98; what the Government's contribution was per student; and what his estimate is for (a) 2004–05 and (b) each of the next two years. A copy of his letter will be placed in the House Library.

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) whether her Department will fully fund courses for adults at Level 3 in further education colleges in 2005–06; [223498]

(2) whether she expects fees for adults for courses above Level 2 in further education colleges to rise in 2005–06; and if she will make a statement. [223511]

Dr. Howells: It is our policy to ensure that those groups of people benefiting from fully funded further education provision will continue to do so. We will continue to provide fee concessions arrangements that help unemployed people, those on income-based benefits, and retired people and working families on low incomes, to access further education. We will continue to make substantial levels of public funding available to all which covers the largest part of the cost of courses but we also expect adult learners, who can afford to do so, to make a contribution to the costs of their learning. Those people already qualified at Level 2, or not in one of our priority groups, will on average pay a higher fee contribution in 2005–06 unless they qualify for fee concessions.

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what her plans are for future fee levels for adults studying at Level 2 and Level 3 at further education colleges in Cornwall in the next three years. [223501]

Dr. Howells: We will continue to make substantial levels of public funding available to all learners which covers the largest part of the cost of courses but we also expect adult learners, who can afford to do so, to make a contribution to the costs of their learning. Those people already qualified at Level 2, or who are not in one of our priority groups, will on average pay a higher fee contribution in 2005–06 unless they qualify for fee
 
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concessions. Colleges will retain considerable discretion to set fees and offer additional concessions. Decisions about funding arrangements for 2006–07 have yet to be made.

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what plans she has to introduce concessionary fees for those aged over 60 years who wish to study in a further education college in Cornwall. [223503]

Dr. Howells: In addition to the significant publicly funded provision available to all learners, older people will continue to be eligible for concessions funded by my Department through the Learning and Skills Council if they are receiving an income based benefit such as housing benefit or council tax benefit, and they may be eligible for fee concessions if they are receiving the pension credit. Learners of any age will also have access to literacy, numeracy and English language courses free of charge. Colleges in Cornwall will retain considerable discretion in setting fees, and although we want colleges to raise more of the income they voluntarily forgo, we have no plans to stop colleges offering additional concessions if appropriate.

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what funding she has in place for adults studying at Level 3 at further education colleges in each local education authority area. [223504]

Dr. Howells: The Department funds provision at Level 3 through the Learning and Skills Council's learning participation budget which is £6.7 billion for 2005–06. In 2003–04, the Learning and Skills Council funded 465,000 adult learners at Level 3, at a cost of some £417 million. A further £367 million was spent on over 100,000 young people on Level 3 advanced apprenticeships. Our new Skills White Paper outlines our commitment to increasing support at this level. Information about adult budgets by local education authority area is not held centrally.

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what plans she has to ensure that fee concessions remain in place for those aged over 60 years who study in further education colleges. [223509]

Dr. Howells: Older people will continue to be eligible for concessions funded by my Department through the Learning and Skills Council if they are receiving an income-based benefit such as housing benefit or council tax benefit, and they may be eligible for fee concessions if they are receiving the pension credit. Learners of any age will also have access to literacy, numeracy and English language courses free of charge. Colleges will continue to have considerable discretion in setting fees, and although we want colleges to raise more of the income they voluntarily forgo, we have no plans to stop colleges offering additional concessions if appropriate.

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