Supplementary memorandum submitted by
the Learning and Skills Council
Questions 30-31 (Mr Sadiq Khan): Review of ESOL
Provision
The question of whether changes should be made
to the way ESOL is funded was considered in our recent discussions
with DfES colleagues on priorities for funding in 2006-07 and
2007-08. We agreed that while the pressures from increasing demand
for ESOL provision are great, the sensitivities involved in changing
the way it is funded, without due consultation or consideration
of the impact this would have on potential learners, would leave
both the LSC and DfES open to possible legal challenge. For this
reason, we agreed to make no changes to ESOL funding in 2006-07,
but to work instead with DfES colleagues on a further review of
ESOL to inform arrangements from 2007-08. This intention is confirmed
in paragraph 60 of Priorities for Success—Funding for
Learning and Skills 2006-08.
DfES are leading on this review and a detailed
proposal, including the timeframe, is being developed, but we
expect that work will being by December and continue into 2006,
with outcomes available by autumn 2006 to inform planning and
funding guidance for 2007-08.
Question 49 (Mrs Angela Browning): Childcare provision
at Bicton College
Mrs Browning expressed concern about a college
in her constituency that had received capital funding to develop
nursery provision and was struggling to find revenue funding for
the nursery. I promised to investigate the situation and I am
now in a position to provide the Committee with details. The college
in question (Bicton College) received a capital contribution of
£78,650 from the LSC to fund a new nursery through the National
FE Childcare Places Programme (small scale, second round) administered
through the LSC national office. Total projected costs were £121,792.
Bicton College contributed £43,142. The application for Bicton
College to establish a new nursery was approved in November 2002
and the Saplings Nursery opened in November 2003.
In 2001-02, Bicton was allocated £12,101
for childcare support (actual spend was £401). In 2002-03,
the allocation was £16,216 (actual spend was £583).
At that time, a national review identified persistent under or
overspending patterns at colleges on caldcare. Consequently, there
was a national LSC decision to rebase childcare support allocations
for 2004-05 based on actual expenditure by colleges in 2002-03.
This resulted in Bicton's allocation of £686
in 2004-05. Overall Learner Support Funds (Residential Bursaries,
Childcare Support, Hardship Funds) allocated to Bicton were £313k
in 2003-04, £291k in 2004-05 and £269k in 2005-06. A
significant amount of this funding is available for expenditure
at the discretion of the College including expenditure on childcare.
The aim of the national capital scheme was to
establish childcare places in FE. At the application stage, colleges
were advised that subsequent running costs were an issue for each
institution and that it would be unlikely that the LSC Learner
Support Funds on their own would be enough to sustain a nursery.
It was made clear to colleges that there is
no connection between the provision of LSC capital funding for
childcare and the allocation of childcare support funds. Most
colleges operate their nursery provision on a commercial basis
without significant recourse to LSC revenue funding.
Question 60 (Mr Stephen Williams): Learning and
Skills Council staff numbers
Comparison of Learning and Skills Council staff
numbers in September 2004 with September 2005 are given in the
table below. Please note that the figure of 3,870 is an FTE (Full
Time Equivalent) figure, and 4,700 is an actual headcount figure.
These are rounded figures. At September 2004 we were not capturing
external funding or agency staff details so we are not able to
provide a more detailed breakdown.
| Sep 04 |
| Sept 05 | | Difference
| |
| Contract Type | FTE | Headcount
| FTE | Headcount | FTE
| Headcount |
| Fixed Term | 298 | 304
| 273 | 285 | -25
| -19 |
| Permanent | 3,571 | 3,711
| 3,778 | 3,929 | 207
| 218 |
| LSC Payroll Total | 3,869 |
4,015 | 4,051 | 4,214
| 182 | 199 |
| Agency | n/a | n/a
| n/a | 500 | n/a
| n/a |
| Workforce Deployed Total n/a |
n/a | n/a | 4,714 |
n/a | n/a |
| | |
| | | |
Question 61 (Mr Stephen Williams): Redundancy costs
Please note that the data below only includes redundancy
or voluntary severance payments to employees and excludes the
cost of early retirement. This data excludes other associated
redundancy costs such as outplacement consultants or tribunal
costs.
| 2001-02 | 2002-03
| 2003-04 | 2004-05
| 2005-06 | 2006-07
|
| Statutory redundancy | £3,083,273.82
| £307,645.86 | £386,407.53
| £185,995.48 | £105,230.90
| £4,068,553.59 |
Reshaping and
redundancy |
| | £11,799,561.26 | £52,996.04
| £16,006.50 | £11,868,563.80
|
| Total | £3,083,273.82 |
£307,645.86 | £12,185,968.79
| £238,991.52 | £121,237.40
| £15,937,117.39 |
| | |
| | | |
|
