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24 Jan 2007 : Column 1816W—continued
Mr. Boris Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills which Further Education Colleges were established in each year since May 1997; in how many instances his Office was not the final arbiter of the decision; and if he will make a statement. [110663]
Bill Rammell: The following table sets out all Further Education Colleges established each year since May 1997. The Secretary of State made the final decision in each case, as is currently required at Section 16 of the Further and Higher Education Act 1992. However, the decisions were based on proposals developed by the Further Education Funding Council and, subsequently, the Learning and Skills Council following consultation with the local community.
In all but two instances (noted on the table), the new colleges were established as part of a merger between two or more existing colleges.
| Further education college corporations established since May 1997 | ||
| Number | College name | Date |
| (1 )Established other than as a result of merger | ||
Mr. Boris Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what reductions in administration he expects to make as a result of the implementation of the Framework for Excellence for further education; and if he will make a statement. [110664]
Bill Rammell: The Framework for Excellence (FfE) and the associated strategies announced in the White Paper ‘Further Education: Raising Skills, Improving Life Chances’ will be developed and implemented as part of a coherent and evolving package of reform. FfE should help to improve the quality of post-16 provision and support better-informed choices and decisions by employers and individuals, thereby contributing to better and more relevant outcomes for end-users, increasing skill levels in the workforce and increased productivity.
The framework is in an early stage of development and it is not possible to estimate potential savings in administration at this stage. However, FfE will enable FE institutions to use a single performance management framework, with common sets of data
and performance indicators instead of a number of different frameworks. Thus FfE will be more streamlined than existing arrangements and will reduce bureaucracy.
GCSEs
Mr. Gibb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many and what proportion of (a) 15-year-olds and (b) pupils at the end of the fourth key stage achieved A* to C at GCSE in (i) five or more subjects, (ii) five or more subjects including English and mathematics, (iii) English, mathematics and science, (iv) English, mathematics, science and a modern foreign language, (v) five or more subjects including English, mathematics and science and (vi) five or more subjects including English, mathematics, science and a modern foreign language in 2006. [115562]
Jim Knight: The information requested is in the following table.
Higher Education Funding Council
Mr. Boris Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what percentage of the Higher Education Funding Council for England's budget was spent on the provision of higher education in further education colleges in each of the last five years. [105520]
Bill Rammell: The following table sets out the percentage of HEFCE’s budget which was spent directly on the provision of Higher Education (HE) in Further Education Colleges (FECs).
| Percentage of HEFCE budget paid to directly funded FECs by financial year | ||
| As percent of grants to all institutions | As percent of grants to all institutions and other bodies | |
These figures exclude indirectly funded HE provision in FE Colleges financed under franchising arrangements with Higher Education Institutions. While the position varies between individual institutions, FE Colleges have in recent years tended to receive higher than average percentage increases in their budgets as a result of our commitment to increase and widen participation and have benefited from the allocation of Additional Student Numbers and the widening participation premium in the grant distribution formulae adopted by HEFCE as a result.
Higher Education: Havering
Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many students in the London borough of Havering left further education to attend higher education at a university based in (a) Scotland, (b) Wales, (c) Northern Ireland, (d) England and (e) elsewhere in the EU in 2005-06. [117460]
Bill Rammell: The latest information, showing all entrants to higher education from Havering local authority, is given in the following table. Information is not held centrally on the number of students from Havering who study abroad.
| Entrants( 1) to undergraduate courses from Havering local authority, split by country of study, for the academic year 2005/06 | |
| Country of study | Number of entrants |
| (1) Covers all entrants to undergraduate courses from schools, further education colleges and other types of education institutions. Notes: Figures are on a HESA Standard Registration Population basis and are rounded to the nearest five. Source: Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA). | |
Learning and Skills Council
Mr. Boris Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what changes (a) have been made and (b) are planned for the membership of the Learning and Skills Council in preparation for the new powers planned for the council on the closure and establishment of further education colleges; and if he will make a statement. [110658]
Bill Rammell: We have no plans to change the membership of the Learning and Skills Council as a consequence of the proposed powers in the Further Education and Training Bill for the closure and establishment of further education colleges. However, as part of the streamlining of the LSC to make it more streamlined and responsive, clause 1 of the Bill proposes a reduction in the minimum size of the National Council. As part of its normal business the LSC reviews, from time to time, the composition of its council. The provision in the Bill will give the LSC flexibility when it carries out these reviews. The LSC National Council's membership reflects both its role for the consumers of the learning system—learners and employers—as well as for those who deliver it.
Legal Advice
David T.C. Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much was spent by the Department on external legal advice in each of the past five years. [109106]
Bill Rammell: The Department for Education and Skills spent £369,647 in 2001-02, £172,043 in 2002-03, £275,523 in 2003-04, £243,286 in 2004-05 and £250,815 in 2005-06 on external legal services (i.e. advice and some litigation services). The figures have been rounded to the nearest pound.
New Schools
Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many new schools have been built in each (a) local education authority area and (b) parliamentary constituency in England since 1 May 1997; and if he will make a statement. [110644]
Jim Knight:
The Department for Education and Skills does not collect information on new schools built by local authorities, in support of our policies of devolving decision-making to the local level and
minimising bureaucratic burden. However, we estimate that since 1997, 800 new schools have been built around the country.
This estimate includes information on the numbers, by local authority, of new schools (including replacement schools) built in recent years through the academies programme and the private finance initiative, which is also renewing and refurbishing many existing school buildings. Additionally, in the voluntary aided sector, we have information on new schools approved and built since 2001-02, although these figures under-represent the number of new voluntary aided schools opened, as they do not include where a new school is open, but all elements of construction are not yet completed. Nor do the figures include new voluntary aided schools approved in earlier years but completed in or after 2001-02, where the records are not readily accessible.
This information is provided in the following table. We will collect this information systematically in Building Schools for the Future and the Primary Capital Programme.
| Private finance initiative | Academies | Voluntary aided schools | Total | |
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