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29 Oct 2008 : Column 1120W—continued
Please note that the population estimate for Hampshire county does not include the unitary authorities of Portsmouth and Southampton.
Innovation, Universities and Skills
Adult Education
Mr. Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how much has been spent on personal and community development learning in each year since 2002-03. [230751]
Mr. Simon: Informal adult learning, including personal and community development (PDCL) is highly valued by Government. We have made an unequivocal commitment to sustain its funding, with £210 million available every year until the end of the CSR period for adult safeguarded learning and £153 million for PCDL within this. This year we have also conducted a wide consultation on informal adult learning because we recognise the enormous contribution that this activity makes to the quality of life, health and well-being of individuals, neighbourhoods and wider society. These consultation findings will provide the basis for a new informal adult learning strategy for the 21st century.
Table A shows the spend (in £000) for personal and community development (PCDL) in each year 2002-03 to 2007-08. The table also includes the projected spend from 2008-09 through to the end of the CSR period in 2010-11.
| Table A: PCDL spend 2002-03 through to 2010-11 | |||||||||
| £000 | |||||||||
| Statutory Accounts Spend | Grant letter—planned | ||||||||
| Programme | 2002-03 | 2003-04 | 2004-05 | 2005-06 | 2006-07 | 2007-08 | 2008-09 | 2009-10 | 2010-11 |
| Note: Adult Safeguarded Learning—total, includes PCDL, family literacy, language and numeracy, wider family learning, neighbourhood learning in deprived communities. | |||||||||
Mr. Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many (a) adult safeguarded learning places and (b) personal and community development learning places (i) were funded by the Learning and Skills Council in each of the last five years and (ii) will be funded by the Learning and Skills Council in each of the next three years. [230752]
Mr. Simon: Informal adult learning is highly valued by the Government. We have made an unequivocal commitment to sustain its funding, with £210 million available every year until the end of the CSR period. This year we have also conducted a wide consultation on informal adult learning because we recognise the enormous contribution that this activity makes to the quality of life, health and well-being of individuals, neighbourhoods and wider society. These consultation findings will provide the basis for a new informal adult learning strategy for the 21st century.
Table A shows the total number of Adult and Community Learners (now referred to as Adult Safeguarded Learning) from 2002/03 through to 2006/07. These figures are the closest proxy available to what was also termed “Personal and Community Development (PCDL)”.
| Table A: Adult and Community Learner numbers for 2002/03 to 2006/07 | |
| Adult and Community Learning | |
| Note: Figures prior to 2003/04 are not available Source: Various statistical first releases | |
Table B shows the total planned number of Learning and Skills Council (LSC) funded learners numbers for Adult Safeguarded Learning for 2007/08 to 2010/11.
| Table B: Planned Adult Safeguarded Learner numbers for 2007/08 to 2010/11 | |
| Adult Safeguarded Learning | |
| Source: LSC Grant Letter 2008-09 | |
We are currently also working on the LSC Grant Letter and Statement of Priorities for 2009-10, which will set out our investment strategy and associated learner numbers for 2009-10.
Mr. Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills (1) how many learner places funded by the Learning and Skills Council which would now be classified as development learning were available in each of the five years before 2008-09, broken down by whether the places are (a) at or below level 2 or outside the national qualifications framework and (b) at or above level 3 of the framework; [230754]
(2) how many learner places funded by the Learning and Skills Council and classified as development learning will be available in each year from 2008-09 to 2010-11, broken down by whether the places are (a) at or below level 2 or outside the national qualifications framework and (b) at or above level 3 of the framework. [230755]
Mr. Simon: Our planned and continuing strategy has been to prioritise funding away from a high number of shorter and low-quality courses towards longer courses that offer people the greatest opportunity to gain employability skills and further progression in learning.
The concept of ‘developmental learning’ was introduced for the academic year 2008-09. We are able to identify learner numbers at the level of qualification requested. However, owing to the way in which data are collected it is not possible to determine which learners at the lower levels would be now classified as foundation learning tier or developmental learning.
The following table shows adult (aged 19 or over) FE learner numbers funded by the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) in the five most recent years for which data are available (actual figures for 2007-08 are not yet available).
| LSC-funded FE adult learners 2002/03 to 2006/07 | ||
| Level 2 and below (million) | Level 3 and above (000) | |
| Note: Learners whose level was not reported are not included here. Source: LSC Statistical First Release. | ||
Forecast LSC-funded adult learners in developmental learning for the academic years 2008-09 to 2010-11 are given in the following table; figures for 2007/08 are not available.
| LSC-funded learners through adult learner and employer responsive routes | |
| Developmental learning (000) | |
| Source: LSC Grant Letter 2008/09. | |
These figures are for planning purposes only. It is for FE colleges and providers to determine the mix and balance of courses that they support in line with local priorities and demand. We are currently working on the LSC Grant Letter and Statement of Priorities for 2009-10 which will confirm the investment strategy for 2009-10 and associated learner numbers.
Mr. Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills (1) how much the Learning and Skills Council spent in each of the last five years before 2008-09 on learning that would now be classified as development learning, broken down by whether the learning was (a) at or below level 2 or outside the national qualifications framework and (b) at or above level 3 of the framework; [230756]
(2) how much the Learning and Skills Council plans to spend on developmental learning in each year from 2008-09 to 2010-11, broken down by whether the learning is (a) at or below level 2 or outside the national qualifications framework and (b) at or above level 3 of the framework. [230757]
Mr. Simon: Total Government investment in the post-16 further education system has increased by 53 per cent. in real terms from 1997 to 2008. Over the next three years the Department’s investment in adult skills is planned to increase from £4.6 billion in 2007-08 to £5.3 billion in 2010-11, a real terms increase of 7 per cent.
The Learning and Skills Council (LSC) Grant Letter for 2008-09 (November, 2007) set out levels of investment in developmental learning over the comprehensive spending review period for planning purposes only. This is shown in the following table.
| Planned LSC investment in developmental learning (adult learner and employer responsive route) 2008-09 to 2010-11 | |
| £ million | |
| Source: LSC Grant Letter 2008/09 | |
While we know that this funding will be directed towards courses falling outside priority areas such as full level 2 qualifications, it is for FE colleges and providers to determine the mix and balance of courses that they support in line with local priorities and demand. It is therefore not possible to project the proportion of this funding that will be spent by level.
Funding for FE colleges and providers is only provided at an overall budget level (i.e. the total budget for learners aged 19 or over on college based FE courses) rather than by level of qualification. In order to estimate spend against developmental learning type course we would need to know the number of learners on this provision. While we have information on the number of learners studying on courses at level 2 and below and level 3 and above, it is not possible to determine within these which would now fall within the developmental learning category and which would fall within for example the foundation learning tier.
We are currently working on the LSC Grant Letter and Statement of Priorities for 2009-10 which will confirm the investment strategy for 2009-10 and associated learner numbers.
Apprentices
Mr. Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what proportion of people on programme-led apprenticeships proceeded to employed-status apprenticeships in each year since programme-led apprenticeships began. [230747]
Mr. Simon: The Learning and Skills Council (LSC) has not previously monitored the number of programme-led apprentices that proceed to employed-status apprenticeships. A field is being introduced to the 2008-09 individualised learner record data collection which will allow us to report this information from autumn 2009.
Employment status is a requirement to achieve a full apprenticeship framework completion. Assessors identify whether a programme-led apprentice has achieved employment status before awarding a framework completion, but they do not routinely share this information with the LSC.
Mr. Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many programme-led apprenticeships there have been in each year since their inception. [230748]
Mr. Simon: This information is not currently available. My officials are currently collating this data and when it is ready, I will write to the hon. Member and place it in the Library.
Apprentices: Redundancy
Mr. Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many apprentices were made redundant (a) during an apprenticeship and (b) shortly after finishing an apprenticeship in each of the last two years. [230749]
Mr. Simon: We do not hold data centrally about the number of apprentices made redundant while they are on an apprenticeship or after they have left. When apprentices do lose their jobs through redundancy, training providers and the Learning and Skills Council will endeavour to find alternative employment or training places. We have recently implemented a matching system for construction apprentices who are at risk of losing their jobs.
Christmas
Mr. Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many Christmas functions (a) he, (b) officials from his Department and (c) officials from its executive agencies (i) hosted and (ii) attended in 2007-08; what the cost to the public purse was; and if he will make a statement. [226966]
Mr. Simon: In 2007-08 the Secretary of State hosted one official Christmas function for 50 people which cost £665. In addition the Secretary of State plus other Ministers and staff attended the joint carol service held by the Department of Innovation, Universities and Skills and the Department for Children, Schools and Families. Staff attended in their own personal time. No public money was spent on this event.
Departmental divisions do hold Christmas parties for staff to attend, for which these staff must pay. Christmas parties are not paid for out of departmental budgets.
The UK Intellectual Property Office (UKIPO) hosted no Christmas functions with a cost to the public purse in 2007-08. Similarly, UKIPO officials attended no public Christmas functions at a cost to the public purse.
In 2007-08 the National Weights and Measures Laboratory contributed £10 per member of staff towards the Christmas function. This amounted to some £530. Officials attended no other public Christmas functions at a cost to the public purse.
Details of Christmas functions attended and hosted by other Ministers and officials of the Department and any possible resultant costs can be supplied only at disproportionate cost.
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