§ 2. Mr. FranksTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will consider introducing legislation to allow colleges of further education to opt out of local authority control.
§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Education and Science (Mr. Robert Jackson)My right hon. Friend has no current plans to do so.
§ Mr. FranksDoes my hon. Friend agree that many colleges of further education, particularly in large rural areas such as Cumbria, would be far better off if they could to opt out of local authority control? In view of the Government's commitment to devolve responsibility from local authorities to schools, parents and teachers, will he consider a review of policy for the future to give far greater independence to colleges of further education?
§ Mr. JacksonI direct my hon. Friend's attention to a speech made by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State the other day to the Association of Colleges for Further and Higher Education, outlining a very wide-ranging set of proposals for the improvement of the supply of further education. Under the Education Reform Act colleges will shortly be gaining new powers and a great deal of autonomy from the LEAs. They will also have the opportunity to obtain corporate status, and we hope that they will take that opportunity, but the LEAs will continue to have an important planning and funding role. We believe that it is best to wait and see how they perform that role before considering any further changes in the structure and organisation of further education.
§ Mr. RoweI thank my hon. Friend for that encouraging reply, but I hope that he is aware that in colleges of further education such as mid-Kent college, of which I am a governor, the range of courses undertaken is of such diversity that they face very serious problems in knowing which direction to take, whether to move closer to higher education or to concentrate more on providing technical education. I believe that a degree of autonomy such as my hon. Friend has suggested would assist in that direction.
§ Mr. JacksonAs my hon. Friend says, mid-Kent college has a great deal of autonomy under the Education Reform Act, which offers a great opportunity to colleges of further education for the exercise of autonomy in determining their future. It is also a great challenge for business, because business will have a key role to play in supplying the governing bodies for the new colleges.