§ 2.55 p.m.
§ Baroness Lockwood asked Her Majesty's Government:
§ What advice they have received from Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Schools about their proposals to remove further education and sixth form colleges from local education authority maintenance.
§ Lord Cavendish of FurnessMy Lords, members of Her Majesty's Inspectorate were fully involved in discussions about the proposed new further education sector before the Secretary of State reached his decisions. Advice from HMI is given in confidence.
§ Baroness LockwoodMy Lords, I thank the noble Lord for that reply. Does he realise that in the absence of any publicly stated independent educational advice, one is bound to conclude that the Government's decision to transfer those colleges from LEAs is based on other than educational reasons? Can he advise me how he reconciles the Answer that he has given with previous reports from HMI? For example, the 1990 report on Aspects of Further Education states:
Despite the demographic downturn during the past three years, FE enrolments have not declined and in some areas, they have increased … Colleges have addressed issues of efficiency and effectiveness and there has been an overall increase in their student:staff ratios".Does that coincide with the advice that the Minister was given?
§ Lord Cavendish of FurnessMy Lords, I believe that both of the noble Baroness's questions might be answered if I give the aims of the proposals. They are twofold. The first is to increase participation in education and training by young people. That will be achieved by giving colleges powerful financial incentives to recruit additional students. Secondly, the changes will increase colleges' freedom to manage by freeing them from local authority control. Colleges will be able to build on their strengths as they see them and become more responsive to student demand and the needs of the labour market.
§ Lord Cavendish of FurnessMy Lords, the tradition has been for such advice to be given in confidence at this stage. The noble Earl may accept that people giving advice will always feel freer when consultation is undertaken in confidence at that stage.
§ Lord Taylor of BlackburnMy Lords, while I accept that advice was given in confidence, it is usual after a period of time for HMIs to publish the advice given to Ministers, especially in respect of a subject which affects so many children and schools. Will the Minister give an assurance that in the course of time the information will be published?
§ Lord Cavendish of FurnessMy Lords, I cannot give that assurance today. There will be a White Paper published soon. I shall have to write to the noble Lord to inform him whether the advice will be published afterwards. I am quite sure that it will not be published before such publication.
§ Lord Dormand of EasingtonMy Lords, is the Minister aware that his lack of desire (if I may so put it) to state what advice the HMIs gave justifies the suspicion which many of us have about the decision taken by the Government in this matter? Is he further aware that the work undertaken in further education and sixth form colleges is almost universally of a high standard and very widely admired by both parents and students? Why are the changes proposed; especially as the parallel—I am sure he will agree that it is a parallel—relating to the number of schools which have opted out is so low after this period of time? Will he state the cost of making the change and following it through?
§ Lord Cavendish of FurnessMy Lords, noble Lords should not read anything sinister into the fact that I do not give details of HMI advice. I have given the reasons. It is a long-standing arrangement. The noble Lord asks for further details. He will have to wait for the White Paper.
§ Lord GlenamaraMy Lords, will the noble Lord say when the White Paper will be published? Will there be ample time for representations to be made to the Government before legislation is introduced?
§ Lord Cavendish of FurnessMy Lords, I can only say that the White Paper will be published soon. I am confident that there will be no recriminations about my definition of "soon". There will be plenty of time for representations.
§ Baroness BlackstoneMy Lords, is the Minister aware that in published advice given by HMI to Ministers, local authorities and the FE sector were given a clean bill of health? Among other things it said that the way in which the Education Reform Act was being implemented with regard to FE was going well. It also said that most LEAs were working to develop quality assurance methods. Will the Minister say how 600 FE colleges dotted around the country will have their quality control monitored by a single agency at the centre?
§ Lord Cavendish of FurnessMy Lords, the noble Baroness must wait for the publication of the White Paper to learn about the monitoring quality. As regards the overall picture, the great majority of college principals have welcomed my right honourable friend's statement.
§ Baroness LockwoodMy Lords, will the White Paper also contain the evidence on which the Minister based his statement that the transfer will bring about greater recruitment of young people to further education?
§ Lord Cavendish of FurnessMy Lords, I am afraid that I cannot anticipate the White Paper.