§ Mr. George HowarthTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what his estimate is of the average cost to the public purse of(a) training a plumber, (b) training an electrician, (c) training a plasterer and (d) a degree course, broken down by further education colleges, universities and higher education institutions, for each parliamentary constituency and each local education authority area. [94703]
§ Mr. Ivan LewisPublicly funded training of plumbers, electricians, plasterers and other craft occupations is usually provided through Modern Apprenticeships for young people or through programmes provided by further education institutions. Reporting on the costs of this learning is the operational responsibility of the Learning and Skills Council. I have asked John Harwood, the Council's Chief Executive, to write to the hon. Member providing the information requested and a copy of his reply will be placed in the Library.
Figures for degree courses broken down in the way requested are not held centrally. For higher education in England, the Government allocates funding via the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE). The HEFCE provide teaching grants on the basis that similar courses are funded at similar rates irrespective of the type of institution providing the education. The detailed allocations are calculated according to the numbers and types of students in the institutions, and the courses they are taking. Different courses are weighted at different levels to reflect, for example, the higher costs of providing laboratory-based and medical courses. There are also adjustments made to the calculations to reflect London weighting, the additional costs of teaching students from disadvantaged backgrounds and mature and part-time students. The cost to the public purse of a degree course will therefore reflect these weightings and adjustments.