HC Deb 27 April 2004 vol 420 cc973-4W
Mr. Drew

To ask the Secretary cf State for Education and Skills what funds were available to the Learning and Skills Council nationally for further education colleges new build requirements for(a) each year of its existence and (b) the previous three years of the Further Education Funding Council. [168831]

Alan Johnson

The Department does not provide a specific budget to the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) for rebuilding further education colleges. It is for the LSC to determine for itself the light level of capital investment in further education colleges from the funds allocated to it by the Department 1 or capital investment in the post-16 learning and skills sector. In 2001–02 the LSC's total post-16 learning and skills sector capital funding allocation was £136 million. This increased in 2002–03 to 231 million and to £327.5 million in 2003–04. In 1998–99 earmarked capital expenditure allocated to the Further Education Funding Council was NIL. In 1999–2000 it was £42 million and this increased to £56 million in 2000–01.