§ Mr. WigleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) if he will make it his policy that the Further Education Funding Council and local education authorities should co-ordinate arrangements to ensure that further education continues to be provided in long-stay hospitals;
(2) if the Further Education Funding Council will be responsible for the provision of further education in long-stay hospitals; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. FormanUnder the Further and Higher Education Act 1992 the duty to secure adequate further education provisions for adults, including those with learning difficulties, will be shared between the Further Education Funding Councils and LEAs. The scope of the funding councils' duty in relation to such provision is set out in schedule 2 to the Act; LEAs' duty is to secure adequate provision of a kind not covered by schedule 2. It will be a matter for the councils and local education authorities to determine what facilities, including those in long-stay hospitals, they should support in pursuit of their respective duties. Guidance from my Department on the Act makes clear the need for collaboration between all the agencies involved in making provision for students with learning difficulties, in order to ensure the best possible response to their needs.