HC Deb 21 April 1993 vol 223 cc98-100W
Sir John Hannam

To ask the Secretary of State for Education what arrangements there are to ensure that (i) support needs, (ii) transport needs and (iii) maintenance costs of students with disabilities and learning difficulties in further education will be met.

Mr. Boswell

The duties on the further education funding councils and local education authorities to secure further education provision for students with disabilities and learning difficulties require them to take acount of their additional learning support needs. LEAs' duties and powers concerning the provision of transport now include students at colleges in the new further education sector. Students attending courses of further education may apply to their LEA for a discretionary award in respect of their maintenance costs, and full-time and sandwich students aged 19 or over may also seek assistance from the further education access funds.

Sir John Hannam

To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many specialist independent colleges for students with disabilities and learning difficulties in England and Wales make further education provision.

Mr. Boswell

This information is not held centrally.

Sir John Hannam

To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much was spent in England on provision for students with disabilities and learning difficulties in maintained further education colleges in 1992–93; and how much he estimates will be spent by (i) the Further Education Funding Council for England, (ii) training and enterprise councils, (iii) local education authorities and (iv) social services departments on such provision in 1993–94.

Mr. Boswell

It is for the various agencies involved in securing provision for students with learning difficulties and disabilities to determine what resources they should allocate to further education colleges for this purpose. It is not possible to estimate expenditure on such provision, given the discretion generally available to colleges over the use of resources.

Sir John Hannam

To ask the Secretary of State for Education how much was spent on further provision for students with disabilities and learning difficulties from England in specialist independent colleges in 1993; and how much he estimates will be spent by (i) the Further Education Funding Council for England, (ii) training and enterprise councils, (iii) local education authorities and (iv) social services departments on such provision in 1993–94.

Road scheme Roads which will benefit from each scheme Typical daily traffic figure
(a) Comber By-Pass A22 Killinchy Road, Comber 4,100
A22 Belfast Road, Comber 9,525
A21 Newtownards Road, Comber 14,700
(b) Balloo Road, Bangor Balloo Road (Gransha end) 14,925
Stage 3 Balloo Road (Rathgael end) 10,300
(c) A5 Burndennet Route A5 7,100
(d) Anne Street/Thomas Street Dungannon Market Street, Dungannon 8,400
(e) A5 Magheramason Route A5 7,100
(f) A5 Leckpatrick Route A5 7,100
(g) Antrim/Ballymena Stage 2 Route A26 18,500
(h) Greenmount Link, Coleraine Dunhill Road 15,325
Castlerock Road 5,400
Strand Road 10,500
Laurel Hill/Killowen Street 7,000
(i) Omagh Through-Pass Stage 2 Derry Road 15,000

Mr. Boswell

It is for the various agencies involved in securing provision for students with learning difficulties and disabilities to determine what resources they should allocate to specialist independent colleges for this purpose. Information on their funding of these institutions is not available centrally.

Sir John Hannam

To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many further education students with disabilities and learning difficulties from England in 1992–93 were attending (i) maintained colleges and (ii) specialist independent colleges; and how many of each of these are expected in 1993–94 to be the responsibility of(a) the Further Education Funding Council and (b) local education authorities.

Mr. Boswell

In 1991–92, the latest year for which data are available, there were 42,000 further education students classified as having special educational needs attending maintained further education colleges. It is not possible to specify the proportion that will be the responsibility of the Further Education Funding Council or local education authorities from 1993–94.

Information about specialist independent colleges is not available centrally.