§ Mr. RookerTo ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will bring forward proposals to allow students aged 16 to 18 years to be able to attend a further education college of their choice without incurring financial penalties from their local authority.
§ Mr. Boswell[holding answer 12 April 1994]: It is a condition of grant to the Further Education Funding Council that colleges in the further education sector should not charge tuition fees to home and EC full-time students aged 16-18. Assistance with the costs of part-time study, and with other expenses, is a matter for local education authorities, which are free to decide their own discretionary awards policies in the light of local needs and circumstances, their priorities and the resources available to them.