§ Ms EagleTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what amount of funding allocated by the Further Education Council is spent on subsidising employer training broken down by further education institution. [12756]
§ Ms EagleTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many applications have been received by the Further Education Funding Council from private training institutions applying to register as further education colleges; and if she will list them. [12754]
§ Mr. PaiceThere is no provision for the registration of private training institutions as further education colleges. The Further and Higher Education Act 1992 makes provision for my right hon. Friend to establish further education corporations to conduct existing educational institutions. She would normally expect to do so only in response to a proposal made by the Further Education Funding Council for England. To date, the council has not received any requests to make such proposals to my right hon. Friend.
The Act also includes provision for institutions which are inside the further education sector to sponsor for funding from the council applications from institutions which are outside the sector. In 1994–95 the FEFC received 41 applications for such funding from external institutions. Of these 18 were private providers and 11 of these received funding. In 1995–96, nine applications were received, five from private providers, and one of these received funding. At this stage, the indications for 1996–97 are: seven received, five from private providers; funding has yet to be allocated. I will ask the chief executive of the council to write with a list of the institutions concerned.