HC Deb 31 January 1997 vol 289 cc394-5W
Mr. Nigel Evans

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what policies have been introduced to encourage more people to enter(a) higher and (b) further education in Lancashire since 1992. [13278]

Mr. Forth

Government policies, as set out in the 1991 White Papers, "Education and Training for the 21st Century". CM 1536, and "Higher Education: A New Framework", CM 1541, have led to a substantial increase in participation in further and higher education since 1992. Numbers in further education in England have increased by 25 per cent. between 1992–93 and 1995–96. The proportion of young people entering higher education in Great Britain has increased from nearly 28 per cent. in 1992 to one in three. Separate figures for participation rates in Lancashire are not available.

Mr. Evans

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many people went into(a) higher and (b) further education in Lancashire in each year since 1992. [13277]

Mr. Forth

The information, based on location of institution rather than the domicile of students, is as follows:

Entrants1 to further and higher education in Lancashire
Thousands
Academic year Entrants to FE Entrants to HE
1992–93 72.3 219.9
1993–94 73.1 20.9
1994–95 76.6 20.0
1995–96 n/a 321.0
n/a=not available.
1 Full-time and part-time students in their first year of study.
2 Excludes part-time students in "old" universities of which there were some 1,000 in 1993–94.
3 Includes estimates of HE students in FEIs.