§ Mr. McNultyTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what criteria his Department will use to determine the distribution of the 500,000 additional places in higher and further education throughout the United Kingdom announced by the Prime Minister. [16133]
§ Dr. HowellsWe are currently drawing up proposals for taking forward the Prime Minister's pledge. The distribution of the 500,000 will reflect our policies on lifelong learning, in particular widening participation and increasing attainment. We intend to concentrate especially on those who have not benefited from learning previously and young people at risk of dropping out, and will provide more details of our proposals in the forthcoming Lifelong Learning White Paper.