§ Mr. EvansTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many whole time equivalent students there were in(a) further and (b) higher education in May 1997. [17306]
§ Mr. HainInformation on the number of further and higher education student full-time equivalents (FTEs) for the latest available years may be found in the following table:
578W
Student FTEs on Further and Higher Education Courses in Wales1 1995–96 1996–97 Higher education courses2 69,969 n/a Further education courses3 56,319 60,683 1 The information provided comes from the following Publications; "STUDENTS in Higher Education Institutions 1995–96" produced by the Higher Education Statistical Agency, and the "Further Education Funding Council for Wales" bulletin on "Further Education Early Student Enrolments 1995–96 and 1996–97". 2 Student FTEs at higher education institutions at 1 December 1995. Excludes students on higher education courses at further education institutions. Data not yet available for 1996–97. 3 Student FTEs on all further education courses at 1 November each year. Includes students at all further education and higher education institutions.
§ Mr. Barry JonesTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales if he will make a statement on his Department's expenditure on further education. [17637]
§ Mr. HainTotal expenditure made available through the Further Education Funding Council for Wales (FEFCW) in 1996–97 amounted to just over £180 million. The FEFCW's budget for 1997–98 is £177 million. Provision for 1998–99 will be announced shortly as part of the Department's expenditure plans for next year.