HC Deb 04 November 1998 vol 318 c593W
Mr. Alasdair Morgan

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) how many students there are in(a) full-time and (b) part-time catering education in Scotland; [57061]

(2) how many colleges offer catering education; how many graduates of such courses undertook further training in the last year for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement on the level of provision for catering courses in Scotland. [57062]

Mrs. Liddell

Thirty-eight further education colleges offered catering courses during academic year 1996–97 (the last year for which full figures are available), which were attended by 2,199 full-time and 8,028 part-time students.

Destination data are not collected centrally, except in respect of full-time students on higher education courses studied in further education colleges. In respect of the 179 such students on catering courses in 1995–96 whose destination is known, 57 undertook further full-time study.

College boards of management have a statutory duty, under section 12(1) of the Further and Higher Education (Scotland) Act 1992 to ensure that their college provides suitable further education, having regard to the likely needs of potential students of the college. The fact that so many of Scotland's colleges offer catering courses suggests that boards of management are responding adequately to local demand for such provision.