HC Deb 16 February 1999 vol 325 cc719-21W
Mr. Hancock

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what criteria will be used to allocate money to further education colleges in 1999–2000 from funds designed to replace discretionary grants previously paid to students by local education authorities. [70987]

Mr. Mudie

The criteria for allocating student support funding to colleges in 1999–2000 are still being developed. These will be made clear when allocations are made to colleges in April.

Mr. Hancock

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment (1) how many discretionary awards were made by each local education authority for students in further education in each of the last five years; [70984]

(2) how much was the total allocation of discretionary awards to students in further education by each local education authority in each of the last five years; and what is the budgeted figure for 1998–99 for each authority. [70986]

Mr. Mudie

The numbers of, and expenditure on, discretionary awards made to students in further education by local education authorities in England and Wales in academic years 1992–93 to 1996–97 (latest available) are published in the annual "Statistics of Education, Student Support Volume, England and Wales"—copies of which are in the Library. The publications for 1992–93 and 1993–94 give data on numbers of further education awards in table 10 and data on expenditure in table 11; the equivalent tables for 1994–95 to 1996–97 are 9(a) and 9(b). Information on the budgeted figure for 1998–99 for each authority is not held centrally.

Mr. Hancock

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if the money allocated to further education colleges in 1999–2000 from funds designed to replace discretionary grants previously paid to students by local education authorities will be ring-fenced for that purpose. [70985]

Mr. Mudie

I can confirm that funding will be allocated to colleges in 1999–2000 specifically for student support and must be used for that purpose.

Mr. Hancock

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment (1) if all further education colleges will receive an allocation of money from funds designed to replace discretionary grants previously paid to students by local education authorities; [70981]

(2) how much further education colleges in each local authority area will receive in 1999–2000 from funds designed to replace discretionary grants previously paid to students by local education authorities; [70982]

(3) if he will estimate how many colleges will receive money in 1999–2000 to replace discretionary awards previously made by local education authorities, the local authority for which has discontinued discretionary awards; [70983]

(4) how much money will be allocated to further education colleges in Portsmouth from funds designed to replace the money previously paid as discretionary grants. [70988]

Mr. Mudie

Information on the allocation of funding to colleges for student support in 1999–2000 will not be available until April.

Mr. Chaytor

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what is the current average hourly rate for part-time teaching staff working in further education colleges(a) employed by agencies and (b) employed by further education colleges. [69583]

Mr. Mudie

The information requested is not collected centrally.

Mr. Chaytor

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what is the current range of(a) starting salaries and (b) salaries at the highest point of the scale for teachers in further education colleges. [69581]

Mr. Mudie

At March 1997, the latest year for which information is available, 80 per cent. of new full-time further education staff in England were paid between £14,000 to £22,200.

Information for the highest paid full-time lecturers in further education cannot be identified because the data available to my department do not distinguish between lecturers and senior staff in further education colleges.

Mr. Chaytor

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what has been the average salary of teachers in further education colleges for each of the last three years. [69580]

Mr. Mudie

The median salary of full-time lecturers and senior staff in further education colleges in England for each of the last three years for which figures are available were:

  • March 1995: £21,300
  • March 1996: £22,400
  • March 1997: £22,900.

Information on the salaries of part-time lecturers is not available centrally.

Mr. Chaytor

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what proportion of all teaching staff in further education colleges have been employed on part-time or pro-rata contracts in each of the last five years. [69725]

Mr. Mudie

The proportion of part-time teaching staff in further education colleges in England is as follows:

Percentage
Part-time
1994–95 59
1995–96 61
1996–97 62

It is not possible to provide data for the last five years as prior to 1994–95 the data were not collected in the format requested.

Mr. Chaytor

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what has been the proportion of all teaching staff in further education colleges employed on the senior lecturer grade in each of the last five years. [69724]

Mr. Mudie

The information requested is not collected centrally.