§ Mr. BoswellTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will make a statement on the operation to date of the Adult and Community Learning Fund, with particular reference to(a) total expenditure, (b) the criteria for scheme selection and (c) the monitoring and accountability of schemes funded from the ACLF.[136307]
§ Mr. Wicks[holding answer 6 November 2000]: The total expenditure on the Adult and Community Learning Fund (ACLF) to date is £11.4 million. A further £8.6 million will be spent between now and March 2002.
The Fund supports activities in England which take learning into sectors of the community rarely reached by traditional educational institutions. 309 projects have been 753W supported to date. The criteria are set out in a Prospectus which provides guidance to applicants. Projects must be innovative, of good quality and sustainable. They must also involve learners in managing project activities and building partnerships. Funding must not duplicate or extend existing provision or organisational support. At least one community or voluntary group must lead on, or be an equal partner in, bids for funding.
ACLF projects are managed on my Department's behalf by the Basic Skills Agency (BSA) and the National Institute of Adult Continuing Education (NIACE), which are accountable to the Department and its auditors. Progress on each project is monitored by BSA or NIACE as part of their contracted role as joint managers of the Fund.
In his recent Remit Letter to the Learning and Skills Council, my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State draws the Council's attention to the need to secure, at local level, imaginative and attractive learning opportunities which will draw in people unused to learning, or who see learning in institutions as not for them.