§ Mr. ChidgeyTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much VAT was paid by further education colleges in England in each year from 1995–96. [20740]
§ Margaret HodgeInformation on VAT paid by further education colleges in England was not recorded centrally by the Further Education Funding Council (FEFC), so is not available and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
§ Mr. ChidgeyTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will make a statement on the results of pilot studies into financial support for further education college students in England. [20741]
§ Mr. Ivan LewisThe only form of financial assistance for students in further education currently being piloted is the Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA), which is available in 56 local education authorities. The allowance is payable to eligible young people not just in colleges but also in school sixth forms.
The pilots are being evaluated over a three-year period and this work is on-going. The first reports were published in March this year and the next report is due for publication early in 2002.
Early findings from the evaluation show that EMA appears to have raised participation in education. The statistical analysis estimates an average gain in participation in pilot areas compared with control areas, among EMA eligible young people, of around 5 percentage points.
Although we do not yet have figures on attainment, the qualitative aspect of the evaluation has found some evidence of a positive effect on young people's performance and commitment to study.
260WIn relation to adult learners in further education colleges in England, there are no pilot studies on which to report at this time.