§ Mr. ChidgeyTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) what core funding was awarded each year to further education colleges in England from 1995–96, adjusted for inflation; [20692]
(2) what funding was allocated to further education colleges in England from 1995–96, adjusted for inflation. [20693]
§ Margaret Hodge [holding answer 4 December 2001]Funding allocated to further education colleges in England from 1995–96 adjusted for inflation is as follows.
We recognise that staff in the further education sector need to be able to find affordable homes within a reasonable distance from their work place. The average house price in the south-east of England is £161,748 compared with £124,379 for England as a whole. By 2003–04 capital investment in housing will have risen to more than £4 billion compared with planned spending of £1.5 billion in 1997–98. The Government plan to provide 100,000 new or improved homes for low cost renting or ownership over the next three years and to review the planning guidance to local authorities in order to help them to negotiate more affordable housing. Eligibility for loans or cash grants will be dependent on local arrangements.
641WWe have also introduced a number of initiatives aimed at tackling recruitment and retention difficulties in the FE sector: the Teaching Pay Initiative, more than £300 million over the next three years, to reward high calibre teaching staff and create a proper career structure for teaching in the FE sector; and additionally, pilot initiatives such as Golden Hellos, student loan write-offs and training bursaries will all attract new staff to the profession.