§ Mr. Alan SimpsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many(a) employment practices and (b) colleges there are in the further education sector; and what implications these figures have for consistency on pay rates for the same role. [6670]
§ Margaret HodgeThere are 428 colleges in the further education sector in England: the Department does not collect information on their employment practices.
1181WFurther education colleges are run by independent corporations, established under the Further and Higher Education Act 1992. Each FE corporation is responsible for the pay and terms and conditions of its staff. There is no national pay agreement in the FE sector but there is a national recommended pay award determined by a joint union/employer negotiating forum.
§ Mr. Alan SimpsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what consideration she has given to nationally agreed pay scales in the further education sector. [6671]
§ Margaret HodgeFE sector colleges are run by independent corporations, established under the Further and Higher Education Act 1992. The terms and conditions of the staff that work in FE are a matter for the employers to determine, in discussion with the relevant unions. The Government play no part in these discussions but have encouraged employers and unions to discuss the scope for modernising pay and conditions under the FE Teaching Pay Initiative.
§ Mr. Alan SimpsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many(a) full-time and (b) part-time staff there were in further education in each of the last five years. [6672]
§ John HealeyThe information requested is contained in the table.
Numbers of staff employed in the FE sector England Thousands Year Full-time Part-time Total staff 1995–96 99.1 117.7 216.7 1996–97 96.3 121.8 218.1 1997–98 94.3 135.0 229.3 1998–99 93.8 137.0 230.8 1999–2000 95.0 134.9 229.9 1 Numbers may not sum exactly due to rounding The Further Education Funding Council (FEFC) collected and published information on staff in the FE sector on an annual basis. The responsibilities of the FEFC have now been taken over by the Learning and Skills Council (LSC). Information on staff is taken from the Staff Individualised Record (SIR), which covers teaching staff, staff who support teaching and learning and other support staff. The SIR covers FE sector colleges in England only.
SIR data for the whole year were collected from all colleges for the first time in July 1995, relating to the 1994–95 college year. This collection has been repeated annually since then; the latest data available are for 1999–2000.
§ Mr. Alan SimpsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many further education colleges were categorised by the FEFC as financially weak in each of the last three years. [6679]
§ John HealeyThe numbers of further education colleges categorised by the FEFC as financially weak in each of the last three years are:
1182W
- 1998: 80 colleges
- 1999: 65 colleges
- 2000: 69 colleges.
§ Mr. Alan SimpsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assistance will be given to category C colleges to pay recommended pay awards in full. [6680]
§ Margaret HodgePay and conditions are matters for college corporations to determine. The Learning and Skills Council will work closely with individual category C colleges—that is, those colleges that are financially weak—to produce action plans aimed at addressing the causes of the college's financial difficulties. We are determined to work with the LSC and the individual colleges to improve the quality of all colleges to the standard of the best. Where appropriate, and as part of the agreed action plan, the LSC is able to provide additional financial support and flexibility to colleges that are financially weak.