§ Mr. Alan SimpsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what proportion of further education colleges would be able to pay the full 3.7 per cent. recommended pay rise for the coming year without making cuts in other budget headings.[6673]
§ Margaret HodgeThis information is not available to the Department. It is for college corporations to determine spending priorities within the overall need to balance their budgets. Colleges' ability to pay the recommended pay rise will depend on their overall financial health, their success in recruiting and retaining students (which will affect the funding they receive from the Learning and Skills Council) and the level of their staff costs in relation to overall college expenditure.
§ Mr. Alan SimpsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what factors relating to the responsibilities and duties of teachers in sixth-form colleges underlie the pay differential with further education colleges. [6681]
§ Margaret HodgeThe pay, terms and conditions of staff in general further education and sixth-form colleges are matters for college corporations and management to determine in consultation with the relevant unions. I understand that over the years since incorporation, sixth-form colleges have sought to mirror pay and conditions arrangements in schools, because staff responsibilities are similar in both. In general FE colleges, 35W a wider range of pay and conditions arrangements now exist, reflecting the diverse learning needs of colleges local communities and colleges individual decisions on implementing the nationally recommended pay settlement each year.
In addition, sixth-form colleges have, this year, been given proportionately a larger share of teaching pay initiative (TPI) funding than general FE colleges. This honours a commitment given by the former Secretary of State, identifying the scale of implementation of TPI in sixth-form colleges in 2001. Under TPI, sixth-form colleges should, this year, be able to replicate the £2,000 threshold payments that apply in schools; and in general FE, colleges should be able to pay at least £1,000 and up to £2,000 to eligible staff, with up to £4,000 to a minority of their most able staff.
Year Teaching (thousand) Support (thousand) Other (thousand) Non-teaching ie support plus other(thousand) Ratio (Non-teaching/teaching) 1994–95 130.9 19.0 54.9 73.9 0.56 1995–96 134.7 21.4 60.6 82.0 0.61 1996–97 130.9 23.6 63.6 87.2 0.67 1997–98 139.7 24.9 64.7 89.6 0.64 1998–99 141.8 23.8 65.3 89.1 0.63 1999–2000 136.7 24.5 68.6 93.1 0.68