§ Mr. BoswellTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment she has(a) made and (b) commissioned of the capital requirements of (i) the higher education and (ii) the further education sectors. [64292]
§ Margaret Hodge[holding answer 27 June 2002]The capital requirements of the higher and further education sectors are part of the confidential advice offered to my right hon. friend the Secretary of State for Education and Skills by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) and the Learning and Skills Council (LSC). This advice has been informed by a number of reviews, including a review of the higher education estate by the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors; a report by J. M. Consulting "Teaching and Learning Infrastructure in Higher Education" (HEFCE publication 2002/31); by a further review by J. M. Consulting, published in March 2002, reporting on investment in university research infrastructure, and by ongoing studies commissioned to 3W examine Estate Management Statistics and compliance with the requirements of the Special Educational Needs and Disability Act in Further Education.