§ Mr. MahmoodTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what research his Department has carried out on the ability of(a) individuals and (b) employers to pay increased fees for further education courses. [143639]
§ Alan JohnsonWe have little direct evidence about the impact of higher fees in further education (FE) on individuals' or employers' ability to pay. However, in a recent DfES study of adult learners in FE, 40 per cent. assessed themselves as "financially comfortable" and a further 38 per cent. as "not particularly struggling but don't have much to spare", 14 per cent. said they "found it quite hard to cope financially", and only 7 per cent. said they were "finding it very difficult to cope financially".