Higher-level Skills

Tuesday 5th January 2016 Ministerial Corrections

The following is an extract from Questions to the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills on 15 December 2015.

[Mr Adrian Bailey (West Bromwich West) (Lab/Co-op)]

Further education colleges are vital for apprenticeships in engineering and construction, in which there is an acute shortage of skills across the country. What assessment has the Secretary of State made of the cuts in funding to FE colleges in terms of delivering this much-needed agenda?

[Sajid Javid]

I am surprised that the hon. Gentleman is talking about cuts in FE spending. I know that is what Labour was scaremongering about just a few weeks ago, but we have actually protected the adult education budget in cash terms, we will double spending on apprenticeships by 2020 and we have extended the availability of advanced learner loans. Taken together, this will mean a 35% real increase in FE spending by 2020 compared with this year.

[Official Report, 15 December 2015, Vol. 603, c. 1383-4.]

Letter of correction from Sajid Javid:

An error has been identified in the response I gave to the hon. Member for West Bromwich West (Mr Bailey) during Questions to the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills.

The correct response should have been:

[Sajid Javid]

I am surprised that the hon. Gentleman is talking about cuts in FE spending. I know that is what Labour was scaremongering about just a few weeks ago, but we have actually protected the adult education budget in cash terms, we will double spending on apprenticeships by 2020 and we have extended the availability of advanced learner loans. Taken together, this will mean a 30% real increase in FE spending by 2020 compared with this year.

Adult Skills (Funding)

The following is an extract from Questions to the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills on 15 December 2015.

[Barbara Keeley (Worsley and Eccles South) (Lab)]

7. What steps he plans to take to make the efficiencies and savings in adult skills set out in the “Spending Review and Autumn Statement 2015”.

[The Minister for Skills (Nick Boles)]

We are protecting funding for adult education at £1.5 billion per year in cash terms. We are extending advanced learner loans to more adult learners and increasing spending on adult apprenticeships to £1.5 billion by 2019-20. As my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State says, this means that total funding for adult skills training will be 36% higher in the last year of this Parliament than in the first.

[Official Report, 15 December 2015, Vol. 603, c. 1390.]

Letter of correction from Nick Boles:

An error has been identified in the response I gave to the hon. Member for Worsley and Eccles South (Barbara Keeley) during Questions to the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills.

The correct response should have been:

[The Minister for Skills (Nick Boles)]

We are protecting funding for adult education at £1.5 billion per year in cash terms. We are extending advanced learner loans to more adult learners and increasing spending on adult apprenticeships to £1.5 billion by 2019-20. As my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State says, this means that total funding for adult skills training will be 30% higher in the last year of this Parliament than in the first.