Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has made an assessment of the adequacy of funding for further education colleges to meet staffing costs in the light of (a) increased employer National Insurance contributions and (b) sector pay agreements.

As a part of the public sector, further education (FE) colleges will be compensated for the increased employer National Insurance contributions. Details about this compensation will be announced in the future.

My right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer announced £300 million in 2025/26 for FE at the Autumn Budget 2024, to ensure young people are developing the skills they need to succeed. The department will set out in due course how this is distributed.

The government does not set pay or conditions within FE. This remains the responsibility of individual providers.

To boost the recruitment and retention of teachers, the department has extended targeted retention incentive payments of up to £6,000 after tax to eligible early-career FE teachers in key subject areas.