Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if her Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of additional Government-funded Adult Education Centres across Cornwall.

Adult education, for learners aged 19 years and above, is funded through the Adult Skills Fund (ASF) and delivered through further education colleges, local authority adult education services, training providers and Institutes of Adult Learning. Providers have the freedom and flexibility to determine how they use their ASF allocations to meet the needs of their communities.

Adult education is offered in college buildings, adult education centres, and accessible informal venues, such as libraries and community centres to meet local needs. It is for local providers to decide if a specific adult education centre is required for their community.

The government believes that local areas are best able to meet local needs, which is why it is committed to devolving the ASF to parts of the country that want a devolution deal. Cornwall is due to receive a devolution deal for the 2025/26 academic year and will be able to use their share of the ASF to best meet their needs, including on reviewing how their funding is best distributed locally to adult education providers.