Further Education: Mergers

(asked on 6th June 2016) - View Source

Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, pursuant to the Answer of 23 May 2016 to Question 37459, whether he plans to provide additional funding or other assistance to college governing bodies which need to assess the effect of changes on groups protected by the Equalities Act 2010; what estimate he has made of the average cost to colleges of making such an assessment; and if he will make an estimate of the potential cost to his Department of conducting a single equality impact assessment on its policy of merging further education colleges.


Answered by
 Portrait
Nick Boles
This question was answered on 14th June 2016

The Government’s policy is to facilitate a review of post 16 education and training, with each area establishing the best structures to offer high quality provision to meet the current and future needs of all learners and employers within the local area; this may or may not involve institutions merging.

We have discussed and agreed with a wide range of stakeholders an approach to ensuring equality is considered by colleges as part of any restructuring and will shortly be publishing guidance on this as part of a wider package of support about area review implementation.

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