Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to encourage (a) further education institutions to apply for an advanced learner loans facility agreement with the Skills Funding Agency and (b) further education institutions to accept students funded by advanced learner loans.

There are currently 723 providers with an advanced learner loans facility. This includes further education colleges and others including, but not exclusively, independent providers.

The figure is a result of the Skills Funding Agency enabling existing contracted providers, which have already passed the necessary reassurance to receive public money, to access a loans facility. The Skills Funding Agency has also undertaken targeted applications rounds to encourage other suitable providers to apply.