Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the effect of recent changes in 16-19 funding on the (a) breadth and (b) viability of post-16 education.

All 16-19 institutions are funded for, on average, 600 teaching hours per year per full-time student. This supports a significant programme of study: for example, three A Levels and one AS Level or a Level 3 BTEC Extended Diploma, plus around 150 hours of enrichment or tutorial activity across each two-year course.

We do understand the financial challenges facing the sector. That is why we are launching a national programme of area reviews. The reviews will help ensure we have strong, efficient institutions that can deliver high-quality routes to employment, to ensure institutional stability and to make best use of public resources.