Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the effect of the change in the level of financial reserves held by Further Education colleges between 1 March 2020 and 31 December 2021.

The department monitors further education colleges' financial health on a regular basis and uses this information to determine where support and intervention from the Education and Skills Funding Agency and Further Education Commissioner can help colleges to improve their position.

Where colleges are at risk of running out of cash, emergency funding is considered on a case-by-case basis. This is based on a thorough assessment of each college's circumstances and the minimum funding needed to minimise disruption to learners.