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URGENT TALKS SOUGHT WITH MINISTER ON ...
17 June 2005
NEWS RELEASE 17 JUNE 2005
URGENT TALKS SOUGHT WITH MINISTER ON £600,000 CUTS TO ADULT EDUCATION ACROSS SOUTH BEDFORDSHIRE
At Business Questions in the House of Commons yesterday, Andrew Selous asked the Leader of the House of Commons, Geoff Hoon, to arrange an urgent statement from Education Ministers on the cuts that further education colleges are facing across the country.
At Education Questions earlier Ministers had denied there was a problem for further education colleges. Ruth Kelly, the Secretary of State, has denied there is a funding crisis in adult education.
A funding crisis is however exactly what is facing Dunstable College with £606,000 being cut from their budget this year with the prospect of worse to come in 2006. Dunstable College provides courses in Leighton Buzzard, Dunstable and Houghton Regis.
Approximately 7,500 students have taken courses in the Learning Shops in Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard and future courses at these two centres will be affected.
Final decisions on courses and places to be cut will be taken next week on 23 June and Andrew Selous has contacted Further Education Minister Phil Hope MP to ask for an urgent meeting next week to prevent these cuts. Andrew Selous said “Within the Government’s existing budget it should be possible to cut back on the headquarters administration costs of the Learning and Skills Council to ensure that front line services which we need for a skilled work force are not cut”.
The exchange in Hansard was as follows:
Andrew Selous (South-West Bedfordshire) (Con): Will the Leader of the House arrange for an Education Minister to make an urgent statement to the House on adult education funding? Had he been here for Education questions earlier, he would have heard that many Labour Members are extremely concerned about that issue, as are Opposition Members. In my constituency, Dunstable college faces a £600,000 cut in adult education provision. The staff will have to decide next week which courses they will not offer, but budgets could be rearranged by taking money from the headquarters bureaucracy of the Learning and Skills Council to deal with that problem. Will the Leader of the House ensure that a Minister is available to deal with that issue next week?
Mr. Hoon [Leader of the House of Commons]: I was not present for Education questions, but I am always impressed by the number of Education Ministers we have. I am sure that the hon. Gentleman will have had the opportunity to raise his question. I draw to the attention of my right hon. and hon. Friends the points made at business questions and I will ensure that that point is drawn to their attention.
ENDS
