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Dept for Education and Skills

Answer

Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will list the (a) agricultural colleges and (b) university agricultural departments that have closed over the last five years. [204436] Dr. Howells: For the HE sector, information on the closure of particular university departments is not collected by either the Department for Education and Skills or the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA). Higher Education Institutions are autonomous bodies and any decisions on closures of departments are made by the institutions themselves and not Government or the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE). For the FE sector, a list of all agricultural/ horticultural colleges which have been involved in merger or other form of reorganisation i.e. transfer to the Higher Education sector in the last five years are included in the tables. Mergers under the Further Education Funding Council _________________________________________________________________________________________________. Colleges Region Type of Merger Name of merged Operative Date institution Durham College of North East Double dissolution East Durham and Houghall 1 June 1999 Agriculture and Horticulture Community College and East Durham Community College Holme Lacey College and West Midlands Single dissolution The Pershore Group of 1 August 1999 Pershore and Hindlip College (Holme Lacey) Colleges Kirkley Hall College and North East Single dissolution Northumberland College 1 January 2000 Northumberland College (Kirkley Hall) Brooksby College and Melton East Midlands Single dissolution (MMC) Brooksby Melton College 1 September 2000 Mowbray College Trowbridge College, South West Triple dissolution Wiltshire College 1 November 2000 Chippenham College and Lackham College Walford College and North West Midlands Single dissolution (WC) Walford and North 1 January 2001 Shropshire College, Walford Shropshire College _________________________________________________________________________________________________. Source: Learning Skills Council FE/HE mergers under the Further Education Funding Council _________________________________________________________________________________________________. College Region Assets transferred to Operative Date Brackenhurst College East Midlands Nottingham Trent University 1 April 1999 _________________________________________________________________________________________________. Source: Learning & Skills Council FE mergers under the Learning Skills Council _________________________________________________________________________________________________. Colleges Local Learning Skills Type of merger Name of merged Operative Date Council institution Broomfield College, Derby Derbyshire Triple dissolution Derby College 1 January 2002 Tertiary College, Wilmorton and Mackworth College Brinsbury College and Sussex Single dissolution (BC) Chichester College 1 August 2002 Chichester College of Arts, Science and Technology Guildford College of Further Surrey Single Dissolution (MWC) Guildford College of 1 August 2003 and Higher Education and Further and Higher MerristWood College Education Cannington College and Somerset Single Dissolution (CC) Bridgwater College 1 September 2004 Bridgwater College _________________________________________________________________________________________________. Source: Learning and Skills Council

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

204436; 428 c1689-92W;428 c1687-90W

Session

2004-05

Subjects

Agriculture Closures Education Further education Higher education

Link

View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk