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Further Education and Training Bill [HL]

Amendments Nos. 10 and 11 and 15 to 17 tabled by the noble Baroness, Lady Walmsley, accord with the Government’s desire to give increased flexibility and certainty over the funding which the Learning and Skills Council and other government-funded bodies receive. She rightly makes the point that it is much better to be able to plan over a two- or three-year period than over a single financial year. We have sought to ensure multi-year planning through the spending review process. As she knows, each successive spending review covers a three-year funding period. The current Comprehensive Spending Review outcome covering the three years from 2008-09 will be announced later this year. That is expected to give the Learning and Skills Council and its partners significant certainty about the funding available over that funding period. I hope that that will meet the objective that the noble Baroness sought. However, we cannot support the amendments because there is a risk that they could give the LSC a funding period which would extend across the boundaries of two spending reviews. By anticipating a spending review settlement, that would be in breach of the arrangements in place with the Treasury. The noble Baroness made important remarks on Amendment No. 12 with respect to people with learning difficulties and/or disabilities. I echo her remarks about the very high priority that those groups of learners have and the highest quality provision that they deserve. To ensure that those learners are given high priority, the Secretary of State has informed the Learning and Skills Council through his grant letter that he expects it to continue to prioritise its investment in provision for learners with learning difficulties and/or disabilities, while working with the sector to improve the cost-effectiveness of provision. The Learning and Skills Council has reflected that explicitly in its annual statement of priorities. On page 22, in the section specifically devoted to learners with learning difficulties and/or disabilities, it states: "““Public funding for learners with learning difficulties and/or disabilities is substantial—in 2004/05 nearly £1.5 billion supported 640,000 learners. These learners remain a priority. We will continue this investment and expect each institution to maintain the proportion of learners with learning difficulties and/or disabilities in their overall learner numbers. Institutions should discuss any major planned changes in provision for this cohort with their local partnership teams””." That goes a long way to securing the ring-fencing that the noble Baroness sought. The quality of provision must be maintained, and if major planned changes are proposed, they need to be discussed with the local partnership teams. I will also quote from page 19 of the annual statement of priorities, which states that partners must, "““continue to prioritise provision for learners with learning difficulties and/or disabilities””." It goes on to list other functions, but it particularly highlights the importance of provision for learners with learning difficulties and/or disabilities. Furthermore, by autumn 2007 the Learning and Skills Council will have a detailed needs analysis for provision for learners with learning difficulties and/or disabilities. That will enable the Learning and Skills Council to plan better and to allocate resources on the basis of actual need. Making it a requirement that guidance from the council to regional councils must state proportions of a regional council’s budget to be spent in this area therefore becomes unnecessary. That would also diminish the Learning and Skills Council’s ability to match resources to need, which will not be spread evenly around the regions. The LSC must have the flexibility to allocate resources to meet need, but the priority for learners with learning difficulties and/or disabilities, which the noble Baroness set out, is one that we entirely share.