Written question asked by Gordon Marsden (Labour) on Friday, 16 March 2018, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 21 March 2018 (named day). It was answered by Anne Milton (Conservative) on Wednesday, 21 March 2018 on behalf of the Department for Education.

Further Education: ICT

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what support his Department will provide to further education colleges that are unable to meet the cost of fees for Jisc’s essential IT infrastructure and technology support services as a result of the funding changes to Jisc.

Answer: We expect all colleges to continue to either access Jisc services, or to contract with an alternative provider who can provide a secure service. We have provided an additional £6 million to Jisc on top of their spending review settlement to enable the introduction of a mixed funding model to be delayed until August 2019 to enable colleges to prepare. The government will continue to contribute the majority of Jisc’s costs after the introduction of a mixed funding model. Introducing subscriptions will increase Jisc’s accountability to colleges as its customers, and will encourage colleges that subscribe to make use of the full range of services that Jisc provides.

Secondary information