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Written question asked by Lord Campbell-Savours (Labour) on Monday, 22 February 2021, in the House of Lords. It was due for an answer on Monday, 8 March 2021. It was answered by Baroness Berridge (Conservative) on Monday, 8 March 2021 on behalf of the Department for Education.


Askham Bryan College: University of Cumbria

Question

To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether the acquisition of Newton Rigg College in Cumbria by Askham Bryan College in York in 2011 met their standards of propriety in public sector procurement; and what plans they have, if any, to review the negotiation process that took place during the acquisition.

Answer

Following the decision by the University of Cumbria in 2010, to cease delivering the provision of further education funded by the Skills Funding Agency and the Young People’s Learning Agency, the Skills Funding Agency led an open and competitive procurement process, in accordance with Part B of Schedule 3 of the Public Contracts Regulations 2006, to secure an alternative provider or providers for the delivery of arts provision in Carlisle and predominately land-based provision at Newton Rigg. As a result of this competition, the funding for students studying further education at the University’s Brampton Road building was transferred to Carlisle College, and the funding for students studying further education at Newton Rigg, together with the further education assets at Newton Rigg, was transferred to Askham Bryan College. The procurement was subject to a review by Cabinet Office in 2011 and its findings have been published on gov.uk and are attached.

The successor organisation to the Skills Funding Agency, the Education and Skills Funding Agency now procure provision in accordance with the requirements of the Public Contracts Regulations, 2015. In some circumstances, for example the provision of education and training for young people, separate arrangements apply, but processes and procedures are fair and transparent. Where this applies, we use a mix of local negotiation and tendering appropriate to the circumstances in each case.


Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
HL13379
Session
2019-21
Attachment
HL13379_attachment
Subjects
Property transfer University of Cumbria Askham Bryan College
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk