Clause 60
12:00 pm
John Hayes (Shadow Minister, Innovation, Universities and Skills; South Holland and The Deepings, Conservative)
I beg to move amendment 135, in clause 60, page 40, line 16, at end add—
‘(3) The YPLA must consult with the following when adopting or developing schemes as set out in subsection (1)—
(a) the Chief Executive of Skills Funding,
(b) a local education authority in England, and
(c) Ofsted.’.
The Association of Colleges is concerned that further education colleges will have to respond to at least two funding bodies: their local authority and the SFA. It is vital that those agencies and the new Young People’s Learning Agency have a default position of sharing information to ensure that colleges do not spend even more time dealing with bureaucratic burdens and can concentrate their efforts on teaching students.
Both the YPLA, under clause 60, and the SFA, under clause 99, can carry out performance assessments on colleges and use those assessments when making funding decisions. It is particularly important that the assessments are carried out in a co-ordinated and coherent way in order to avoid duplication of the agencies’ work with that of any other funding or inspection bodies. Given how clearly the evidence in the Committee sessions highlighted that the proposed system is likely to be loaded with red tape and bureaucracy, surely the Minister will see the wisdom of the amendment.
Neither the nature of the financial relationship between local councils and colleges nor audit arrangements are included in the legislation. We would welcome clarification of whether local authorities, the YPLA and the SFA will each be able to audit colleges and whether the audits will be co-ordinated. Will they be arranged chronologically? Will they overlap? What kind of shared endeavour will occur in that regard? With those few words, I will be delighted to hear what the Minister has to say.