Robert Molloy
Question:18 Mr. Molloy asked the Minister for Education if she has satisfied herself that the current level of support being given to adult education centres is sufficient to meet the needs of adult students.
Written Answers. - Adult Education.
It is the Department's policy that Adult Education be promoted as widely as possible whether in special centres or in schools or colleges. There has been a dramatic increase in identifiable funding for adult education and training programmes in recent years. This year alone it has increased to £17.88 million compared with £9 million last year, an increase of almost 100 per cent. The funding is almost entirely for programmes for the disadvantaged, particularly for the VTOS (£7.15 million last year £15.3 million this year) and the Adult Literacy and Community Education Scheme (£1 million last year £1.57 million this year). At present although general adult education is intended to be provided on a self-financing basis, my Department is providing substantial funding for support structures and special programmes for disadvantaged people mainly through the vocational education committees.
My Department does not provide funding for adult education centres as such. Two prime examples of these special programmes are the Adult Literacy and Community Education Scheme (ALCES) and the Vocational Training Opportunities Scheme for the long term unemployed (VTOS). The funding for ALCES has been increased from £1m in 1992 to £1.57m in 1993 and the VTOS from £7.15m in 1992 to £15.3m in 1993.
All aspects of adult education are under review in my Department at present. While this review is being done in the context of the forthcoming White Paper on Education, my Department plans to make as much ongoing progress as possible in the interim in addressing various issues.