Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions the Minister of State for Apprenticeships and Skills has had with ESFA officials on the position of continued transitional funding for the WEA in areas of England affected by the devolution of the adult education budget from 2019-20.

From 2019-20, Mayoral Combined Authorities (MCAs) and the Greater London Authority (GLA) will be responsible for commissioning and funding adult education budget (AEB) provision for learners resident in those areas, and the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) will be responsible for funding provision for learners resident in non-devolved areas.

The exception to this are providers which meet the following criteria, which will be funded nationally by the ESFA for a transitional period of two years (academic years 2019/20 and 2020/21) following devolution of the AEB:

• Qualify for a residential uplift for their learning provision, and
• Receive more than two thirds of their income from the AEB, and
• Predominantly target their provision at the most disadvantaged in society.

We considered an additional period of two years of national funding would be in the learners’ best interests, in order to avoid destabilising provision to vulnerable learners and to allow time for MCAs to better understand the specialist nature of the provision they deliver.

The Workers’ Educational Association (WEA) does not meet the above criteria and from 2019/20 will be eligible to receive its AEB funding from MCAs/GLA for learners resident in those areas, and from the ESFA for learners resident in non-devolved areas. The ESFA wrote to AEB providers in June 2018, including the WEA, to explain how AEB allocations for 2019/20 for learners resident in non-devolved areas will be calculated, in order to help their planning for devolution.

When MCAs and the GLA take decisions about AEB allocations to providers from 2019/20 onwards the devolution deal readiness conditions include requirements on them to make sure:

• devolved funding decisions take account of the need to maintain a sustainable and financially viable 16+ provider base, and
• funding and provider management arrangements, including securing financial assurance, are agreed in a way that minimises costs and maximises consistency and transparency.

I have been advised by the ESFA on these arrangements and the department and ESFA officials are continuing to work closely on the implementation of devolution of the AEB.