Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many (a) men and (b) women in further education received funding for childcare through the Discretionary Learner Support scheme in the last academic year; and what the total amount spent on such support was.

The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills undertook its latest analysis of Discretionary Learner Support for the full academic year 2011/12, which detailed specific breakdowns of expenditure and learner characteristics.

The Skills Funding Agency allocated £58.5m to providers to support childcare arrangements for their adult learners aged 20 and over. Providers assessed learner need and awarded a total of £42m for childcare to nearly 10,500 learners. Around 300 (3%) of these awards were given to males with around 10,200 being females.