Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much Government funding has been allocated to adult education in each region in each year since 2019.

The government supports adult education, outside of apprenticeships, through the Adult Education Budget (AEB), National Skills Fund, European Social Fund (ESF) and Advanced Learner Loans.

A complete regional breakdown of funding allocations across these funding streams is not available. However, the government does publish the following online at GOV.UK:

• The amount of AEB devolved to Mayoral Combined Authorities and the Greater London Authority, figures are available from 2019-20 onwards.
• Figures for 2019-20: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/adult-education-budget-s31-grant-determination-letters.
• Figures for 2020-21 https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/adult-education-budget-s31-grant-determination-letters-2020-to-2021
• Figures for 2021-22 are available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/adult-education-budget-devolved-grant-determination-letters-2021. This includes ring fenced budgets for the adult level 3 offer.

The amount of AEB allocated by the Education and Skills Funding Agency to providers is available here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/19-funding-allocations#supporting-documents and https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/funding-allocations-to-training-providers-2021-to-2022.

The figures from 2019/20 onwards, following AEB devolution, are in respect of funding allocated to providers for learners resident in non-devolved areas.

Starting this year, the government is investing £2.5 billion in the National Skills Fund. This is a new investment, which includes £375 million in the financial year 2021-22, exclusive of Barnett. This is broken down as follows:

• £138 million to deliver on my right hon. Friend, the Prime Minister’s skills speech (£95 million for Free Courses for Jobs offer and £43 million for Skills Bootcamps)
• £127 million for measures announced in the Plan for Jobs (including apprenticeships, traineeships, and Sector-based Work Academy Programmes)
• £110 million (including £50 million capital) for piloting skills reforms

ESF contract values from 2014 to 2020, covering rounds one and two, for contracts starting in 2016 and 2019 respectively, are available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/esf-2014-to-2020-programme-list-of-contracts.

The Department forecasts demand for Advanced Learner Loans with HM Treasury annually. These tuition fee loans are for provision across England in all areas. The total value of loans approved by the Student Loans Company in the 20219/20 academic year was £182.4 million.

The Department also publishes adult learner data, which includes a breakdown of how many learners are supported by region: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/further-education-and-skills.