Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what are the names of the further education providers who have been subject to a concluded financial investigation since 2017; when each of those investigations was opened; what was the nature of the concerns raised in each investigation; and when each investigation concluded.

The department holds the data to enable a response to this question. However, putting into the public domain the details of all providers who have been subject to investigations over the previous 8+ years has the potential to harm the department’s relationships with providers, and could result in the effective conduct of public affairs being compromised. Similarly, release of this information without consultation could be prejudicial to the commercial interests of further education providers.

The department does have a policy in relation to the publication of reports relating to its investigations, in that we now publish reports for completed investigations which began in or after December 2023. This policy can be accessed at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/efa-investigation-publishing-policy/efa-investigation-publishing-policy.

Prior to December 2023, there are commercial issues with releasing information in respect of providers subject to investigations. This government has recently updated the House on action taken.