Early day motion 1171

leave out from 'students' to end and add: "is alarmed at continuing reports of loss of staff from the sector creating a recruitment crisis; believes the recent unprecedented campaign by those bodies representing principals, staff and students is in response to the indifference of Government to the crisis; condemns the Minister for Higher Education and Lifelong Learning for her misleading attacks on the quality of Further Education; and calls on the Government to restore trust in those delivering further education by re-appraising the method of funding from project and initiative to core funding, reduce the needless bureaucracy associated with bidding for such initiatives, and give due respect to the professionalism of governors, principals and staff to do their jobs.".

That this House congratulates the staff of further education and sixth form colleges on their outstanding service to over four million students; welcomes the increased capital and revenue funding now available to the sector; notes, however, that colleges' core funding remains at 90 per cent. of 1995-96 levels and that the funding gap between schools and sixth form colleges for the same three A-level package remains at ú1,000 per pupil; further notes the current recruitment crisis caused by low pay throughout the sector; welcomes the campaign led by the Association of Colleges, NATFHE and NUS, and supported by all the sector's recognised trade unions including UNISON, TGWU, GMB, ATL and ACM, for increased financial support for further education students, an improvement in the core funding allocated to colleges and a recognition of the recruitment crisis caused by growing salary differentials between schools and colleges; and calls on the Government to provide a fair allocation to the further education sector in the forthcoming comprehensive spending review.

leave out from 'to' to end and add 'honour Labour's election pledge, and the personal promise given by the Prime Minister, to increase funding for students at sixth form colleges to the same level as that as that for school sixth forms.'.