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Select committee: Public Accounts Committee

Treasury minutes: Government response to the Committee of Public Accounts on the Thirty eighth report from Session 2019-21

Published 26 March 2021

Public Accounts Committee Managing colleges’ financial sustainability Report on parliament.uk ↗

At a glance

The government's response

This document responds to Thirty-Eighth Report - Managing colleges’ financial sustainability.

This is the government's response, published 26 March 2021.

Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.

The government states that it "agrees with the Committee's recommendation" on each of the seven recommendations in the response, with target implementation dates given for several.

  • On VAT, it agrees with the recommendation and says the department will "explore the potential routes and efficacy" of it with HMRC, and will engage HMRC/HM Treasury "to gauge ministers' appetite" for changing or implementing legislation (target date: August 2021).
  • On funding based on student numbers, the department says it is "currently developing a consultation" on how a change to the college funding formula could help, and is "considering the advantages, disadvantages and possibilities" of a system based on real time activity.
  • On intervention, it will consult sector stakeholders to "review and publish an update" to its college oversight support and intervention policy in May 2021, and the Committee will be provided with a copy.
  • On T Level work placements, the department will write to the Committee in July 2021 setting out what assurances it has that there will be enough industry placements, and the impact of COVID-19 on their availability.

Read the government's response ↗ Report an error

Sources