To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what plans he has to ensure that colleges of further education are not penalised financially as a result of the transfer of responsibility for funding part-time higher education courses in further education colleges from the Further Education Funding Council to the Higher Education Funding Council. [81872]

The funding to transfer from FEFC to HEFCE from 1999–2000 has been calculated based on detailed information from the colleges concerned. These colleges were invited to confirm that the proposed funding transfer is appropriate. HEFCE and FEFC jointly commissioned research, which has shown that HEFCE will fund the transferred provision at, at least, the same level as applies now in FE.