To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many Learning and Skills Council-funded capital projects relating to colleges originally planned to be completed before or in 2012 (a) are now expected to be completed later than 2012 and (b) have been discontinued; and how much (i) was originally planned to be spent and (ii) has been spent on each such project. (310001)

There are currently 64 projects currently under way (on-site) with a further two projects due to go on-site by March 2010 which are in receipt of LSC grant support. Of these projects, all 66 are scheduled to be completed by 31 December 2012.

As with all building projects, slippage can occur however the LSC are not aware of any projects with major delays. All projects approved and funded by the LSC are expected to have in place detailed contingency plans to mitigate against any outcomes. As reported by the NAO report “Renewing the physical infrastructure of English further education colleges”—most FE college capital projects come in on budget and to time.

The 64 projects currently under way have already received, or will receive over the next four years, £1.761 billion in total in grant support from the LSC. In this current financial year (2009-10), the LSC plans to spend £818.6 million in grant support to those projects. The remaining two projects due to go on-site by March 2010 will receive a total of £32.7 million in grant support in this CSR and the next.

There are zero projects that have received final approval from the LSC that have been discontinued.