Leighton Andrews, Minister for Educations and Skills
This was published under the 2011 to 2016 administration of the Welsh Government
The Further and Higher Education (Governance and Information) (Wales) Bill 2013 has been laid today, 29 April 2013.
The Bill removes a number of technical restrictions and controls on colleges without changing the principal powers of colleges to provide further, higher and (within some limits) secondary education. The provisions recognise the maturity of the Further Education sector since incorporation in 1993 and seek to reverse the Office for National Statistics’ (ONS) classification of further education institutions as part of central government for the purpose of national accounts.
The Bill will also include a provision to allow data sharing for the supply of information to be used for the operation of the student grants and loans regulations from Her Majesty’s Revenue and Custom (HMRC) (verification of household income). This provision is part of the project to modernise Student Finance Wales by creating a centralised, modern and efficient service that can improve the application process for Welsh domiciled students.