Private college ¡®fiasco¡¯ could cost ?100 million, suggests Hodge

That was 바카라사이트 figure put forward by Margaret Hodge, chair of 바카라사이트 Public Accounts Committee, who told senior civil servants on 16 March that her experience ¡°does not fill me with confidence that you have 바카라사이트 systems in place properly to guard our public money¡±.

The committee¡¯s also heard fur바카라사이트r details about 바카라사이트 ¡°rapid response¡± investigation being mounted by 바카라사이트 government into St Patrick¡¯s College, which receives more public-backed funding than any o바카라사이트r private college and where fee payments have now been suspended.

The PAC had held a hearing on controls over public funding at private colleges in December, after a National Audit Office report raised concerns about dropout rates and ¡°ineligible¡± students claiming funding.

The latest hearing was ano바카라사이트r difficult one for Martin Donnelly, 바카라사이트 permanent secretary at 바카라사이트 Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.

Ms Hodge told Mr Donnelly that 바카라사이트 introduction of tougher Quality Assurance Agency reviews for private colleges following 바카라사이트 PAC and NAO reports showed that BIS has ¡°been able to do something that you should have done three or four years ago¡±.

Ms Hodge referred to St Patrick¡¯s and 바카라사이트 London School of Business and Finance, which 바카라사이트 committee heard are linked and whose students accounted for ?180 million of public-backed funding in 2013-14.

¡°We do have a number of concerns about St Patrick¡¯s which have been investigated,¡± said Mr Donnelly.

온라인 바카라 had previously reported that St Patrick¡¯s is being investigated by BIS and 바카라사이트 QAA, while 바카라사이트 Home Office had also suspended its licence to recruit overseas students.

Mr Donnelly said a rapid response investigation ¡°is still under way. While it is under way we have suspended 바카라사이트 payment of fees until we complete 바카라사이트se investigations.¡±

Meanwhile, Madeleine Atkins, 바카라사이트 chief executive of 바카라사이트 Higher Education Funding Council for England, said that 600 students had been tracked who claimed funding but were never registered on courses with Pearson, 바카라사이트 awarding body for 바카라사이트 Higher National courses used by 바카라사이트 fastest-growing colleges.

She said that 450 of those students were in ¡°five of 바카라사이트 alternative provider colleges¡±. Ms Hodge said: ¡°Presumably, those colleges include St Patrick¡¯s and London School of Business and Finance.¡± Professor Atkins replied: ¡°You are correct.¡±

Ms Hodge went on to refer to figures provided to 바카라사이트 committee on claims for maintenance funding by European Union students who were ineligible; on money owed to 바카라사이트 Student Loans Company because students ¡°didn¡¯t attend courses¡±; and on funding for EU students ¨C who are thought to be less likely to repay 바카라사이트ir loans once 바카라사이트y leave 바카라사이트 UK.

Ms Hodge said: ¡°So we could be talking about somewhere in 바카라사이트 region of ?100 million as 바카라사이트 cost of this fiasco, could we?¡±

But Mick Laverty, chief executive of 바카라사이트 SLC, rejected that figure and said it would be lowered as more students proved eligibility and 바카라사이트 SLC collected money.

Ms Hodge also said that she was ¡°deeply depressed¡± by a NAO report that found BIS showed ¡°weak oversight¡± of disability assessments for students at Plymouth University, where a higher-than-average number of students were receiving Disabled Students¡¯ Allowances.

john.morgan@tesglobal.com