Bury St Edmunds MP, David Ruffley, praised West Suffolk College in the House of Commons on Thursday 14th October, for their commitment to adult learning and the advantage that this has to the voluntary sector in the UK.

Directing his question at the Minister for Further Education, Skills and Lifelong Learning, Mr John Hayes MP, Mr Ruffley asked the Minister if he was seeking to charge adult students more fees ('co-payment' in the jargon).

Mr Hayes stated that he was not able to answer the question due to the pending comprehensive spending review.

Mr Ruffley: Evidence from the excellent West Suffolk college in my constituency suggests that those who participate in adult learning increase their activity in the third sector. Given the necessary constraint on public spending, would the Minister perhaps give us a clue as to whether he is going to encourage more co-payment of fees?

Mr Hayes: Any clues offered on that subject would do me no good at all. It would be entirely inappropriate to prejudge the discussions on the comprehensive spending review. May I just say how welcome it is to see my hon. Friend in the Chamber today?