91.Section 24 of this Act adds a new section 25B into the 2005 Act.
92.This new section 25B contains a regulation-making power for the Scottish Ministers to require the sharing of specified information about individuals, for the purposes of enabling, encouraging or increasing participation in further and higher education by persons belonging to socio-economic groups Ministers consider to be under-represented in further education and higher education. The outcome of such information-sharing is to be that the specified information is then available to a fundable post-16 education body which is provided funding for the delivery of further or higher education.
93.The provision allows Ministers to set out the details of the information-sharing process in the regulations, including by prescribing the information covered and the persons involved in the process (who may in particular include a post-16 education body within the meaning of the 2005 Act). Regulations under this section are subject to the affirmative procedure.
94.Amendment of lists of fundable bodies
Commentary on Provisions Part 2 – Functions of the Scottish Further and Higher Education Funding Council Section 24: Widening access to fundable further and higher education: sharing of information