Philip Dunne today criticised the Government's failure to ensure that adult education is encouraged.Philip Dunne, MP for Ludlow, today criticised the Government's failure to ensure that adult education is encouraged after it was revealed that there had been a 25% decrease in the number of adults in further education in Shropshire. The data was released by the Department of Education and Skills in response to a Parliamentary Question asked by Mr Dunne.

In 2002 - 2003, the number of adults in further education in Shropshire stood at 38,507. But by 2005 - 2006, this had plummeted 25% to 30,747.

Mr Dunne said: "We hear a lot of talk from Tony Blair and Gordon Brown about the importance of education and skills. But here on the ground in Shropshire the reality is different. The Learning and Skills Council locally has been shut down and subsumed within a regional body. The Further Education College in Bridgnorth has been closed and now we see the impact: adults choosing to study to build their skills have declined dramatically this past year. We cannot expect people to travel for miles each time they want to attend a class. Learning cannot all be done remotely online. I campaigned against the closure of Bridgnorth and am supporting the County Council's efforts to boost adult learning facilities in the county."