§ 24. Mr. Raphael Tuckasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he will initiate legislation for the establishment of a tribunal to hear appeals from university students against decisions of their college to send them down for offences which they have committed.
§ Mr. CroslandNo, Sir. It is for universities to make their own arrangements for student discipline, and I do not consider this an appropriate subject for legislation. I am sure that universities take great care in cases of this kind, and in many instances there are specific procedures laid down for the exercise of a right of hearing.
§ Mr. TuckMost universities do not have this. Without making any comment on the justice or otherwise of sending the men down from Sidney Sussex College recently, I ask my right hon. Friend to accept that, in cases of this kind, a right of appeal is desirable for students as the consequences may affect the whole of their future lives.
§ Mr. CroslandNo, Sir; the internal government of the universities is not a matter on which it would be proper for the Government to intervene. I am sure that it is right to leave questions of this kind to the universities to decide, but I can say, as I implied in my original Answer, that when charters for new universities or new charters come to us for approval, we try to make sure that they include some provision for a formal 1445 hearing by the senate or by a sub-committee of the senate before a final decision is taken to suspend or expel any student.