§ Q6. Mr Ridleyasked the Prime Minister what are the responsibilities of the Secretary of State for Education and Science in regard to the financing of institutions of higher education.
§ The Prime MinisterMy right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Education and Science is responsible for the Exchequer grants to universities in Great Britain for capital and recurrent expenditure. These are allocated to universities by the University Grants Committee. He is responsible, through the research councils, for grants to universities for scientific research projects. Directly through his Department he makes grants to a number of institutions of further education and the voluntary colleges of education in England and Wales.
The remainder of the institutions of higher education in England and Wales are maintained by the local education authorities who receive assistance from the Exchequer through the general grant and the rate deficiency grant.
§ Mr. RidleyI am grateful to the Prime Minister for that reply, but may I ask whether he remembers saying on 29th May, 1963, that a Labour Government would abolish fee-paying throughout the universities? Is he aware that I have had a letter from the Department saying that this is not to be done? Can he tell us whether this is another broken pledge on the part of the Government?
§ The Prime MinisterThe Hon. Gentleman's supplementary question does not seem to arise very much from the Question, but I will say to him that whatever was in our election manifesto or in our election programme is still the policy of the Government. I never suggested— [Interruption.]—nor did any of my colleagues suggest that we would carry through a five-year programme in three months, particularly in the conditions we inherited.