HC Deb 07 April 1981 vol 2 cc809-10
20. Mr. William Hamilton

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will make a statement on the expenditure cuts to be made in respect of the universities.

Mr. Mark Carlisle

I made an announcement to the House on 13 March about the recurrent grant for universities for the academic year 1981–82.

Mr. Hamilton

Is the right hon. Gentleman aware that there has been a great deal of alarm and despondency within the universities as a direct result of the proposals in the White Paper? Does he realise that evidence given last week to the Public Accounts Committee on this matter indicated that if those proposals were implemented immediately there would be at least 3,000 redundancies among the academics, and that the redundancy payments that those 3,000 would claim would be far more than the salaries they would expect to be paid if they were kept on?

Mr. Carlisle

We are discussing these matters with the UGC, but I must repeat that the proposals in the White Paper for 1981–82 constituted a reduction of 3 per cent. in the fundings of universities. That is essential if we are to retain control over public expenditure.

Mr. Stokes

Does my right hon. and learned Friend agree that the basic problem is that we have too many universities? What the country really needs is more students with national certificates and fewer graduates, some of whose courses are half-baked.

Mr. Carlisle

There is need to rationalise the number of courses being provided by all the various universities and colleges of higher education, and that is what we are doing.