TRANSFER TO UNIVERSITY COURTS OF CERTAIN UNIVERSITIES OF POWER TO APPOINT PRINCIPALS (Hansard, 8 June 1981)

§ Mr. Foulkes

I beg to move amendment No. 88, in page 51, line 4, after 'Universities', insert 'and the power of appointing the Principal of Edinburgh University shall be transferred from the Curators of Patronage to the University Court'. I was surprised that the court of Edinburgh university did not accept this amendment, which the Government said they would put to it. My old friend Lord Cameron, who is also chairman of the Curators of Patronage and a member of the court, no doubt frightened all the other members into submission. On a matter such as this I think that they are frightened that he will give them life imprisonment if they disagree with him.

I was not surprised that the district council did not agree, because it desperately clings to its past glories. It is inappropriate for the district council representatives to play this part in appointing a senior officer of the university when all the other senior officers are appointed by the university court, which is representative of the interests of staff, students and the wider community.

The argument that it is "the toon's college" and was formed by the "toon", unlike other universities—an argument put forward by Edinburgh university—is quite spurious, bearing in mind that it was formed 397 years ago when there was an independent Scotland with a separate king. Conditions are somewhat different today.

I hope that the Government will see the force of my argument. The Under-Secretary of State said in Committee that the Government agreed in principle with what I was suggesting and with the argument put forward by my hon. Friends and Tory Members. I warned him of the reception that he would get from the court and the district council. Because of that he has abandoned the principle. That is typical of the Government. I hope that the Minister will stick to the principle and accept the amendment.