HC Deb 10 June 1986 vol 99 cc160-1
4. Mr. Kirkwood

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he has any plans to increase funding for the advanced further education pool for 1986–87.

Mr. Walden

No, Sir. The advanced further education pool for 1986–87 was determined in November 1985 by my right hon. Friend the Member for Leeds, North-East (Sir K. Joseph) at £661 million. That represented an increase of 6 per cent. over 1985.86.

Mr. Kirkwood

In the light of the recent survey of employers' demands for graduates increasing by 4 per cent. annually, will the Government take an early opportunity to respond to the National Advisory Board's plans to reduce polytechnic intakes by up to 9,000 places? Is the Minister not now in danger of repeating mistakes that he has already made in universities in the public sector?

Mr. Walden

The allegation that the Government have a policy of cutting places at polytechnics was rubbish two months ago and it is rubbish today. There has been a great deal of selective quotation from the HMI report, and I, too, would like to make a selective, but truthful, quotation: Advanced further education still has some scope to provide for some further increases in the total numbers of students. That completely undermines the proposals put around by the NAB secretariat and completely supports the Government's point of view.

Mr. Shearman

Will the Minister come clean? The fact is that the NAB secretariat, working on figures from his Department, is planning for a cut in the number of students at polytechnics of 9,000 to 10,000. That will mean even less opportunity for young people seeking higher education. Will the Minister announce more money so that these dreadful cuts will not take place?

Mr. Walden

I understand that the hon. Gentleman must go through all that again, but it becomes rather tiresome for us after a while. I invite him to read carefully the HMI local authority expenditure report, not on schools, but on AFE provision. The increase of 6 per cent., which I mentioned in my initial answer, which the public sector of higher education has enjoyed this year should be set against a projected inflation rate of 3.75 per cent.