§ 2.45 p.m.
THE EARL OF BESSBOROUGHMy Lords, I beg leave to ask the Question which stands in my name on the Order Paper.
§ [The Question was as follows:
§ To ask Her Majesty's Government what their intentions are regarding the establishment of a University of the Air as proposed over a year ago by the present Prime Minister; and whether they intend to expand existing educational television services by the use of separate television channels on a national or regional basis.]
§ THE MINISTER OF STATE FOR EDUCATION AND SCIENCE (LORD BOWDEN)My Lords, this question is under active consideration, but I am afraid that it is not yet possible to say when any definite statement can be made.
THE EARL OF BESSBOROUGHMy Lords, in thanking the noble Lord for a reply, which I had hoped would be a little fuller, may I, none the less, congratulate him on his first Answer at the Box? May I also ask the noble Lord whether he would not agree that it might be desirable, in order to gain experience, to license stations on a regional or local basis where a university is ready to undertake all or part of the responsibility, and where funds may be made available; as, perhaps, in the case of Queen's University, Belfast?
§ LORD BOWDENMy Lords, this is one of the many things we are talking about at this moment. The experiments which are being performed in Nottingham and in East Anglia are well known to us, and we welcome them; and this is one of the many things we are trying to settle at the moment. I apologise for not being in a position to say more. This is an extremely complex enterprise, and I think I can hardly be accused of exaggeration if I say we are facing something comparable in complexity to establishing, for example, an entirely new system of universities. One cannot do this without very prolonged consideration of the relevant facts, something which is taking a longer time than I had hoped.
THE EARL OF BESSBOROUGHMy Lords, I thank the noble Lord for that fuller reply. May I ask whether it will be possible to make the fuller statement within the next hundred days?
§ LORD BOWDENMy Lords, indeed I hope so and I am sure that all Members of your Lordships' House will be with me in thinking so. Again I apologise, but this is a very complex enterprise on which we are working. I assure you that we are going as fast as we can.