§ LORD BEAUMONT OF WHITLEYMy 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§ To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their policy regarding grants withdrawn by local authorities from students in higher education on grounds of misbehaviour in their college or university.]
§ BARONESS PHILLIPSMy Lords, where the academic authorities exclude a student from a course, either temporarily or permanently, local education authorities must suspend or terminate the award as appropriate. In all other cases the local education authorities must consult the academic authorities before taking any action.
§ LORD BEAUMONT OF WHITLEYMy Lords, while thanking the Minister for that reassuring reply, may I ask whether she is aware that at least one authority requires those who receive grants to sign an undertaking to repay those grants, if required to do so, on,
any failure to comply with the rules of the college or universityThere is no reference to the college or university having taken any steps.
§ BARONESS PHILLIPSMy Lords, I am aware of that. I will pass that information on to my right honourable friend, although I am not quite sure that it deals precisely with the point at issue. This is surely an undertaking given before students go to the university, whereas this rule refers to the student who has in fact been disciplined.
§ LORD BEAUMONT OF WHITLEYMy Lords, is it not a bad thing that people should have to undertake to repay these grants merely if they break a rule, 656 even if the university or the college has not taken any action?
§ BARONESS PHILLIPSMy Lords, as the noble Lord will appreciate, any comment I make personally would be quite useless. This must be a comment made on behalf of Her Majesty's Government, which I am not empowered to make.
§ LORD POPPLEWELLMy Lords, is my noble friend aware that there is a tremendous amount of sympathy abroad in the country for the local education authorities to stop these grants where students grossly misbehave? It is not just a question of breaking a rule, or anything of that description. In view of the scenes that have been taking place, is not my noble friend aware that there is a strong feeling about that matter in the country? Probably it would be right for the education authorities to stop the grants of some of these people until they behave as reasonable citizens.
§ BARONESS PHILLIPSMy Lords, I am of course aware of the feeling in this connection. I would again say that it is not quite on the same point as that raised in the Question of the noble Lord, Lord Beaumont.
§ LORD MOLSONMy Lords, will the noble Baroness confirm that under the Universities and Other Awards Regulations of 1965, the academic authorities are the sole arbiters of the academic misbehaviour or good behaviour of students, and that the local authorities are under an obligation under these Regulations to disallow any grants that are made to a student during the time of his or her suspension?
§ BARONESS PHILLIPSMy Lords, as I understand it from the Regulations, that is so.
§ LORD BEAUMONT OF WHITLEYMy Lords, is not the contrary also so: that if the academic authorities are the sole arbiters, the local education authorities should not take action unless requested to do so by a university authority?
§ BARONESS PHILLIPSMy Lords, if I may refer the noble Lord to the last part of the reply to the original Question, I said:
In all other cases the local education authorities must consult the academic authorities before taking any action".