§ Mr. Kenneth Clarkeasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what estimates her Department is making in its assessment of future needs for higher education of future national manpower needs for graduates in the liberal arts, social sciences, and the sciences and technology, respectively.
§ Mrs. ThatcherI am in close touch with my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Employment, who is generally responsible for information about manpower needs. Some projections of the historical pattern of distribution of graduates within the labour force have been attempted; but national manpower forecasting has not yet sufficiently developed to provide a basis for assessing future needs for a higher education in this way, except in certain specialised fields.