§ Mr. Andrew F. Bennettasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science, when deciding to close a further education course on the grounds that the number of students is too low and that there is a similar course within a reasonable distance, what account he takes of the distance and time taken to travel to such an alternative course.
470Wto each of the Scottish universities over each of the last 10 years in social sciences, medicine and technology, respectively.
§ Mr. PrenticeFollowing are the latest available figures showing expenditure from research grants by Scottish universities in the academic years 1971– 72 and 1972–73. Corresponding figures have been published annually in Volume 6 (Universities) of "Statistics of Education" for the years 1965–66 to 1970–71, for example, in Table 46 of the issue for 1971. Comparable figures are not available for earlier years:
§ Mr. PrenticeNo course is closed under the powers vested in me before consideration has been given to the accessibility of an alternative course. But the circumstances of courses differ and the significance of distance and travelling time will vary from case to case; thus each individual decision calls for the exercise of discretion.