§ Mr. Hardyasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what was the total expenditure of universities in England and Wales; and what proportion of this expenditure was devoted to the payment of wages and salaries of both academic and non-academic staffs.
§ Dr. BoysonIn the academic year 1977–78, the most recent period for which this information is available, the total expenditure of universities in England and Wales, excluding expenditure on commissioned research and services, was £703.2 million. 62.8 per cent. of that sum was devoted to the payment of wages and salaries of both academic and non-academic staffs.
§ Mr. Hardyasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what he expects will be the total expenditure of universities 196W in England and Wales during the present financial year; and what proportion of this is met from public funds.
§ Dr. BoysonInformation about universities' total expenditure comes from the universities themselves, and it is not possible at this stage to estimate what it will be in the present year. In a typical year, over 90 per cent. of universities' income, excluding income for commissioned research and contract services, comes from public funds.
§ Mr. Hardyasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if his Department has given any advice to universities in England and Wales or to the University Grants Committee in regard to the development of involvement and industrial participation by non-teaching staffs; and if he will state the dates on which such advice has been given.
§ Dr. BoysonMy Department has given no such advice.
§ Mr. Hardyasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is his estimate of the costs which are outstanding at universities in England and Wales to meet the requirements of fire precaution regulations and the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act.
§ Dr. BoysonThe latest estimate of costs in respect of universities in Great Britain was set out in the table at the end of paragraph 31 of the University Grants Committee annual survey 1977–78 (Cmnd. 7646). More up-to-date information is not available.
§ Mr. Hardyasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if payments of grants to universities in the current year adequately reflect increase in costs either in terms of general inflation or in compensation for the increase in value added tax.
§ Dr. BoysonGrants to universities in the current financial year have been increased in line with the general policy on cash limits. No allowances have been made for price rises higher than those assumed in the grants as originally settled, including those arising from the increase in value added tax. Realistic allowance has however been made for pay settlements.
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§ Mr. Hardyasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many persons are employed by each university in England and Wales; and what number of those form part of the teaching staff and of the non-academic staff, respectively.
§ Dr. BoysonThe numbers of full-time teaching and research staff in England and Wales in posts whether or not financed from general university funds, in 1978–79, were as follows:
University or College Aston 606 Bath 417 Birmingham 1,400 Bradford 543 Bristol 1,073 Brunel 332 Cambridge 1,177 City 352 Durham 513 East Anglia 364 Essex 330 Exeter 563 Hull 541 Keele 337 Kent 467 Lancaster 525 Leeds 1,334 Leicester 576 Liverpool 1,071 London Graduate School of Business Studies 67 London University 7,444 Loughborough 571 Manchester Business School 40 Manchester 1,598 University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology 539 Newcastle 1,092 Nottingham 884 Oxford 1,937 Reading 742 Salford 510 Sheffield 995 Southampton 925 Surrey 449 Sussex 672 Warwick 584 York 402 University of Wales 2,645 Open University 823 Total England and Wales 35,440 In 1978–79 there were about 72,000 full-time and part-time non-academic staff in universities in Great Britain, including the Open University. Separate figures for each university are not available.
§ Mr. Hardyasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if organisations representing non-teaching staff at universities in England and Wales have 198W received any assurance from his Department of consultation and of notification of decisions and developments; and if he is satisfied that such a commitment has been observed.
§ Dr. BoysonI understand that the previous Administration agreed to hold regular meetings with the trade union side of the Central Council for Non-Teaching Staffs in Universities to discuss key issues affecting universities, and that such meetings did take place. Following that practice, I saw the trade union side on 26 November when I promised to keep it informed.