§ Mr. van Straubenzeeasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science, if he will make a statement about his Department's cash limits for the financial year 1979–80 and, in particular, the effect on grant available to universities in that year.
§ Mr. Mark CarlisleI have reviewed the cash limit for Vote 4—Universities etc—announced in the Government's White Paper on cash limits (Cmnd. 7604) to take account of the revised forecast cost of pay settlements in the financial year 1979–80. The cash limit has been increased to £872.730 million. Subject to parliamentary approval, the recurrent grant available to the University Grants Committee for distribution to universities will be increased by £31.85 million. This announcement should enable delayed pay negotiations to be resumed soon. The only other change is in the cash limit on DES/LAI—value of building projects started—which is being revised from £234.6 million to £201.6 million to reflect the reduction in the education building programme for 1979–80 announced in June.