§ Dr. David Clarkasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science, in light of the reduction in the grant being made by his Department to the University Grants Committee, if he is prepared to advise the University Grants Committee to make earmarked grants to universities which are being required by Government policy to increase their intake of medical and dental students; and if additional moneys for this purpose will be set aside.
§ Dr. BoysonThe University Grants Committee is at present engaged in a series of consultations with universities about the implications of the Government expenditure plans for, inter alia, the size of the university intake, including the medical and dental school intakes. It is expected that these consultations will be completed in the spring and that UGC advice will be available towards the end of the summer.
I can see no reason for departing from the long-standing principle that the allocation to individual universities of the total resources made available by the Government is a matter for the University Grants Committee.