HC Deb 16 June 1986 vol 99 cc381-3W
Mr. D. E. Thomas

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science (1) what effect the implementation of the University Grants Committee's financing recommendations are expected to have on the provision of Welsh-medium teaching in the University of Wales;

(2) what effect the financing recommendations of the University Grants Committee are expected to have on research in each of the colleges of the University of Wales if they are implemented;

(3) what he expects the effects will be in terms of jobs lost, in each of the constituent colleges of the University of Wales if the recommendations of the University Grants Committee are implemented.

Mr. Walden

The effect on the colleges of the University of Wales of the grant allocation for 1986–87 recently announced by the University Grants Committee will depend upon decisions by the colleges on the internal allocation of the resources available to them.

In allocating grant, the UGC took account for each university of research staff and student numbers, contract research income and income from research councils and charitable bodies and its judgment of research quality.

Provision for teaching and administration in the medium of Welsh was taken into account in the calculation of grant for the University College of Wales, Aberystwyth, and the University College of North Wales, Bangor.

Mr. D. E. Thomas

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what the effects will be in terms of financing, compared with the previous quinquennium, on the colleges of the University of Wales of the implementation of the University Grants Committee's present recommendations.

Mr. Walden

The percentage changes in real terms in funding of the colleges of the University of Wales by the University Grants Committee over the period 1981–82 to 1986–87 is shown in the following table. The figures represent changes in the colleges' basic recurrent and equipment grant excluding those amounts representing compensation for redundancy and early retirement, provision for capital in recurrent expenditure and local authority rates, which are also reimbursed by the UGC.

Mr. Kenneth Baker

Between 1980–81 and 1986–87 academic years the universities' income from recurrent grant plus home student fees is estimated to have fallen by about 6 per cent. in real terms. This figure does not reflect the universities' true financial position because of the growth in income from other sources, including the payment of higher fees by overseas students following the withdrawal of the overseas student subsidy.