HC Deb 08 March 1993 vol 220 cc389-91W
Mr. Dafis

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will list the members of the research students awards committees within each research council during each of the last five years, indicating the institution where each member is based.

Mr. Robert Jackson

I will write to the hon. Member with the information he has requested, copies of which will be placed in the Library of the House.

Mr. Dafis

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster if he will make a statement outlining the criteria chosen by research councils to assess the quality of higher education institutions' departments when deciding upon the allocation of research student awards.

Mr. Robert Jackson

The criteria used by the research councils to assess the quality of higher education institutions' departments are as follows:

Agricultural and Food Research Council The council's postgraduate studentship scheme is project-based. Applications are individually assessed on the following criteria:

  1. 1. the strength of the application to provide the student with a sound research education and training;
  2. 2. the reputation and track-record of the supervisor, department and institution;
  3. 3. the relevance to AFRC's scientific programme and priorities.
The studentship panels also use personal knowledge, Universities Funding Council selectivity exercise ratings and the information provided on the application form to judge the quality of the department. The AFRC does not operate a quota system.

Economic and Social Research Council The criteria which the ESRC employs for the recognition of HEI departments for research student awards were published in 1991 in the council's "Postgraduate Training Guidelines" (paragraph A3). They are:

  1. 1. the adequacy of provision for formal training for students in research methods and related issues;
  2. 2. the adequacy of the arrangements for the supervision of students;
  3. 3. the presence of a good research environment so that the student is conducting research in an environment of other scholars and postgraduates actively researching in related areas;
  4. 4. an adequate throughput of students so that the student is unlikely to become isolated from his or her peers;
  5. 5. a satisfactory thesis submission rate for students which demonstrates that the majority complete their research within the expected time.
The ESRC does not allocate research training awards to individual departments. Student applications are submitted to an annual competition. The criteria are published in the council's studentship handbook.

Medical Research Council Criteria used by the MRC to assess the quality of higher education institutions' departments when deciding upon the allocation of research student awards are:

  1. 1. the quality of the proposed projects and their suitability as phD Projects;
  2. 2. the scientific track-record for the department and proposed supervisors. MRC asks for details of current grant funding and publications relevant to the proposed projects;
  3. 3. the department's track-record for training ie. the number of students in the department and the submission/completion rates;
  4. 4. the opportunities for a good broad-based training.

Natural Environment Research Council The quality of the department is only one of the elements taken into consideration in deciding on research student awards. The NERC uses the total number of research students, and the total value of research grants in the departments as indicators of a vibrant research environment. Account is also taken of the excellence of the science involved, the training element within the programme, the track-record of the potential supervisor, and cooperation with industry.

Science and Engineering Research Council Academic departments applying for quotas of SERC studentships need to give information on departmental complement (all staff, including vacant posts); the size of the postgraduate school (full-time and part-time PhD and Masters students); and the size of the undergraduate school. Undergraduate degree results from the previous two years must be given. Sources of support for postgraduate students are summarised, as well as sources and scale of research grant/contract support. For each research studentship sought, a description of the research area must be provided, as well as details of the academic supervisor (number of students supervised, and number of relevant publications over the past two years), and any use required of SERC central or overseas facilities. Information is also sought on training programmes offered for research students. Based on this information, quota allocations are made on the quality and timeliness of proposed areas of research, the academic track-record of departments (especially at postgraduate level), previous records of take-up of awards, and such indicators as submissions rates (departments with poor submission rates are sanctioned).

Mr. Dafis

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster what was(a) the total number and (b) the value in pounds sterling of (i) advanced course studentships, (ii) research studentships and (iii) research grants granted to each academic institution in the United Kingdom during each of the last five years by each research council.

Mr. Robert Jackson

Much of the information requested on research grants and studentships can be found, in most cases, in the research councils' annual reports or handbooks for the past five years. Copies of these publications are in the Library of the House. I am also obtaining some additional material which I propose to forward to the hon. Gentleman and place in the Library of the House as soon as it is available.

Mr. Dafis

To ask the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster (1) what plans he has to examine the process by which research councils select membership of research student awards committees;

(2) if he will make it his policy to publish guidelines to research councils to secure that members of research students awards committees who have a close connection with an academic institution or institutions make a declaration of interests and are prevented from taking direct decisions on the allocation of research studentships to such institutions.

Mr. Robert Jackson

My right hon. Friend has no plans to intervene in the procedures adopted by the research councils either for selecting the members of their awards committees, or to select suitable recipients of their postgraduate awards. Where there is a potential conflict of interest affecting anyone involved in the selection process for awards, there are established procedures at all the research councils for preventing this from happening. Under agreed resource management arrangements, postgraduate studentship award allocations are matters entirely within the competence of the councils themselves.