HL Deb 31 July 1997 vol 582 cc103-4WA
Lord Renfrew of Kaimsthorn

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether the report of the National Committee of Inquiry was published by the Stationery Office, and why it has not been made available to Peers through the Printed Paper Office.

Lord Whitty

Higher Education in the Learning Society, the report of the independent National Committee of Inquiry into Higher Education, was published by the committee itself on 23 July 1997. Copies of the report were placed in the Printed Paper Office on the day of publication and, in the light of heavy demand for the report, additional copies were made available at the earliest opportunity.

Lord Renfrew of Kaimsthorn

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Why the Report of the National Committee of Inquiry into Higher Education, "Higher Education in the Learning Society" ("The Dearing Report"), which was the subject of a Ministerial statement on Wednesday 23 July, was not laid before Parliament as a Command Paper.

Lord Whitty

The National Committee of Inquiry into Higher Education was set up as an independent body. Decisions on how its report should be published and distributed were therefore a matter for the committee itself. However, in order to inform the parliamentary debate on how the recommendations should be taken forward, we made copies of the report available to noble Lords through the Printed Paper Office on the day of publication.