§ Dr. GibsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what steps he has taken to assess the structural integrity of university buildings constructed in the 1960s. [122696]
§ Mr. WicksHigher education institutions are autonomous bodies. Each university is responsible for the maintenance and repair of its own estate. No survey has been carried out to look specifically at 1960s buildings, but in 1997 the Higher Education Funding Council for England commissioned a survey to review the condition of the whole higher education estate. As a result of the survey, the Higher Education Funding Council for England introduced a "poor estates" initiative, setting aside £200 million for higher education estates funding up to 2000.