§ Mrs. Iris RobinsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what assistance is available to facilitate medical students who wish to train part-time. [179083]
§ Mr. HuttonThe Department is not responsible for facilitating part-time training for medical students; that is rightly the responsibility of the independent universities and medical schools. Universities are autonomous bodies which are responsible for operating their own admission systems, but they collectively adhere to the Guiding Principles for the admission of Medical Students, issued by the council of heads of medical schools in February 1999. This guidance follows principles of fairness, diversity and equity in access.