HC Deb 08 May 1973 vol 856 cc76-9W
Mrs. Renée Short

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many universities and polytechnics have industrial liaison officers at present; and if he will list these in the OFFICIAL REPORT.

Mr. Anthony Grant

At the present time 59 universities, polytechnics and colleges of technology have industrial liaison centres attached to them, employing 65 industrial liaison officers. They are listed below, and those where two industrial liaison officers are employed are markedA

Eastern Region:

  • North East Essex Technical College, Colchester.
  • Luton College of Technology.
  • Norwich City College.
  • Oxford Polytechnic.
  • The Slough College of Technology.
  • Watford College of Technology.

East Midlands Region:

  • Derby College of Art and Technology.
  • City of Leicester Polytechnic.
  • Northampton College of Technology.
  • Trent Polytechnic, Nottingham.

London and South-East Region:

  • Barking College of Technology.
  • Hendon College of Technology.
  • Medway and Maidstone College of Technology.
  • Croydon Technical College.
  • Enfield College of Technology.
  • The Thames Polytechnic, Greenwich.
  • The City University.
  • Kingston Polytechnic.
  • Poole Technical College.
  • Portsmouth Polytechnic.
  • Twickenham College of Technology.
  • Southampton College of Technology.
  • Waltham Forest Technical College.
  • The Polytechnic of Central London, Marylebone.

Northern Region:

  • Darlington College of Technology.
  • Teesside Polytechnic, Middlesbrough.
  • Newcastle-upon-Tyne Polytechnic.

North West Region:

  • Blackburn College of Technology and Design.
  • Bolton Institute of Technology.
  • Liverpool Polytechnic.
  • Manchester Polytechnic.
  • University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology.
  • Oldham College of Technology.
  • Harris College, Preston.
  • Stockport College of Technology.
  • Wigan and District Mining and Technical College.

Scotland:

  • Robert Gordon's Institute of Technology, Aberdeen.
  • A University of Strathclyde.
  • Paisley College of Technology.

South West Region:

  • Bristol Polytechnic.
  • Gloucester Technical College.
  • Taunton Technical College.
  • Cornwall Technical College, Redruth.

Wales:

  • Newport and Monmouthshire College of Technology.
  • Swansea College of Technology.
  • Glamorgan Polytechnic, Treforest.

West Midlands Region:

  • The City of Birmingham Polytechnic.
  • A University of Aston in Birmingham.
  • A Lanchester Polytechnic, Coventry.
  • North Staffordshire Polytechnic, Stoke-on-Trent.
  • A Wolverhampton Polytechnic.
  • Worcester Technical College.

Yorkshire and Humberside Region:

  • Bradford Technical College.
  • Doncaster College of Technology.
  • Grimsby College of Technology.
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  • A The Polytechnic, Huddersfield.
  • Hull College of Technology, Kingston-upon-Hull.
  • Leeds Polytechnic.
  • A Sheffield Polytechnic.

Mrs. Renée Short

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what is the total cost borne by his Department of salaries and other expenses arising from the appointments of industrial liaison officers in universities and polytechnics.

Mr. Anthony Grant

The estimated costs paid by the Department in grants to colleges for the industrial liaison centre service and for training of industrial liaison officers in 1972–73 were £272,000. In addition, some costs were incurred by the Department in managing the service, but these are not separately recorded.

Mrs. Renée Short

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry why he is withdrawing his support for industrial liaison officers in universities and polytechnics from July next.

Mr. Anthony Grant

I would refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Liverpool, Wavertree (Mr. Tilney) on 9th August 1972, in which I said that I had decided to follow the advice of the Bolton Committee of Inquiry on Small Firms (Cmnd. 4811) and terminate the Department's financial support for the industrial liaison centre service at the end of July 1973.—[Vol. 842, c.462–63.]

Mrs. Renée Short

asked the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many liaison offices in universities and polytechnics will close and how many liaison officers will become redundant as a result of his decision to withdraw support; and if he will list these in the OFFICIAL REPORT.

Mr. Anthony Grant

Not all colleges and universities involved in the industrial liaison centre service have yet decided the future of their offices and the industrial liaison officers concerned, after 31st July 1973. At present it is known that 25 centres will close and that 10 industrial liaison officers have not been offered acceptable alternative employment by the college or local authority. The colleges concerned are shown in the list below:

  • North East Essex Technical College, Colchester.
  • Luton College of Technology.
  • Oxford Polytechnic.
  • The Slough College of Technology.
  • Watford College of Technology.
  • Northampton College of Technology.
  • Croydon Technical College.
  • The City University.
  • Kingston Polytechnic.
  • Poole Technical College.
  • Portsmouth Polytechnic.
  • Southampton College of Technology.
  • Waltham Forest Technical College.
  • The Polytechnic of Central London.
  • Bolton Institute of Technology.
  • University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology.
  • Oldham College of Technology.
  • Wigan and District Mining and Technical College.
  • University of Strathclyde.
  • Swansea College of Technology.
  • City of Birmingham Polytechnic.
  • North Staffordshire Polytechnic, Stoke-on-Trent.
  • Wolverhampton Polytechnic.
  • Worcester Technical College.
  • Grimsby College of Technology.

A further 27 centres will continue and seven have still to decide.