HC Deb 17 July 1975 vol 895 cc610-1W
Mr. Roderick

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will list the sources of grants available for students to do postgraduate studies and the criteria which he expects local authorities to observe in allocating such grants.

Mr. Mulley

The main grant-awarding agencies for courses leading to higher degrees and postgraduate diplomas are the research councils and the Education Departments. Other sources of grant include industry, universities, and educational trusts. Grants are made by local education authorities under their discretionary powers for part-time postgraduate study and for a variety of courses which are not the responsibility of central Government agences. The criteria adopted by local education authorities in making such grants are entirely a matter for the authorities concerned. Grants to graduates undertaking initial teacher training in England and Wales are made for those in university departments of education by my Department, and for those in colleges of education by local education authorities.

Mr. Freud

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he can now announce the cost of postgraduate provision; and whether the University Grants Committee has refined the calculation that each postgraduate place in arts and social studies costs the equivalent of two undergraduate places and each postgraduate in a science-based subject costs the equivalent of three undergraduate places.

Mr. Mulley

No. Postgraduate costs are not wholly separate from other costs. The current assumptions on the relationship between costs for undergraduate and postgraduate places are set out in paragraph 19 of Appendix 6 to the UGC Report "University Development 1967–1972" (Cmnd. 5728), a copy of which is in the Library.

Mr. Freud

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is the latest estimate of numbers engaged in full-time postgraduate research courses in the United Kingdom.

Mr. Mulley

There were 55,500 full-time and sandwich postgraduate students in the United Kingdom in 1973–74, the latest year for which full details are available, of whom about 24,000 were on research as distinct from taught courses.