§ Mr. Litterickasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he is now able to announce the universities' recurrent grant for 1976–77.
§ Mr. MulleyThe universities' recurrent grant for the academic year 1976–77 will be £581 million. This year, for the first time, the recurrent grant, in common with three-quarters of all central Government voted expenditure, other than social security benefits, will be treated as a cash limit which will not be subject to supplementation for academic or other salary or price rises. If the rate of inflation were to turn out substantially higher than that allowed for in the cash limits, we would have to take stock of the position in the light of all the circumstances of the time. This is not, however, a situation which the Government expect to arise.