HL Deb 31 March 1976 vol 369 cc1279-81WA
Lord SANDFORD

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether they will compare the staff-student ratios for the universities, polytechnics, colleges of education and all other further education colleges respectively, in subjects and courses that are broadly comparable for each of the years 1970–71 to 1975–76.

* including teacher training, remaining colleges of education being included in "other establishments".

The figure in the table rests on broad planning assumptions. The universities' recurrent grants for 1975–76 and 1976–77 are expected to accommodate rather more students than shown above. Decisions have yet to be taken on the corresponding planning figures within the overall totals for later years.

Lord SANDFORD

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether they will give the relative costs per graduate in the universities, polytechnics, colleges of education and in all other advanced level work at further education colleges respectively, for each of the years 1970–71 to 1975–76, and an estimate of the equivalent relative costs for each of the years 1976–77 to 1981–82.

Lord DONALDSON of KINGS-BRIDGE

Information in the form requested is not available. Average annual recurrent institutional cost per student for advanced courses are as follows:

Lord DONALDSON of KINGS-BRIDGE

I regret that staff student ratios for comparable courses in these institutions are not available. Individual staff may be engaged to teach courses at more than one level, with differing assumptions about time spent on research, and with various arrangements for supporting staff for administrative or technical duties; also the student load in terms of full-time equivalents is hard to establish accurately. The student staff ratios for institutions providing mainly advanced courses for the latest available years were broadly as follows:

Universities Polytechnics Colleges of
in Great in England Education
Britain* and Wales† in England
and Wales†
1970–71 8.1 8.1 10.1
1971–72 8.1 7.7 10.3
1972–73 8.0 7.0 10.2
1973–74 8.0 7.1 10.0
1974–75 8.0 6.8 10.0

* The ratio is of full-time students to full-time staff wholly financed from university funds.

†The ratio takes account of the substantial numbers of part-time students on taught courses. The numbers of polytechnics were 27, 28 and 29 in 1970–71, 1971–72 and 1972–73 respectively, and 30 in 1973–74 and 1974–75.

‡The ratio is of full-time students to full-time staff.