§ Mr. Brothertonasked the Secretary of State for Employment what public funds were paid to Ruskin College, Oxford (a) in 1976–77 and (b) to date in 1977–78, for trade union education and training.
§ Mr. OakesI have been asked to reply. Ruskin College receives a deficiency grant from my Department to support its provision for long-term residential courses of liberal adult education in a number of subjects. In the academic year 1976–77 this grant amounted to £227,441; and £99,764 has been paid to date in the current year. Students on these courses, of whom about a third pursue a course in labour studies, are eligible for State awards which include fees. The college's other provision which includes short courses and summer schools in trade union studies is, for the purposes of this deficit grant, required to be self-financing. For these short courses and schools, the college received no contribution through the TUC from the Government grant aid in support of the work of the TUC and independent unions in trade union education and training.