§ 13. Mr. Stan Thorneasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will extend the provision of further and higher education opportunities for the 16 to 18-year age group.
§ Mr. William SheltonAs has already been announced, the Government are providing for additional expenditure of £60 million for the United Kingdom 1982–83 to allow an extra 50,000 16 to 18-years-olds to stay on in full-time education. My right hon. Friend gave details of this for England in reply to a question from my hon. Friend the Member for St. Albans (Mr. Goodhew) on 17 November.—[Vol. 13, c.128–130.]
§ 20. Mr. Christopher Priceasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is his policy towards the terms of the Robbins principle, as set out in the Robbins report, that courses of higher education should be available for all who are qualified by ability and attainment to pursue them and wish to do so; and if, in the light of his evidence to the Select Committee on Education, Science and the Arts on 11 November 1981, he now intends to redefine it.
§ Sir Keith JosephThe Robbins principle is a desirable objective, but successive Governments have allowed higher education to continue expanding faster than the capacity of the economy to afford the cost.