§ 35. Miss Joan Lestorasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what consideration has been given by his Department to the effects of education cuts on polytechnics.
§ Mr. WaldegraveThe Government's public expenditure White Paper—Cmnd. 8175—made clear that108W provision for home students in higher education would be progressively reduced so that by 1983–84 net institutional expenditure would be rather more than 8 per cent. below the level previously planned. The detailed implications of these plans for the non-university sector, including polytechnics, have since been discussed with the local authority associations, most recently in connection with determining the size and distribution of the advanced further education pool. The importance which Ministers attach to securing the most effective use of resources is reflected in the Secretary of State's recent initiative in inviting the local authority associations to co-operate with the Department of Education and Science in establishing interim machinery for the coordination of provision of local authority higher education.