§ Mr. William Wilsonasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science (1) what advice he will give to the national advisory body for local authority higher education at its meeting on 14 December as to the allocation of the advanced further education pool in relation to polytechnics;
(2) if he will advise the national advisory body for local authority higher education that no reduction should be made in the allocation of funds to those polytechnics which are of high quality and cost effective;
(3) if he will advise the national advisory body for local authority higher education that those polytechnics which held their student enrolments in 1981–82 to the same numbers as in 1980–81 should not be penalised because of student numbers.
§ Mr. WaldegraveIt is for the national advisory body for local authority higher education—NAB—to advise the Secretary of State on the apportionment of the advanced further education pool. The NAB has already advised that for 1983–84 the apportionment should be based on students recorded as present in November 1981, and should imply the greatest reductions in expenditure from the least cost-effective institutions. My right hon. Friend will determine the allocations for 1983–84 in the light of the NAB's further detailed advice.