§ Mr. Neubertasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will make a statement about the establishment of the Secondary Examinations Council.
§ Sir Keith JosephThe appointment of Sir Wilfred Cockcroft as chairman of the council was announced on 23 November 1982 — [Vol 32, c.440] — and the appointment of further members on 2 March 1983 — [Vol 38, c. 169–170]. The Government have been pressing ahead with the appointment of staff and the formal incorporation of the council and hope that it will begin its work in May 1983. Parliamentary authority for this new service is being sought in the Supply Estimate for Class X Vote 1 — Schools, Further Education and Other Educational Services. Pending Parliament's approval, the necessary expenditure will be met by repayable advances from the Contingencies Fund.
§ Mr. Shersbyasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many full-time students there were in higher education in each of the last five years.
§ Sir Keith JosephThe information is as follows:
Year (1000's) Home Full-time and Sandwich Students in Great Britain Higher Education 1978–79 448 1979–80 455 1980–81 467 1981–82 492 1982–83 *508 * Provisional