§ Mr. Greenwayasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what criteria determine which schemes within the PICKUP programme should be provided grant and which schemes should be provided with a loan.
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§ Mr. BrookeA limited amount of support in the form of grants is available, under the PICKUP programme, for relevant curriculum development and research. The former is administered by the further education unit and I shall write to my hon. Friend with full details of the criteria which it applies in considering proposals. Some educational research projects in the PICKUP field are also supported and may be commissioned directly by the Department. Each proposal is judged on its merits.
A special arrangement has been made with the Open University whereby a loan has been provided for the development of courses specifically directed at the updating and retraining of those in industry. No other loans are made under the PICKUP programme.