HC Deb 06 June 1985 vol 80 cc217-8W
Mrs. Renée Short

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science on what factors he based his decision to allocate the sum of £2.5 million to polytechnics to enable them to establish bases from which they can build up research contract work and technical partnership and development.

Sir Keith Joseph

My decision, based on advice from the NAB, was that £2.5 million should be allocated from the advanced further education (AFE) pool for 1985–86 for the selective support of science,‚ engineering and other industrially related research in local authority higher education. The individual institutions were selected by the NAB on the basis of their established strengths in these fields and their potential for the further development of research links with commerce and industry.

Mrs. Renée Short

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what joint strategies have been formulated between his Department and the National Advisory Body for Public Sector Higher Education for the financing of scientific research undertaken by polytechnics from now until the end of the 1990s.

Sir Keith Joseph

The Government's policy towards research generally in higher education is set out in Cmnd. 9524. In relation to local authority higher education, I have accepted the NAB's proposal that £2.5 million of the AFE pool for 1985–86 should be deployed selectively in support of research, and that this level of support should be at least maintained for two further years. I shall receive NAB's detailed advice on the allocation of funds for 1986–87, including research funds, later this year. In addition, I hope that polytechnics and colleges will make every effort to earn research and consultancy income from terms per pupil in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools, based on (i) figures estimated by local authorities and (ii) figures subsequently reported by local authorities.

Mr. Dunn

The average net expenditure per primary and secondary pupil, in cash and real terms, based on local authorities' returns of their original estimates to the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA) and on their actual expenditure returns to the Department of the Environment are as follows:

private sources. The Government have to this end recently introduced legislation to facilitate such commercial activities.

Mrs. Rente Short

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science on what factors he based his decision to introduce the system of allocating polytechnic funds according to the number of whole-time-equivalent students.

Sir Keith Joseph

For the financial years 1984–85 and 1985–86, I have accepted the advice of the NAB that the AFE pool should be distributed to polytechnics and colleges on the basis of target student numbers, weighted to reflect the relative cost of providing courses in different modes and subject areas.

This method, which is subject to continuing refinement, is intended to provide equitably for the cost of higher education in each institution according to its particular circumstances and in support of the NAB's plans.