§ Mr. Crouchasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what steps he proposes to take to reassure university staff who have expressed concern at apparent trends in the level of support for higher education; and if he will make a further statement.
§ Mr. WaldenThe Government's expenditure plans envisage that if inflation declines at the rate we expect, universities will need to make savings in real terms of about 1 per cent. a year between now and 1988–89. We56W recognise that this will face universities with a difficult task but, given the need to constrain the growth of public expenditure, we believe that this is not unreasonable and can be achieved through increases in efficiency. Nevertheless, my right hon. Friend and I have made clear on a number of occasions that we would be very ready to consider any systematic information provided by universities or their staff about possible adverse consequences for the size and quality of the university system, and to take account of such information in our further planning.