HC Deb 10 April 1986 vol 95 cc145-6W
Mr. Carter-Jones

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what discussions he has had with the Open University regarding sustaining its range of courses; what action his Department is taking to maintain the science and technology areas of the work of the Open University; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Walden

My right hon. Friend last met the vice chancellor and the chairman of the council of the Open University on 9 December 1985. The Government have demonstrated their commitment to increasing activity in the science and technology areas of the university's work by providing additional funds for that purpose, most recently as part of the engineering and technology programme.

Mr. Carter-Jones

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science to what he attributes recent increases in the number of people refusing the offer of a place on the undergraduate programme of the Open University; if he will consider introducing special grants where such refusals are caused by unavoidable poverty or disability, respectively; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Walden

The number of applicants turning down the offer of a place on the Open University's undergraduate programme has decreased slightly in recent years. The university provides financial assistance from within its recurrent grant for those students who are most in need. Since 1982 the Government have earmarked sums (£0.6 million in 1986) to enable the university substantially to reduce the fees for unemployed students. In order to meet the additional costs of providing services to the increased numbers of disabled students the Government have, from 1986, made baseline additions to the university's recurrent grant.

Mr. Carter-Jones

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will make it his policy to increase the grants to the Open University if there has been an underestimate in the grant assumptions about inflation; what assessment he makes of the implications of such underestimations on undergraduate programmes at the Open University; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Walden

No. Decisions on the level of grants to the Open University and other centrally funded institutions take into account the availability of resources and include an allowance for inflation. Institutions must manage their operations within the moneys available to them from all sources.

Mr. Carter-Jones

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what support his Department is giving to the work of the Open University in developing adult continuing and distance education; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Walden

The Open University's recurrent grant for 1986 has been set at £59.325 million. This will be used primarily to maintain the undergraduate programme. The continuing education programme is intended to be self-financing by means of fee income and grants from sponsoring bodies, and has expanded rapidly in recent years. The Government welcome this development. In order to promote the further growth of its professional, industrial and commercial updating programme, loans totalling £2.5 million, made available to the university in the years 1982 to 1984, have, from the beginning of the financial year 1986–87, been converted to grant.

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