§ Mr. Morganasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what are the criteria on which the University Grants Committee bases its closure proposals for initial teacher training at university education faculties; whether the criteria differ as between England and Wales; and what account they take of faculties of education which have received high commendations from Her Majesty's inspectors in the relevant specialism.
Mr. JacksonThe recommendations adopted by the University Grants Committee for initial teacher training in Wales are based on a detailed study undertaken by a joint working group of the UGC and the Wales Advisory Body for Local Authority Higher Education. The proposals are intended to produce strong and well-resourced centres of teaching and research; detailed plans will now be developed in collaboration with the WAB and in consultation with the institutions concerned. The criteria employed draw not only on reports of Her Majesty's inspectors, but also on the research and recruitment record of institutions, and on the working group's own visits to all the centres of initial teacher training in Wales. No comparable exercise has been conducted in England.