§ Sir Ian Lloydasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he is satisfied that no discrimination on the grounds of race, colour or creed is involved in the selection of South African students to attend British institutions of higher education at public expense.
§ Mr. Chris PattenThe training in question is specifically for the benefit of non-white South Africans disadvantaged by the apartheid system. A limited number of opportunities for study are provided to specially selected white South Africans through other channels.
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§ Sir Ian Lloydasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he will set out the criteria employed by the Educational Opportunities Council of the United States of America in choosing South African students to attend British institutions of higher education at public expense.
§ Mr. Chris PattenThe Education Opportunities Council is a non-governmental organisation in South Africa and is not funded by the United States Government. Students are selected on an individual basis and in the light of their educational qualifications.
§ Sir Ian Lloydasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what is the financial basis of the arrangement made between his Department and the Education Opportunities Council of the United States of America.
§ Mr. Chris PattenWe pay a fee to the Educational Opportunities Council for its administrative services in selecting candidates for the new programme of undergraduate training announced by my noble Friend the Minister of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, Baroness Young, in another place on 21 October 1986.
§ Sir Ian Lloydasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he will state the reasons why his Department was unable to make its own arrangements for the selection of South African students to attend British institutions of higher education at public expense.
§ Mr. Chris PattenMy Department is involved in the selection process through the agency of the British Council representative in Johannesburg; the large number of applications for scholarships has necessitated the involvement also of the Educational Opportunities Council, a non-governmental organisation in South Africa.
§ Sir Ian Lloydasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what proportion of the students currently selected to attend British institutions of higher education from South Africa at public expense have been sponsored or in any way recommended by the African National Congress.
§ Mr. Chris PattenNone.