§ Mr. SternTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he has any plans to increase the financial independence of universities and polytechnics.
Mr. JacksonUnder the Education Reform Act, polytechnics in England are being re-established as institutions independent of local education authorities, with funding from the Polytechnics and Colleges Funding Council. Following the Act, there is a wide-ranging debate on the funding of higher education which the Government want to see develop and mature further. However, we are actively considering the possibility of some shift in the flow of public funds from the grants to be disbursed by the higher education funding councils towards students' fees met under the mandatory awards arrangements.