§ Mr. HagueTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what arrangements he is making to prepare for the higher education funding councils.
§ Mr. Kenneth ClarkeThe present chairmen of the Polytechnics and Colleges Funding Council and the Universities Funding Council were appointed for a three-year term ending on 31 October this year. The chairman of the Universities Funding Council, Lord Chilver, indicated at the time of his appointment that he would not want to serve a second term of office. I have decided to appoint Sir Ron Dearing from 1 November this year as chairman of both the Polytechnics and Colleges Funding Council and the Universities Funding Council.
I am writing today to both the present chairmen inviting the councils to draw up by the end of October a joint plan of work to prepare for establishing the new English higher education funding council. The full text of my letter is available in the Library.