HC Deb 16 June 1993 vol 226 cc595-6W
Mr. Illsley

To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will list the names of the members of the regional committees of the further education and higher education funding councils who have already been nominated, together with the regional committees to which no appointment has yet been made and the date on which any outstanding appointment will be made; which organisations were consulted on the appointments; and what was the form and nature of any such consultation.

Mr. Boswell

My right hon. Friend announced on 14 April the appointment of the chairmen of seven of the nine regional advisory committees of the Further Education Funding Council. The chairmen are:

  • Greater London:—Mr. Trevor Thomas CBE
  • Northern:—Mr. Haydn Biddle
  • North West:—Mr. Peter Blount
  • Yorkshire and Humberside:—Mr. Terry Bramall
  • East Midlands:—Dr. Eric Cliffe
  • Eastern:—Councillor Paul White
  • South East:—Mr. Harry Morris CBE

The chairmen of the West Midlands and the South West regional committees will be announced shortly.

My right hon. Friend intends that there should be 12 members of each regional committee, who will be appointed in a personal capacity apart from the two members of each committee who will be representatives of the training and enterprise councils in each region. The membership will be announced as soon as possible.

Suggestions for members have been received from a variety of sources, including a number of bodies which were invited to suggest candidates from a business, local authority, special educational needs and adult learners' background, in order to supplement the names already submitted. These bodies were the CBI, the Association of British Chambers of Commerce, the Engineering Employers Federation, the local authority associations, SKILL, the National Bureau for Students with Disabilities, and the National Institute of Adult and Continuing Education.

The Higher Education Funding Council for England does not have regional committees.

Mr. Illsley

To ask the Secretary of State for Education what remuneration is to be paid to the chairmen and members of the regional committees of the further and higher education funding councils.

Mr. Boswell

There is no salary or fee for the chairmen and members of the Further Education Funding Council's regional committees. Travelling and subsistence allowances are paid by the Funding Council under the usual arrangements. The Higher Education Funding Council for England does not have regional committees.