§ Mr. Don FosterTo ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) what percentage of the Higher Education Funding Council for England's teaching allocations was set aside in 1993–94 to compensate for the change in the balance between core and tuition fees; and what was the total sum allocated for compensation and the total funds allocated for research;
(2) how many institutions received marginal funding for teaching above £300,000 from the Higher Education Funding Council for England in 1993–94 and 1994–95; and what was the amount of money allocated in each case;
(3) what proportion of Higher Education Funding Council for England research funds in 1993–94 and 1994–95 was employed in the category of development research, supporting technical development of new forms of teaching and learning; which of the old universities received allocations in this category and what was the maximum and minimum allocation made to any institution in this category;
(4) in which separate categories of the allocations itemised by the Higher Education Funding Council for England in 1993–94 and 1994–95 the sums distributed by the council amounted to less than 1 per cent. of the total;
(5) if she will list the amounts allocated for research to the 10 institutions receiving least in research funds from the Higher Education Funding Council for England in 1993–94 and 1994–95;
(6) how many institutions received research funds from the Higher Education Funding Council for England (a) above £20 million, (b) less than £20 million but above £1 million, (c) less than £1 million but greater than zero or (d) zero research funds for 1993–94 and 1994–95;
(7) what was the maximum total research allocation by the Higher Education Funding Council for England to any single institution in 1993–94 and 1994–95.
(8) if she will list separately the funds provided by the Higher Education Funding Council for England for teaching and for research for (a) the Open University, (b) the old universities, (c) the former polytechnics and (d) colleges for 1993–94 and 1994–95.
§ Mr. BoswellThe figures requested are published in the Higher Education Funding Council for England's circulars 35/93 and 31/94, copies of which are available in the Library.
§ Mr. Don FosterTo ask the Secretary of State for Education what mechanisms the Higher Education Funding Council for England uses to identify best practice in teaching; and what financial incentives are used to encourage it.
§ Mr. BoswellThe Higher Education Funding Council for England recruits appropriate academics to undertake quality assessments of teaching and learning in specific subjects at higher education institutions. An unsatisfactory assessment risks the withdrawal of funds unless corrected during a specified period. Reports of individual assessments are published and, as the assessments for each subject area are completed, an overview report for the whole subject area is published. This peer review identifies best practice and reports on it in the detailed assessment and overview reports.
862WThe HEFCE, jointly with the other funding councils and the Department of Education for Northern Ireland, also supports a teaching and learning technology programme which aims to promote best practice, flexibility and efficiency in teaching within higher education through the greater use of new technology.
§ Mr. Don FosterTo ask the Secretary of State for Education whether she has carried out a review into the effectiveness of the funding methodology applied by the Higher Education Funding Council for England in achieving the objectives given to the council by the Government; and if she will make a statement.
§ Mr. BoswellThe effectiveness of funding policy, including the funding methodology of the Higher Education Funding Council for England, in achieving the Government's objectives for higher education is kept under constant review.
§ Mr. Don FosterTo ask the Secretary of State for Education if she will list the maximum and minimum full-time undergraduate average unit of Higher Education Funding Council for England funding by academic subject category for 1993–94 and 1994–95; and which institutions received these figures in each case.
§ Mr. BoswellDetails of the average units of council funding for 1993–94 are published in the Higher Education Funding Council for England's report 1/94, a copy of which is available in the Library. Details for 1994–95 are not yet available.
§ Mr. Don FosterTo ask the Secretary of State for Education what evidence she has received on trends in teaching costs in higher education institutions; and if she will make a statement.
§ Mr. BoswellThe higher education sector has achieved significant reductions in unit costs in recent years. Up to 1993–94, the scale of the productivity gains in terms of unit public funding exceeded those planned by the Government as a result of institutions' decisions to recruit at above the level of the Government's plans.
§ Mr. Don FosterTo ask the Secretary of State for Education (1) what mechanisms exist to ensure that funds allocated by the Higher Education Funding Council for England for research are not used for other purposes;
(2) what measures are in place to ensure that the expenditure in institutions funded by the Higher Education Funding Council for England reflects the allocations made by the Higher Education Funding Council for England relating to research and teaching.
§ Mr. BoswellThe majority of recurrent funding from the Higher Education Funding Council for England is provided in the form of a block grant. Higher education institutions, being autonomous, are free to deploy the grant to meet their own needs and priorities, subject to the terms of their financial memoranda with the HEFCE.
The HEFCE has asked institutions to account annually for their allocation of research funds to individual departments, though not to account for how those funds are spent. This will enable higher education institutions to plan their research better and provide improved public accountability.