§ Lord Marlesfordasked Her Majesty's Government:
What were the events leading to the dispute which has resulted in the withdrawal of the management from, and the subsequent student occupation of, the library of the School of Oriental and African Studies at London University; and what proposals they have to remedy this situation.
§ Baroness BlackstoneRepresentatives of the student body at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) began their occupation of the school's library from Thursday 26 November as part of their protest against reductions in access to the University of London Library (ULL). Schools of the University of London which are directly funded by the Higher Education Funding Council for England subscribe to those services of the University of London, including ULL, which they wish to purchase. I understand that the ULL has increased subscription rates this year and SOAS took2WA the decision to reduce the number of subscriptions to ULL rather than incur the extra cost.
In compliance with Health and Safety regulations, all staff were withdrawn from the library while it was occupied. The matter was satisfactorily resolved by negotiation and the occupation ended voluntarily on 2 December. The school has accepted the principle of open access to the library, subject to academic validation, and has undertaken to purchase a substantial number of additional ULL subscriptions.
SOAS, as a constituent college of the University of London, is an independent, autonomous body responsible for the management of its own academic and financial affairs. Ministers have no legal basis on which to intervene.