§ Mr. WillisTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what plans he has to remove HEFC grant from those universities which fail to collect the student fee element. [22370]
§ Dr. HowellsGiven the concern that has been expressed by universities about the reduction in public funding per student since 1989, it would be surprising if many decided that they could forgo tuition fees for a substantial number of students. However, where a university has extensive private income—for instance, from business sponsorship—which it can use to reduce or waive fees without affecting the quality of its provision, then we would not seek to intervene.