§ Mr. BoswellTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will make a statement on recent developments in the establishment of an e-university in the United Kingdom. [134224]
§ Mr. WicksThe Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) has responsibility for the development of the e-universities project, which aims to establish a globally competitive provider of internet-based higher education. The Secretary of State announced on 14 September that the Government would make £14 million available to HEFCE to support the project in 2001–02. On 10 October, HEFCE issued a consultation paper on the business model for the e-universities; and the private sector will be invited to express interest in becoming potential partners in the project.