§ Stephen HesfordTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what progress is being made on lifting the cap on university enrolment. [50674]
§ Margaret HodgeMy right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Education and Skills has accepted the recommendation of the board of the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) that they dispense with the Maximum Student Number (MaSN) control from 2002–03. It has been agreed that should the removal of the control have undesirable effects, the policies would be reconsidered. Details were announced in the HEFCE publication "Recurrent Grants for 2002–03" (March 02/11) and sent to the heads of all HEFCE-funded institutions and heads of universities in Northern Ireland.