§ Mrs. Anne CampbellTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what plans the Government have to consult students on higher education courses. [63936]
§ Margaret HodgeStudents' views are at the heart of the new arrangements for quality assurance in higher education, which will be introduced from September 2002. Students and graduates will be asked to rate their courses through a range of surveys and their views will be published. A national survey of graduates will be piloted in October 2002 and will be followed by full implementation in Autumn 2003.
§ Mr. LawsTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what proportion of young people in each English county entered higher education in the latest year for which information is available; and if she will make a statement. [67106]
§ Margaret Hodge[holding answer 8 July 2002]The latest available information, showing the proportion of 18 year olds from each local education authority in England entering full-time undergraduate courses in the UK via the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS), is shown in the table.
Our programmes to raise standards in schools and colleges will have a major impact on increasing participation in HE. We have introduced the Excellence Challenge in Excellence in Cities areas and Education Action Zones, working with young people from the age of 13, which, together with the Aim Higher campaign, will encourage more young people from disadvantaged backgrounds to aspire to HE. We are also encouraging more Higher Education Institutions to introduce a range
185Wof measures to enable more people to participate in higher education including part-time learning and access programmes for mature students.
186W
Proportion of English domiciled students aged 18 accepted through Ucas to full-time undergraduate courses in the UK autumn 2001 entry Local Education Authority (LEA) 17 year old population in 2000 18 year olds accepted to HE in 2001 Proportion entering Higher Education percentage Barking and Dagenham 2,029 231 11.4 Barnet 3,872 1,234 31.9 Barnsley 2,723 437 16.0 Bath and North East Somerset 1,913 479 25.0 Bedfordshire 4,729 1,119 23.7 Bexley 2,671 488 18.3 Birmingham 13,765 2,447 17.8 Blackburn with Darwen 2,059 368 17.9 Blackpool 1,734 254 14.6 Bolton 3,449 826 24.0 Bournemouth 1,564 363 23.2 Bracknell Forest 1,439 305 21.2 Bradford 6,797 1,209 17.8 Brent 3,177 976 30.7 Brighton and Hove 2,602 370 14.2 Bromley 3,163 989 31.3 Buckinghamshire 6,017 1,826 30.3 Bury 2,332 597 25.6 Calderdale 2,424 513 21.2 Cambridgeshire 6,711 1,467 21.9 Camden 1,929 359 18.6 Cheshire 8,179 2,491 30.5 City of Bristol 4,541 797 17.5 City of Derby 2,859 558 19.5 City of Kingston upon Hull 3,197 356 11.1 City of London 31 54 175.9 City of Westminster 2,032 330 16.2 Cornwall 6,012 1,303 21.7 Coventry 3,942 762 19.3 Croydon 4,125 1,038 25.2 Cumbria 5,931 1,305 22.0 Darlington 1,255 259 20.6 Derbyshire 8,620 1,891 21.9 Devon 8,323 1,710 20.5 Doncaster 3,886 711 18.3 Dorset 4,796 1,017 21.2 Dudley 3,731 753 20.2 Durham 6,540 1,191 18.2 Ealing 3,609 998 27.7 East Riding of Yorkshire 3817 883 23.1 East Sussex 5,769 1,188 20.6 Enfield 3,088 877 28.4 Essex 15,402 3,483 22.6 Gateshead 2,541 432 17.0 Gloucestershire 7,067 1,656 23.4 Greenwich 2,797 406 14.5 Hackney 2,286 319 14.0 Halton 1,793 293 16.3 Hammersmith and Fulham 1,444 295 20.4 Hampshire 15,830 3,617 22.8 Haringey 2,399 432 18.0 Harrow 2,770 1,059 38.2 Hartlepool 1,226 224 18.3 Havering 2,758 525 19.0 Herefordshire 2,015 503 25.0 Hertfordshire 12,421 3,401 27.4 Hillingdon 2,921 686 23.5 Hounslow 2,521 646 25.6 Isle of Wight 1,494 301 20.2 Isles of Scilly 18 10 55.9 Islington 1,849 302 16.3 Kensington and Chelsea 1,665 320 19.2 Kent 16,431 3,622 22.0 Kingston upon Thames 1,607 507 31.5 Kirklees 4,973 1,056 21.2 Knowsley 2,371 319 13.5 Lambeth 2,848 448 15.7 Lancashire 14,806 3,418 23.1 Leeds 8,655 1,743 20.1 Leicester City 3,758 826 22.0 187W
Proportion of English domiciled students aged 18 accepted through Ucas to full-time undergraduate courses in the U K autumn 2001 entry. Local Education Authority (LEA) 17 year old population in 2000 18 year olds accepted to HE in 2001 Proportion entering Higher Education percentage Leicestershire 7,466 1,844 24.7 Lewisham 2,827 442 15.6 Lincolnshire 7,487 1,705 22.8 Liverpool 5,893 1,032 17.5 Luton 2,447 422 17.2 Manchester 5,955 715 12.0 Medway Towns 3,079 602 19.6 Merlon 1,991 456 22.9 Middlesbrough 2,098 406 19.4 Milton Keynes 2,828 499 17.6 Newbury 2,138 448 21.0 Newcastle upon Tyne 3,239 754 23.3 Newham 3,421 688 20.1 Norfolk 9,044 1,624 18.0 North East Lincolnshire 2,124 339 16.0 North Lincolnshire 1,991 363 18.2 North Somerset 2,303 531 23.1 North Tyneside 2,374 417 17.6 North Yorkshire 7,397 1,882 25.4 Northamptonshire 8,030 1,726 21.5 Northumberland 4,094 916 22.4 Nottingham City 3,423 424 12.4 Nottinghamshire 9,230 1,913 20.7 Oldham 3,004 570 19.0 Oxfordshire 7,889 1,737 22.0 Peterborough 2,174 396 18.2 Plymouth 3,232 537 16.6 Poole 1,635 289 17.7 Portsmouth 2,174 306 14.1 Reading 1,637 348 21.3 Redbridge 2,962 944 31.9 Redcar and Cleveland 1,824 353 19.4 Richmond upon Thames 1,878 608 32.4 Rochdale 2,942 537 18.3 Rotherham 3,204 568 17.7 Rutland 746 118 15.8 Salford 2,804 359 12.8 Sandwell 3,772 594 15.7 Sefton 3,708 1,028 27.7 Sheffield 5,775 981 17.0 Shropshire 3,706 892 24.1 Slough 1,388 341 24.6 Solihull 2,545 757 29.7 Somerset 6,313 1,349 21.4 South Gloucestershire 2,758 497 18.0 South Tyneside 1,959 336 17.2 Southampton 2,397 395 16.5 Southend 1,900 350 18.4 Southwark 2,448 362 14.8 St Helens 2,304 503 21.8 Staffordshire 10,282 2,459 23.9 Stockport 3,633 919 25.3 Stockton-on-Tees 2,495 534 21.4 Stoke on Trent 3,119 502 16.1 Suffolk 8,006 1,679 21.0 Sunderland 3,905 617 15.8 Surrey 12,979 3,618 27.9 Sutton 2,011 558 27.7 Swindon 2,199 315 14.3 Tameside 2,823 407 14.4 Telford and the Wrekin 2,148 399 18.6 Thurrock 1,574 168 10.7 Torbay 1,489 278 18.7 Tower Hamlets 2,522 367 14.6 Trafford 2,857 710 24.9 Wakefield 3,974 749 18.8 Walsall 3,454 624 18.1 Waltham Forest 2,485 522 21.0 Wandsworth 2,100 501 23.9 Warrington 2,404 573 23.8 Warwickshire 6,311 1,553 24.6 West Sussex 8,658 1,910 22.1 Wigan 3,836 661 17.2 Wiltshire 5,426 1,283 23.6 Windsor and Maidenhead 1,876 464 24.7
Proportion of English domiciled students aged 18 accepted through Ucas to full-time undergraduate courses in the UK autumn 2001 entry Local Education Authority (LEA) 17 year old population in 2000 18 year olds accepted to HE in 2001 Proportion entering Higher Education percentage Wirral 4,284 1,099 25.7 Wokingham 1,986 640 32.2 Wolverhampton 3,200 682 21.3 Worcestershire 6,735 1,549 23.0 York 2,161 533 24.7 Known total 610,936 131,254 21.5 Unknown — 68 — Total 610,936 131,322 21.5 Sources:
Office of National Statistics (ONS), Government Actuary Department (GAD),
Universities and Colleges Admissions Service(UCAS)
§ Mr. Andrew TurnerTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many(a) courses and (b) chairs in British universities are funded by the EU; and what process ensures the academic rigour and impartiality of these arrangements. [68648]
§ Margaret Hodge[holding answer 9 July 2002]The European Commission co-funds, with Universities, courses and academic posts in relevant subjects via its Jean Monnet project. The project did not operate last academic year, but according to the Commission website, this programme contributed funding towards 94 academic posts and 209 course modules in UK universities in the year 2000. There will be another round of the project this year. The posts supported are referred to by the Commission as 'Chairs' but are not always professorships. Academic institutions make their own appointments, which are then subject to approval by the Commission. Further information about the Jean Monnet project and the activities it supports can be found on the European Commission website www.europa.eu.in/comm/education
In addition to this source, UK universities and research institutions derive significant amounts of funding from the European Union's Framework Programmes for Scientific research. The Government do not however hold any figures on how many courses are being funded as a result of successful UK applications made under the Improving Human Potential Programme in this Programme.
The quality and standards of all the programmes and awards delivered by UK higher education institutions are encompassed within the quality assurance arrangements of the Quality Assurance Agency (QAA). University Chairs are institutional appointments and as such, standards are a matter for institutions in respect of their own recruitment policies.