§ Mr. BoswellTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will make a statement on the appointment of an independent Student Complaints Adjudicator and the establishment of an office to service this function. [134122]
§ Alan JohnsonThe higher education sector has established the Office of the Independent Adjudicator for Higher Education (OIA) to consider cases which students have been unable to resolve within their higher education institutions. The OIA was incorporated as a company on 7 July 2003. The Board of Directors have appointed Dame Ruth Deech as the Independent Adjudicator and Michael Reddy as Deputy Adjudicator and are currently in the process of recruiting other staff, establishing the office and setting up systems. The OIA expects to be able to receive cases early in 2004. The Government fully supports the higher education sector in providing students with a fair, open and transparent means of redress when things go wrong.