HC Deb 23 April 2004 vol 420 cc702-3W
Sir Nicholas Wintorton

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will make a statement on the provision of specialist courses in universities and colleges. [167589]

Alan Johnson

The provision of courses of higher education, specialist or otherwise, is a matter for individual institutions to decide.

Higher education today is a much larger and more diverse business than in the past. Institutions now compete in a global marketplace where the needs and demands of customers and stakeholders are growing in both range and complexity.

Institutions now have to be ever more flexible in their response to meeting these diverse needs and demands and this is reflected in the content and style of courses offered. A good example of this is the increasing number of specialist foundation degrees being developed with the help of employers and which are often delivered in FE colleges.

Sir Nicholas Winterton

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will make it his policy to ensure the maintenance of textile teaching and research at the University of Manchester; and if he will make a statement. [167592]

Alan Johnson

As independent organisations, higher education institutions themselves determine what programmes and courses they offer. Similarly, they have the academic freedom to choose in which subjects they wish to focus their research.