Formal Minutes
Monday 17 March 2008
Members present:
Mr Phil Willis, in the Chair
| Mr Tim Boswell |
| Dr Evan Harris |
| Mr Ian Cawsey | | Dr Brian Iddon
|
| Dr Ian Gibson | | Mr Gordon Marsden
|
1. Withdrawal of funding for equivalent or lower level
qualifications
The Committee deliberated.
Draft Report (Withdrawal of funding for equivalent or lower
level qualifications), proposed by the Chairman, brought up
and read.
Ordered, That the draft
Report be read a second time, paragraph by paragraph.
Paragraphs 1 to 22 read and agreed to.
Paragraph 23 read as follows:
In our view the Government has not shown convincing evidence that
the withdrawal of funding for ELQ students and the phased re-allocation
of the resources will meet its policy objective to encourage more
suitably qualified individuals to start higher education for the
first-time. In the absence of research on, or any analysis of,
the groups to whom the redirected resources are targeted, we cannot
see how the Government is certain that the funds taken from ELQ
fees will meet their intended purpose efficiently or effectively.
While we recognise that the expansion of the higher education
sector has occurred in the teeth of substantial scepticism about
the demand for, and value of, extra university places, we could
find no convincing evidence that ELQ students were preventing
access for first-time undergraduates or that there was a significant
unmet demand from first-time undergraduates, though we accept
that such evidence is not easy to collate.
Amendment proposed, in line 11, delete from "undergraduates"
to the end of the sentence and add: "It seems to us that
the Government could have carried out the research into unmet
demand from unsuccessful applicants as set out in their memorandum
(see paragraph 21) and to use the household or labour force surveys
to establish any unmet demand from first-time students who have
never applied to university."—(Dr Evan Harris.)
Question put, That the Amendment be made.
The Committee divided.
| Ayes, 1 |
| Noes, 5 |
| Dr Evan Harris | | Mr Tim Boswell
|
| | Mr Ian Cawsey
|
| | Dr Ian Gibson
|
| | Dr Brian Iddon
|
| | Mr Gordon Marsden
|
Paragraph agreed to.
Paragraphs 24 to 73 read and agreed to.
Paragraph 74 read as follows:
The announcement of the decision in September 2007 to withdraw
institutional funding for those studying for equivalent or lower
qualifications has the appearance of a decision taken in some
haste, the full effects of which and consequences for other policies
such as the need for re-skilling have not been fully examined.
The matter would have been better left until the independent review
of variable fees due in 2009. The transitional arrangements and
exemptions, while welcome, are inconsistent and may well prove
inadequate. As the Government has decided to proceed with the
changes to ELQ funding, the first annual review of the exemptions
provides an opportunity for a full review of the scope and operation
of the exemptions. We support the Government's aim of encouraging
more first-time students to enter higher education; but without
due analysis and evidence of the likely effectiveness and impact
of the change, we cannot support the decision to cut funding to
ELQ students in this way.
Amendment proposed, in line 10, delete from "education"
to the end of the sentence and insert: "but we believe that
the decision to cut funding to ELQ students in this way should
have followed due analysis and evidence of the likely effectiveness
and impact of the change."—(Mr Ian Cawsey.)
Question put, That the Amendment be made.
The Committee divided.
| Ayes, 2 | | Noes, 4
|
| Mr Ian Cawsey | | Mr Tim Boswell
|
| Dr Ian Gibson | | Dr Evan Harris
|
| | Dr Brian Iddon
|
| | Mr Gordon Marsden
|
Paragraph agreed to.
Summary agreed to.
Resolved, That the Report
be the Third Report of the Committee to the House.
Ordered, That the Chairman
make the Report to the House.
Ordered, That embargoed
copies of the Report be made available, in accordance with the
provisions of Standing Order No. 134.
Written evidence was ordered to be reported to the House for printing
with the Report.
[Adjourned till Wednesday 19 March at 9.00 am
| 
