Opposition Day — Higher Education Policy — Charging £9,000 Fees in Only Exceptional Cases — University Places — Teaching Budgets — 27 Apr 2011 at 18:49

The majority of MPs voted against ensuring £9,000 per year university tuition fees will only be charged in exceptional circumstances and not to guarantee that there will be no fall in the number of university places and not to rule out further cuts to university teaching budgets,

The motion rejected in this vote was:

• That this House
• condemns the failure of the Government to deliver the commitment made to Parliament that £9,000 a year student fees would be ‘exceptional’;
• further notes that the Office of Fair Access (OFFA) has said that it has no powers to set university fees or determine university admissions policies;
• notes with alarm the warning of the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills that average fees higher than £7,500 would mean reducing student numbers or further cutting university teaching funding;
• condemns the failure of Ministers to explain their policies by publishing a Higher Education White Paper;
• believes that Ministers are putting at risk the success of universities and the future of generations of students;
• further believes that current policies are unfair, unnecessary and unsustainable; and therefore
• calls on Ministers, as soon as practicable, to set out to Parliament how they will meet the promise that fees of £9,000 will only be in exceptional circumstances, to guarantee that there will be no fall in the number of university places or further cuts to university teaching budgets, and to outline what powers, if any, they propose for OFFA on determining fee levels and enforcing access arrangements.

Debate in Parliament | Source |