Clause 23 - Condition that may be required to be imposed by English funding bodies
Higher Education Bill
10:15 am
Mr Jonathan R Shaw (Chatham and Aylesford, Labour)
I am grateful for your guidance, Mr. Hood.
As the hon. Member for Bury, North said, a great deal of concern has been expressed about the variable fee. People have said that it will be the thin end of the wedge, and that the genie is out of the bottle. I do not believe that. If we consider the difference between what the standard fee will be and the upper fee that will be allowed, we are not talking about a huge amount of money. More importantly, people talk about universities going it alone and charging huge fees. The hon. Member for Daventry (Mr. Boswell) is incorrect. Universities have the power to charge fees now. However, the Government have the power to stop the amount of money that universities receive from HEFCE. If money from the public purse continues to dwindle, there is a danger that they will indeed become independent. That is the thin end of the wedge. The young people about whom everyone is concerned will not be able to go to some of the prestigious universities.