Henry Smith
Main Page: Henry Smith (Conservative - Crawley)Department Debates - View all Henry Smith's debates with the Department for Education
(12 years, 9 months ago)
Commons ChamberOf course there is a continuing issue with the scale of bonuses in RBS, but they are vastly reduced from their former level. We are conscious of the issues involved. Many of those people are American traders operating in the United States, but we are conscious that every amount that goes out in bonuses is money that could otherwise have gone to small businesses.
9. What plans he has to facilitate the provision of higher education in further education institutions.
The Government see a crucial role for further education colleges in delivering higher education, because demand cannot be enlivened unless supply is diverse, so we are extending loans to part-time students; freeing up controls on student numbers; increasing directly funded places at FE colleges; widening access to higher learning; and changing assumptions about the modes of and access points to learning. It is higher education for the many, not the few.
I am grateful to my hon. Friend for his answer. Will he join me in congratulating Central Sussex college in my constituency, which last September started a university presence on its campus? It is linking local students—under the previous Government, only 17% of them went on to higher education—with first-class local employers. Of course, he has an open invitation to visit.
I am aware of that excellent development, which enjoys the wholehearted support of my right hon. Friend the Minister for Universities and Science, who has done much to encourage the widening of access to higher education. My right hon. Friend will offer some exciting news about additional places when he rises to his feet, because we are determined that everyone, wherever they begin, should have their chance of glittering prizes.