Question to the Department for Education:

To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the Chief Executive of the Higher Education Funding Council for England has raised with (1) Ministers, and (2) the Permanent Secretaries, at (a) the Department for Education, and (b) the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, any concerns about poor value for money in public spending caused by excessive salaries for vice-chancellors and other senior administrators in England’s universities.

The Chief Executive of the Higher Education Funding Council for England meets regularly with officials and with the Minister of State for Universities, Science, Research and Innovation who is a Minister at both the Department for Education, and the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS).

They discuss a range of issues relating to the delivery of value for money in our higher education sector, which has included issues related to senior pay as well as issues related to teaching, research and others aspects of the activities of higher education providers.

The Chief Executive met the Permanent Secretary of the Department for Education in November 2016 and senior pay was not discussed. She has not met the Permanent Secretary for BEIS.