asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if she will seek powers to enable her to investigate the disbursement of public funds by student unions and student representative councils.

The Department is carrying out an inquiry into the financing of student unions in further education and colleges of education. The Committee of Vice-Chancellors is doing the same for universities. My right hon. Friend will decide what action is necessary in the light of these inquiries.

Is my hon. Friend aware that certain students unions are allocating funds to pay the fines of some individuals which have been awarded by courts of law, and that other students unions are financing admittedly revolutionary organisations? Is not this a misuse of public funds, and will it come under the terms of reference of the Committee to which he referred in the first part of his answer?

I am aware of the sort of example given by my hon. Friend, and there is no doubt that such examples will be shown up by the inquiries to which I have referred. It will then be for my right hon. Friend to decide what, if any, action is appropriate.

Does the Under-Secretary of State remember when he was a member of a Select Committee, when we made a report on student relations? We made nelightened recommendations bearing on this question. Will he take an early opportunity to make a progress report on the implementation of that Select Committee's recommendations?

I have not forgotten those very fruitful times spent under the right hon. Gentleman's chairmanship. He may possibly have missed the fact that my right hon. Friend has already answered a Question in the House indicating her attitude to that report.