(2) what recent representations his Department has received on establishing its own criteria for ranking universities.
We have received no formal recent representations on criteria to rank universities nor do we have any immediate plans to create a ranking system. However, we have started to make more comparative information available to prospective students. However, there is currently no consensus on how English higher education institutions could be ranked taking due account of their increasingly diverse size and missions and distinguishing between inputs and outputs. We will listen to any suggestions on possible ways forward.