Liverpool University

Rosie Cooper
To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills (1) if he will assess the effect on access to courses in (a) politics, (b) communications studies and (c) other courses in social and environmental degree subjects in the North West of the decision by the university of Liverpool to cease support for courses in social and environmental studies; and if he will make a statement;

(2) if he will assess the effectiveness in encouraging political engagement of the parliamentary attachment schemes of (a) the School of Politics and Communication Studies of the University of Liverpool and (b) other university politics departments.

Mr. Lammy
Parliament decided in passing the Further and Higher Education Act 1992 that universities should be autonomous and that Ministers should have no role in deciding how individual subjects and courses are funded. This independence is a great strength of our world class sector. But it also means that judgments have to be made by universities themselves in developing their own priorities and sense of mission.

Rosie Cooper
To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what recent assessment the Higher Education and Funding Council for England has made of the quality of teaching provided by the School of Politics and Communications Studies at the University of Liverpool; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Lammy
The Higher Education Funding Council for England has made no recent assessment of the teaching provided by the School of Politics and Communications Studies at the University of Liverpool.