Briefing from the Prime Minister’s Official Spokesman on: Meeting with Caribbean Leaders, Tuition Fees, Hutton Report and Harriet Harman/Domestic Violence Bill.
Meeting with Caribbean Leaders
Asked for further detail about the Prime Minister’s breakfast meeting today with Caribbean leaders, the Prime Minister’s Official Spokesman (PMOS) said that those who had attended included the President of Guyana, the Prime Minister of Jamaica, the Prime Minister of the Bahamas, the Prime Minister of St Lucia, the Prime Minister of St Kitts and the Prime Minister of Belize. Baroness Amos and Chris Mullen had also attended. Discussion had focussed on a range of issues, including economic questions, development policy, trade, drugs and regional security. They had also taken the opportunity to look ahead to the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Nigeria at the end of the week.
Tuition Fees
Asked to confirm that, while the principles of the Government’s policy on tuition fees were sacrosanct, the details were ‘up for grabs’, the PMOS said he did not think the Prime Minister could have been clearer about the principles in his press conference this morning. It went without saying that he wasn’t spoiling for a fight. On the contrary. He believed that these measures were in the national interest - not only in terms of the economic future of this country in an era of globalisation, but also with regard to people’s right to be given the opportunity to benefit from a university education.
Asked the Prime Minister’s strategy for pushing this issue forward, the PMOS pointed out that there was an advantage to the slightly longer timeframe before bringing these measures forward inasmuch as it would allow public debate to develop. We had already seen Vice Chancellors and universities come forward and explain why they believed they needed extra money. The legacy of under-investment in university infrastructure, as well as human resources in terms of pay for university lecturers, underlined the case that we did not want to introduce tuition fees just for the sake of it. Rather, it was a necessity if we were going to increase the number of students who attended university and, just as importantly, the quality of the education they received. Clearly, these were critical issues. The Prime Minister’s strategy, therefore, was to put the argument, as he had this morning, to give others the opportunity to express their views and allow people to pause and reflect on the fact that there wasn’t, in his opinion, a viable alternative.
Hutton Report
Asked if Lord Hutton had given the Prime Minister an indication as to when he might publish his report, the PMOS said that Lord Hutton was currently writing his report. We had absolutely no intention of pre-empting it. Questioned as to whether Lord Hutton was still aiming for January, the PMOS said that the timing was entirely a matter for Lord Hutton to announce.
Harriet Harman/Domestic Violence Bill
Asked if the Prime Minister retained confidence in Harriet Harman following her ‘misinterpretation’ of Government legislation on domestic violence - an issue about which she was supposed to be knowledgeable, the PMOS said yes. Asked if it was normal for a Solicitor General to misinterpret a piece of legislation in her own field, the PMOS said that if people felt the need to clarify something, they should feel free to do so. The Prime Minister continued to have complete confidence in Ms Harman.
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