Briefing from the Prime Minister’s Official Spokesman on: Higher Education Funding and the Hutton Inquiry.
Higher Education Funding
Asked if the Prime Minister agreed with Secretary of State for Education, Charles Clarke, who had said that his authority would be weakened if he lost the vote on higher education funding in an interview with the Evening Standard, the Prime Minister’s Official Spokesman (PMOS) said that the Prime Minister had made his position absolutely clear on that issue before Christmas. They could use his words again if they wanted and did not require anything fresh from him. Clearly the Government had put forward a programme for the Parliament in the Queen’s Speech and sought to get all its legislation on to the statute book. What we had put forward today in the Bill was a fair and balanced package which would help widen access, deliver more funding for universities and give support to students in particular from lower income backgrounds. It also abolished up-front fees. That package had been put together as a result of the discussions Ministers had had with their parliamentary colleagues. Clearly before the Second Reading there would be a chance for MPs to look at the details of this package and to absorb all the different ingredients and reflect on how this would achieve the Government’s desire to fund better higher education and widen access.
Asked if it was the case that the Bill should be taken in totality or not all, and whether there would be any changes before the Second Reading, the PMOS said that was the case. Clearly as the Bill went through Parliament it was open to anyone to put amendments down, but what had been produced today was the considered result of discussions between Ministers and their parliamentary colleagues. It was a coherent package which stood as a whole. That was what would be before Parliament at Second Reading. It would not change.
Asked why the Prime Minister was not on the front bench today, the PMOS said that the Prime Minister had another engagement in Downing Street. The PMOS said that he didn’t think the Prime Minister’s commitment to this legislation could be in any doubt after everything that had been said over many many months. It was also worth saying that it was not the norm to have a Statement when a Bill was published, but it reflected the interest in Parliament. In terms of who was on the front bench, he thought the cast list was likely to be different at Second Reading.
Put to him that the legislation had already been tweaked and compromised so much that it wasn’t really worth the trouble, the PMOS said he didn’t agree with that at all. The principle of variability remained which was obviously very important, for all the reasons that Charles Clarke spelled out in the House today. People had legitimate concerns about how this change in policy might impact upon people from poorer backgrounds, which was why the support package before us today had been put in place to ensure access was not affected and indeed widened. That came about as a result of listening and constructive dialogue. He didn’t think anyone could argue that the principles of Bill were not still very firmly intact. We had always said the detail was up for discussion and what we had seen today was the product of that discussion.
Hutton Inquiry
Asked if the Prime Minister would lead for Government during the debate on the Hutton report given that Peter Hain had not answered the question at Business Questions, the PMOS said that there was a commitment that the Prime Minister would make a statement to the Commons on the Hutton report. In terms of who led for the Government in the debate no decisions had been taken on that. Nothing was ruled in, nothing was ruled out. Put him that the debate was so important that it had to be the Prime Minister, the PMOS said a decision would be taken in due course. Put to him that the Prime Minister would have to lead the debate in these circumstances, the PMOS said that the Government position was that genuinely no decision had been taken yet. Put to him that he was wrong in this case, the PMOS said that he was right. Asked if the Defence Secretary would lead, the PMOS repeated that no decision had been taken in respect of the debate, but he was sure that an answer to these questions would be given in due course.
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