TOP UP FEES FOR UNIVERSITIES

Early day motion 1049, tabled 27 July 2000 by Bill Rammell (Labour). Signed by 115 members.

That this House rejects the Greenaway Report commissioned by the Russell Group of universities and its arguments for differential university fees; believes that such an approach would create an unfair two-tier system of higher education, penalise some students for taking the course of their choice and deter access from students from less well off backgrounds; notes the recent Warwick University study which showed that going to university provides greater risks for students from less privileged backgrounds, particularly as they are less likely to enjoy the same higher career earnings as graduates from more privileged backgrounds with the same degree results; further believes that this latest research fundamentally undermines the Greenaway Report and calls on the Government to reaffirm its opposition to top-up or differential fees.

Signatures by party: Labour 98, Labour/Co-operative 12, Liberal Democrat 3, Plaid Cymru 1, Unknown 1.