On 16 May, the Government published the Higher Education White Paper. The White Paper is divided into three main chapters – Competition, Choice and Architecture.
A summary of the White Paper by PublicPolicy@Southampton is available here.
The Government introduced the Higher Education Bill to the House of Commons on 19 May. The Bill will introduce legislation including the establishment of the Office for Students, the regulatory framework for HE providers, the dissolution of the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) and the Office For Fair Access (OFFA).
The purpose of the Bill is to:
Deliver greater competition and choice by making it easier for new, high quality universities to set up, ensuring that students receive value for money and that our higher education system is giving employers the skills they need.
Cement the UK’s position as a world leader on the research and innovation stage and maximise the Government’s investment of over £6 billion a year in research and innovation.
This will help deliver the Government’s manifesto pledge to increase access to higher education and ensure our universities remain world-leading.
The Bill is likely to pass through the different stages within the House of Commons before the summer recess in July, and then move to the House of Lords in the Autumn. It could be enacted by the end of 2016.
Progress of the Bill can be tracked here.