---

Dept for Education and Skills

Answer

Lynne Jones:: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment he has made of the impact of university staff turnover on the quality of academic research and higher education in the last five years. [81771] Margaret Hodge: The Department has carried out no specific assessment of the impact of university staff turnover on the quality of academic research and higher education. However, the 2001 Research Assessment Exercise showed that 55 per cent. of research staff now work in Departments containing work of international excellence compared with 31 per cent. in 1996. In addition, the recently completed QAA eight year cycle of HE subject reviews, which included an assessment of teaching quality, identified only 1 per cent. of unsatisfactory provision. The Higher Education Funding Council in September 2002 pointed to some subject areas where it is difficult to recruit including some shortage areas particularly ICT, business, science and engineering. We recognise these difficulties and the challenges our universities face recruiting and retaining in an international market. Top US universities, in particular, pay some academics and researchers salaries, which can be twice as much as their British counterparts earn.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

81771; 395 c86-7W;395 c86W

Session

2002-03

Subjects

Higher education Staff Standards Universities Teachers Research Labour turnover

Contains statistics

Yes

Link

View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk