Number 10 'not pushing' top-ups

Charles Clarke says detailed discussions are under way

The Education Secretary Charles Clarke has rejected claims that the Prime Minister's office is strongly in favour of top-up fees for universities.

He told MPs Downing Street was "not wedded" to the idea of top-up fees.

"It is not the case that either the Prime Minister or his staff are wedded to top-up fees.

"What they are committed to is raising money for universities.

"The suggestion that there is a group of people madly focussed on top-up fees is not the case," he said.

Grilling

Mr Clarke was referring to media reports of cabinet rifts over the question of making students pay more for their university education.

Reports suggested the Prime Minister and his advisor Andrew Adonis were in favour of top-up fees while the Chancellor Gordon Brown supported the idea of a graduate tax, similar to the Scottish system.

Mr Clarke's comments were made during his first appearance at Education questions in the Commons.

He faced a grilling from both Labour MPs and the opposition benches on the government's review of higher education.

Many Labour back-benchers are concerned that deregulation of tuition fees, so that universities can charge more, might stop children from poorer families from applying for university.

The government has said it will publish its long-awaited proposals on student support in higher education in January.

Dramatic fall

Labour back bencher Eric Illsley put the case against top-up fees.

"Given the funding crisis in the university sector does my right honourable friend accept that top-up fees could have a perverse effect in that students might avoid those institutions charging the higher fees?"

He said Imperial College, which recently approved plans to charge tuition fees of £10,500 if allowed, had seen a dramatic fall in applications for courses.

Mr Clarke said he agreed there was a serious funding gap in higher education which had to be addressed.

He went on: "I do think it is important that individuals who go through higher education make a contribution themselves.

"I share concern that any system we put in should not have any consequences to reduce access and those are precisely the issues we are looking at in detail."

The Conservatives' education spokesman Damian Green asked Mr Clarke to rule out an idea - which he said was in a government briefing paper - that every student, however poor, should be paying fees.

Mr Clarke would not be drawn on the question and said there was no idea to disown.