Catalogue description National Committee of Inquiry into Higher Education (Dearing Committee): Records

The records of the main committee are followed by those of the sub-committees and working groups.

The National Committee of Inquiry into Higher Education was set up in May 1996 by the Secretaries of State for Education, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland under the Chairmanship of Sir Ron Dearing.

Its terms of reference were to make recommendations on how the purposes, shape, structure, size and funding of higher education, including support for students, should develop to meet the needs of the United Kingdom over the next twenty years.

The committee's membership was drawn mainly from universities and the business sector, but also contained representatives from government educational institutions and headteachers.

A separate committee was set up to take account of the distinctive nature of the Scottish higher education system and to consider its future development. It was chaired by Sir Ron Garrick, the deputy chairman of the main committee.

A number of working groups were also set up; the need for these had been identified before the main committee met. These dealt with such matters as funding strategies and regional implications, including the geographical distribution of higher education institutions. Much of the work of the committee was done by these groups.