HEA committee on use of fee finally steps up its activities

The distribution of the newly-increased £250 administration and services fee is still under examination by a special Higher Education Authority committee, with a final report expected to be presented in November.

The fee effectively replaced the capitation fee which colleges had previously levied on students, a portion of which went towards funding students' unions, clubs and societies. Following representations from USI after the abolition of fees, the Higher Education Authority established a committee to look into the way colleges were distributing the levy.

The decision was based on arguments from USI that some unions were getting as little as £5 of the fee; some colleges, the union said, appeared unwilling to give details of how they were spending students' money.

Unfortunately, the committee, which has 50 per cent student representation, only met once before entering a dormant period which lasted for over a year. There were difficulties in obtaining the required information from colleges, combined with what appeared to be a reluctance to tackle the issue in the Department of Education. The arrival of the new Minister for Education added a new impetus to the committee's work. It has already met once this month and another meeting is scheduled for early next month. Its report, which will effectively form a code of good practice for colleges, will be available in November.

The HEA cannot force the colleges to adopt the code, says USI deputy president Helen Ryan, who sits on the committee, but, she says, she thinks most colleges will agree with its recommendations. But what if a college refuses to co-operate?

"That's going to be when the fun starts," Ryan says. "That will then be a case for the Minister. We hope that most of the colleges will agree with it and that proper funding will be ensured for clubs, societies and students' unions."