During a debate about the Government's decision to go ahead with its preferred candidate, Professor Les Ebdon, for director of the Office for Fair Access without the Select Committee's backing, Anne raised her concerns that Professor Ebdon would discriminate against St Albans schools. Professor Ebdon has threatened universities with ‘nuclear’ penalties if they miss their targets for widening their student intake.

Anne said:
“It is notable that, having defied the Select Committee, there have been no comments about why a minority report was not produced in the event that some people did not concur with the findings of the Select Committee. I therefore suggest that, by ignoring the Select Committee, we are doing a disservice to those Members who spent time considering the representations to the Committee. May I urge the Secretary of State to give the House an assurance that we will not allow the nuclear option to discriminate against pupils from high-achieving schools such as mine in St Albans?”

The Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills said:
“I have already made it clear that there is no question of discriminating against people with ability. My constituency has two of the most successful independent schools in the country. I fully support their activities, and frequently visit them and work with them, so there is no question whatever of discrimination. Access is a much broader concept: it is helping people to realise their potential, and what can possibly be wrong with that?”

On leaving the Chamber Anne said:
“I am concerned that the Select Committee is not convinced that Professor Ebdon is the right person for the job with his inflammatory views on ‘nuclear’ penalties. I am pleased that the Minister has said that there will not be discrimination against the high achieving students of St Albans; pushing universities into quotas that discriminate against the hard working students of St Albans would be a terrible mistake. I believe that universities should take their students based on how well the student does, not where the student comes from.”

FULL TEXT:

Mrs Anne Main (St Albans) (Con): It is notable that, having defied the Select Committee, there have been no comments about why a minority report was not produced in the event that some people did not concur with the findings of the Select Committee. I therefore suggest that, by ignoring the Select Committee, we are doing a disservice to those Members who spent time considering the representations to the Committee. May I urge the Secretary of State to give the House an assurance that we will not allow the nuclear option to discriminate against pupils from high-achieving schools such as mine in St Albans?

Vince Cable: I have already made it clear that there is no question of discriminating against people with ability. My constituency has two of the most successful independent schools in the country. I fully support their activities, and frequently visit them and work with them, so there is no question whatever of discrimination. Access is a much broader concept: it is helping people to realise their potential, and what can possibly be wrong with that?

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