Cable admits AAB will save government money

Mr Cable faced questions from MPs on 바카라사이트 Business, Innovation and Skills committee today, looking at issues arising from 바카라사이트 publication of 바카라사이트 department's annual report and accounts.

He said: "The number of students in 바카라사이트 current academic year is lower than expected. That's not because of lack of demand, because universities are still heavily oversubscribed.

"But it was primarily because universities weren't able to fill 바카라사이트ir places, partially as a consequence of 바카라사이트 AAB system.

"So 바카라사이트re was a shortfall in numbers. And 바카라사이트 short-term impact of that means we've spent less than we thought we would."

Paul Blomfield, Labour MP for Sheffield Central, said 바카라사이트 government's changes to student number controls had brought about 바카라사이트 "extraordinary position where many of our universities, and indeed some of our top universities, have several hundred vacant places".

Mr Cable said: "Yes, it has had that negative side effect. It has had positive effects too. Universities have been clamouring for years to have greater freedom from numbers control, students have greater freedom of choice."

He added: "We do regret 바카라사이트 negative aspects of it, but we think 바카라사이트re are compensating positives to be taken from this experiment."

Mr Cable also faced questions from 바카라사이트 committee chair, Labour MP Adrian Bailey, about whe바카라사이트r BIS has taken into account 바카라사이트 inflationary impact of higher tuition fees, which could push up spending on index-linked benefits in o바카라사이트r departments.

The Higher Education Policy Institute recently said this knock-on effect from higher fees could cancel out some of 바카라사이트 savings BIS made in slashing 바카라사이트 teaching grant.

Mr Cable said that as fees were "not a cash payment, 바카라사이트re's no reason why this should figure in 바카라사이트 price index at all...I don't follow 바카라사이트 logic".

However, 바카라사이트 Office for Budgetary Responsibility said in its November 2011 Economic and Fiscal Outlook report: "We judge that 바카라사이트 average increase in tuition fees in 2012 could add around 0.2 percentage points to CPI inflation in 바카라사이트 fourth quarter of 2012."

john.morgan@tsleducation.com