No Govt. Control Of Grants Committee Funds

Press, Volume CII, Issue 30168, 27 June 1963, Page 18

No Govt. Control Of Grants Committee Funds

(Parliamentary Reporter)

WELLINGTON, June 2(5

Neither the Minister of Education nor the Government had any control over the way in which the University Grants Committee spent its funds; the committee had this autonomy under legislation passed by the Labour Government, said the Minister of Education (Mr Tennent) in reply to a question in Parliament today.

Mr H. R. Lapwood (Government, Rotorua) had asked Mr Tennent to give the House the basis of financing the purchase of a £16.000 house for the chairman of the committee (Dr. F. J. Llewellyn), and to explain the Government’s responsibility in the matter.

Mr Tennent said that the house was purchased under section 3 of the University Act, from money left the committee by the University of New Zealand. The Government therefore had no responsibility in the matter. Mr N. V. Douglas (Opposition. Auckland Central) asked whether the money was not in fact examination fees paid by scholars sitting the main examinations and whether this was not intended expressly for the provision of scholarships.

Mr Tennent said the funds had mounted up over a number of years. Part of them came from fees, but the bulk came from the university building, its rents, and from investments and capital funds. The part coming from fees would be a very small part indeed. Mr Douglas: Would the Minister call the £Bl,OOO corning from examination fees in 1961 a very small amount?

Mr Tennent said examination fees provided a very small amount of the total. The Leader of the Opposition (Mr Nordmeyer): Did the Government approve of the committee’s action?. Mr Tennent: I would like to ask the same question of the honourable gentleman, seeing that his Government was in power when— The Speaker (Mr Algie) objected at this stage. .

The Postmaster-General (Mr Kinsella) then asked Mr Tennent if he, as Minister of E lucation. had any power over decisions of the University Grants Committee. * Mr Tennent: I have no such power, because of legislation passed by the Labour Government.

Mr J. G. Edwards (Opposition, Napier): What is the Minister going to do about it? (This question was disallowed by the Speaker.) Mr J. Mathison (Opposition. Avon): Did the Minister personally approve of the transaction?

This question was also disallowed on the grounds that it called for an expression of personal opinion. The House then passed on to consideration of the next quesion.