Commentary on Sections of the Act Part 3 – Quality of Education Section 25 – Committee to advise HEFCW about exercise of quality assessment functions
74.HEFCW in exercising their current functions under the Further and Higher Education Act 1992 are required by section 70(1)(b) of that Act to establish a committee to advise on the exercise of its quality assessment duty.
75.Section 25 requires HEFCW to establish a committee to advise on the exercise of their quality assessment functions under the Act.
76.Subsections (3) and (4) set out the requirements for membership of that committee. Subsection (4) makes provision for what HEFCW must take into account when appointing members who fall within subsection (4) to that committee. One member of the committee must be a person who appears to HEFCW to represent the interests of students (subsection (3)). As for the other members, the effect of subsection (4) is that the requirements for membership are similar to that for the Quality Assessment Committee established by HEFCW under section 70(1)(b) of the Further and Higher Education Act 1992. Members of that committee on the date on which this section comes into force will become members of the committee established by HEFCW under this section: see paragraph 31 of the Schedule to the Act (which contains consequential and transitional provisions).
77.Schedule 1 to the Further and Higher Education Act 1992 (which contains supplementary powers for HEFCW) applies to the committee established by this section as it does to committees established by HEFCW under paragraph 8 of that Schedule. For example, it will allow HEFCW to pay travel and other allowances to members of the committee who are not members of HEFCW’s council.