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Dear Colleagues Earlier this year UACE wrote to Alan Johnson expressing its concern over the possible impact of top up fees on part-time provision. In response, the Minister held out the prospect of a meeting to discuss this, and indicated that he looked forward to reading our paper on the subject. In order to help us write that paper it would be immensely helpful if you could let us have your thoughts on the following (and while this only, at the moment, concerns England, comments from colleagues elsewhere would be very welcome): 1. Although it might be too soon to say, do you have any indication of what your institution's policy will be towards top up fees and PT provision? 2. If top up fees for PT work were introduced, what is your assessment of the likely impact in your institution? If you could provide any examples, case studies or illustrations, hypothetical or otherwise, that would be helpful. 3. Are there any more general issues concerning top up fees and PT provision which you believe are raised in the HE White Paper? (See www.dfes.gov.uk/highereducation/hereform.html ) 4. What are likely to be the most compelling arguments for protecting PT provision in some way? Among those suggested so far are its key role in widening participation, in fostering 'culture, citizenship and community', and its importance in a vocational/CPD context (perhaps linking this to the Skills White Paper and the LSC's earmarking of funds for PT work). It would be helpful to have your responses as soon as possible and certainly by 3 December if we are to produce and agree a paper by the end of the year. Many thanks Russell Dr Russell Moseley Director Centre for Lifelong Learning University of Warwick Coventry CV4 7AL tel 024 76 52 47 78 fax 024 76 52 42 23