July 2005/31
Core funding/operations
Consultation
Responses should be made by 30 November 2005
Accountability for higher education institutions
Consultation on a new process
This is a consultation on our vision and plans for promoting better regulation for higher education institutions through a new accountability process. We aim to ease the accountability burden, concentrating it into an annual exchange of documents and dialogue - the concept of the 'single conversation'.
| To: | Heads of HEFCE-funded higher education institutions Other relevant stakeholders |
| Of interest to those responsible for: | Senior management, Finance, Governance |
| Reference: | 2005/31 |
| Publication date: | July 2005 |
| Enquiries to: | Paul Greaves David James |
Executive summary (read on-line)
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Consultation and Annex A
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Annex B Response form
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Executive summary
Purpose
1. This is a consultation on our vision and plans for promoting better regulation for higher education institutions (HEIs) through a new accountability process linked to our assessment of institutional risk. We are seeking views on a number of proposals, which build on previous initiatives.
Key points
2. Our vision is that institutions should have such excellent governance and management processes that they can easily demonstrate to their stakeholders, including HEFCE, proper accountability for the use of public funds. The better these processes, the lighter will be the burden of providing assurance.
3. One key element is that as far as possible the accountability process between HEFCE and HEIs should be concentrated into an exchange of documents and dialogue during a specific period each year. This is the concept of the 'single conversation'.
4. Initial draft proposals have been shared with some of the sector's representative bodies and key stakeholders. The questions in this consultation, on which we are seeking views, are listed in Annex B.
5. Detailed proposals on developing certain aspects of the accountability process - for example, revising the Financial Memorandum between HEFCE and institutions - will be in a future consultation, after we have taken into account the sector's and other stakeholders' views on the principles set out here.
Action required
6. We invite comments on these proposals from institutions and other stakeholders, using the response form at Annex B. Responses should be e-mailed to accountability@hefce.ac.uk by 30 November 2005. Details of the final agreed process for accountability will be published early in 2006.