Sir Ron Dearing has hinted that he is keen to examine the potential of developing more higher education in further education colleges as part of his inquiry. Speaking at a conference at the University of North London on Monday, Sir Ron said he was interested in the "balance of advantage" between investing in FE and HE. He added: "Increasingly HE is being developed in FE. I think we should ask whether that might well grow, and if not, why not?"