New or strengthened bodies recommended by the Dearing committee

* Institute for Learning and Teaching

The institute will accredit training programmes for higher education teachers; commission research and development in learning and teaching practices, and stimulate innovation (Rec 14). In the medium term, all new full-time academics with teaching roles should achieve at least associate membership of the institute (Rec 48).

* Quality Assurance Agency

Its remit should be amended to include quality assurance and public information, standards verification, the maintenance of the qualification framework, and a requirement that the arrangements for these are encompassed in a code of practice which every institution must adopt, by 2001/02, as a condition of public funding (Rec 24).

* Arts and Humanities Research Council

To replace the Humanities Research Board. Covers research into, through and for the arts (Rec 29).

* Industrial partnership development fund (Rec 34)

* Loan scheme for research equipment to be run by Government, research councils, funding bodies, industry and charities (Rec 34).

* A high-level private body to advise the Government on the direction of national policies for the public funding of research (Rec 35).

* An independent review committee to report by April 1998 on the framework for determining pay and conditions of service. (Rec 50).

* Student Support Agency

To assess the eligibility of individuals for various kinds of public support; administer graduate contributions on an income-contingent basis; means test and pay grants for students' living costs and make per capita tuition payments to institutions according to the number of students they enrol (Rec 83). May eventually become learning bank with learning accounts.

* Lifelong careers guidance service

It will be based on a partnership between services inside and outside higher education and will need "proper resourcing".

* A UK-wide independent advisory committee should be set up in five years and then every ten years to assess the state of higher education, advise government on its funding and on how it can respond to future need (Rec 88).

* In Northern Ireland a Higher Education Funding Council and a Further Education Funding Council with separate chairs under a single organisation and with a single chief executive and a Tertiary Education Forum (Rec 93).

* In Scotland two separate funding councils, one for further education and one for higher education, with separate chairs under a single organisation and with a single chief executive (Scot Rec 23).

* The Scottish Forum for Higher Education to advise the Secretary of State for Scotland on the strategic direction of higher education in Scotland (Scot Rec ).