the bottom line is somebody somewhere has to play the 12 billion plus pounds a year to traina 12 billionople. the suggestion is the costs even at £7,500 are still too high, and the whole idea of introducing tuition fees was to try and encourage, through loans and gra nts try and encourage, through loans and grants and so on, more people from poorer backgrounds to get involved in higher education. and that is not happening as much as people thought it would. that is just happening as much as people thought it would. that isjust one of happening as much as people thought it would. that is just one of the myths that continually gets recycled by journalists and myths that continually gets recycled byjournalists and others who want to make a political point about this. the absolute fact is that since the fee went up in 2012 to £9,000, we have seen more young people from the most disadvantaged backgrounds attending university than ever before, so clearly that fee, the price on the fee, has not put people off. i think the fear for universities is that if the reduction takes place and there is a