Welsh growth is good

It is good to see that the Welsh Assembly has proposed wide-ranging reforms to the structure of Welsh higher education ("Welsh 'cluster' plan attacked", THES , January 25). These broadly echo my suggestions in The THES ("Late flowering of Welsh research", March 12, 1993, and "Wales needs stop institute", November 29, 1996).

The idea is to make Cardiff a world-class institution to which the other colleges in Wales will be feeder units. But will the assembly now support a new campus for Cardiff? This could be funded by selling the university's city-centre site.

A. J. H. Latham
Senior lecturer in international economic history
University of Wales, Swansea