Mr Willetts' comments come after Telegraph reporters filmed staff at an agency in China saying it could help a student get into certain UK universities with three C or B grades at A-level.
On the other hand, the majors' strengthening of the hub-and-spoke networks (by which travelers go from A to B via a hub in airport C) imply that entry into new markets -- what in the industry is called "city-pairs" -- is relatively simple.
Dame Ruth chaired a recent inquiry into drugs law which recommended that cannabis be downgraded from a class B to a class C drug, though she said Mr Straw did not appear ready to do so.