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New clause

Lords amendment: No. 28, before schedule 1, to insert the following new schedule--

("SCHEDULE--MODIFICATIONS OF SOCIAL SECURITY REGULATIONS PART I SOCIAL SECURITY (PERSONS FROM ABROAD) MISCELLANEOUS AMENDMENTS REGULATIONS 1996 Preliminary
1. In this Part of this Schedule--
(a) "the 1996 Regulations" means the Social Security (Persons from Abroad) Miscellaneous Amendments Regulations 1996; and
(b) expressions which are used in the 1996 Regulations have the same meanings as in those Regulations. Income support
2. In regulation 8 of the 1996 Regulations (amendment of the Income Support Regulations)--
(a) paragraph (2) so far as relating to the sub-paragraph added to regulation 21(3) of the Income Support Regulations as sub-paragraph (j); and
(b) paragraph (3)(c) and (d),
shall have effect as if the 1996 Regulations had been made, and had come into force, on the day on which this Act is passed.

15 Jul 1996 : Column 888

Housing benefit
3. In regulation 7 of the 1996 Regulations (amendment of regulation 7A of the Housing Benefit Regulations)--
(a) paragraph (a) so far as relating to the sub-paragraph added to regulation 7A(4) of the Housing Benefit Regulations as sub-paragraph (g);
(b) paragraph (b) so far as relating to sub-paragraphs (a) and (b) of the paragraph substituted for regulation 7A(5) of those Regulations; and
(c) paragraph (c),
shall have effect as if the 1996 Regulations had been made, and had come into force, on the day on which this Act is passed. Council tax benefit
4. In regulation 3 of the 1996 Regulations (amendment of regulation 4A of the Council Tax Benefit Regulations)--
(a) paragraph (a) so far as relating to the sub-paragraph added to regulation 4A(4) of the Council Tax Benefit Regulations as sub-paragraph (g);
(b) paragraph (b) so far as relating to sub-paragraphs (a) and (b) of the paragraph substituted for regulation 4A(5) of those Regulations; and
(c) paragraph (c),
shall have effect as if the 1996 Regulations had been made, and had come into force, on the day on which this Act is passed. General
5.--(1) Subject to sub-paragraph (2) below, any person who is excluded from entitlement to income support, housing benefit or council tax benefit by any of the provisions which are modified by the preceding provisions of this Part of this Schedule--
(a) shall not be entitled to the benefit for any period beginning on or after the day on which this Act is passed; and
(b) shall not be entitled to the benefit for any period beginning on or after 5th February 1996 except on a claim made before the day on which this Act is passed, or an application made before that day for the review of a decision.
(2) Nothing in this paragraph shall apply in any case where a person is entitled to the benefit in question either--
(a) by virtue of regulation 12(1) of the 1996 Regulations (saving); or
(b) by virtue of regulations making such provision as is mentioned in section (Saving for social security regulations)(2) of this Act. PART II SOCIAL SECURITY (PERSONS FROM ABROAD) (MISCELLANEOUS AMENDMENTS) REGULATIONS (NORTHERN IRELAND) 1996 Preliminary
6. In this Part of this Schedule "the 1996 Regulations" means the Social Security (Persons from Abroad) (Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1996. Income support
7. In regulation 4 of the 1996 Regulations (amendment of the Income Support (General) Regulations)--
(a) paragraph (2) so far as relating to the paragraph added to regulation 21(3) of the Income Support (General) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1987 as paragraph (j); and
(b) paragraph (3)(b),
shall have effect as if the 1996 Regulations had been made, and had come into operation, on the day on which this Act is passed.

15 Jul 1996 : Column 889

Housing benefit
8. In regulation 5 of the 1996 Regulations (amendment of the Housing Benefit (General) Regulations)--
(a) paragraph (a) so far as relating to the sub-paragraph added to regulation 7A(4) of the Housing Benefit (General) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1987 as sub-paragraph (g);
(b) paragraph (b) so far as relating to sub-paragraphs (a) and (b) of the paragraph substituted for regulation 7A(5) of those Regulations; and
(c) paragraph (c),
shall have effect as if the 1996 Regulations had been made, and had come into operation, on the day on which this Act is passed. General
9.--(1) Subject to sub-paragraph (2) below, any person who is excluded from entitlement to income support or housing benefit by any of the provisions which are modified by the preceding provisions of this Part of this Schedule--
(a) shall not be entitled to the benefit for any period beginning on or after the day on which this Act is passed; and
(b) shall not be entitled to the benefit for any period beginning on or after 5th February 1996 except on a claim made before the day on which this Act is passed, or an application made before that day for the review of a decision.
(2) Nothing in this paragraph shall apply in any case where a person is entitled to the benefit in question either--
(a) by virtue of regulation 11(1) of the 1996 Regulations (saving); or
(b) by virtue of regulations making such provision as is mentioned in section (Saving for social security regulations)(2) of this Act.")
Amendments made to the proposed Lords amendment: (a), in line 46, at end insert--
'. Regulation 12(1) of the 1996 Regulations (saving) shall have effect as if after the words "shall continue to have effect" there were inserted the words "(both as regards him and as regards persons who are members of his family at the coming into force of these Regulations)".'
(b), in line 91, at end insert--
'. Regulation 11(1) of the 1996 Regulations (saving) shall have effect as if after the words "shall have effect" there were inserted the words "(both as regards him and as regards persons who are members of his family at the coming into operation of these Regulations)".'--[Mr. Burns.]
Lords amendment, as amended, agreed to. [Special Entry.]
Lords amendments Nos. 29 to 36 agreed to. [Some with Special Entry.]
Committee appointed to draw up Reasons to be assigned to the Lords for disagreeing to certain of their amendments to the Bill: Mr. Simon Burns, Mr. Doug Henderson, Mr. David Lidington, Mr. Jack Straw and Miss Ann Widdecombe; Three to be the quorum of the Committee.--[Mr. Burns.]
To withdraw immediately.
Reasons for disagreeing to certain Lords amendments reported, and agreed to; to be communicated to the Lords.

15 Jul 1996 : Column 890

Assisted Places

10.8 pm

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Education and Employment (Mrs. Cheryl Gillan): I beg to move,

That the draft Education (Assisted Places) (Amendment) Regulations 1996, which were laid before this House on 20th June, be approved.

As hon. Members know, in 1981, we introduced the assisted places scheme for the prime purpose of opening up educational opportunities for able children from less well-off families. The Government are committed to encouraging high standards in education, wherever they are to be found. In stark contrast, the Labour party would remove those opportunities from thousands of children. Its stated intention to abolish the assisted places scheme would make independent schools the preserve solely of the rich. Labour, in its well-known way, would push away the education ladder from those talented children. The Government believe in extending choice as widely as possible, but Labour believes in choice only for the few, such as many of its Front Benchers. Many Opposition Members have received the benefit of a private education, but Labour would deny those benefits to all but a privileged few.

Since 1981, almost 80,000 children in England and Wales have benefited from the scheme. There are now well over 30,000 pupils in the scheme, and four out of 10 pupils are fully assisted because their family income is below the threshold of £9,572 a year, and eight out of 10 are from families whose incomes are below the national average of £18,540 a year.

We want to widen access to assisted places for parents in every part of the country. That is why we are doubling the scheme, to give twice as many children the opportunity to benefit. At present, 5,900 entry places are available each year in 300 schools in England and Wales. From September, almost 10,000 places will be available in some 370 schools. All the schools in the scheme have been carefully selected on the basis of their records of academic achievement.

Recent independent research by the London school of economics confirms that assisted places pupils achieve better examination results than their counterparts of similar ability in maintained schools. That independent evidence shows that assisted places pupils were entered for significantly more A and AS-levels than their counterparts in the maintained sector. Assisted places pupils achieved higher total points scores than pupils in the maintained sector and their average points score per examination entry was higher than that for maintained sector pupils. Overall, the benefit of an assisted place is between 3.2 and 6.2 A-level points. Translated into grades, the advantage is between 1.5 and 3 A-level grades over all subjects taken.

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