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Tuition Fees
Mr. Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what measures will be taken to address student hardship among poorer students following the introduction of tuition fees; and what assessment he has made of the impact of the introduction of fees on the composition of the student intake and on the level of educational attainment. [11794]
Dr. Howells: Under the Government's preferred approach to the future funding of higher education announced by my right hon. Friend on 23 July, students from poorer families will not have to pay fees. They will continue to receive free tuition. They will also have access to larger subsidised loans than students from better off families. The Government's proposals are designed to widen access to higher education and to encourage those from under-represented groups, such as lower-income families, to undertake higher education.
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if European Union nationals studying in the United Kingdom will be required to pay fees for higher education on the same basis as United Kingdom nationals. [11626]
Dr. Howells: The Government remain committed to treating students from other European Union countries on the same basis as home students as far as fees are concerned.
Mr. Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what estimate he has made of the net annual savings to public funds from the introduction of tuition fees for higher education in each of the next 10 years. [11174]
Dr. Howells:
The annual level of savings will be dependent upon the number of students entering higher education in each year, but for working purposes the savings associated with the introduction of tuition fees are estimated at approximately £150 million in the financial year 1998-99, rising to approximately £400 million in 2000-01. These figures are at 1995-96 prices. In the first year of the new funding arrangements, 1998-99, the savings associated with the introduction of tuition fees and the shift from maintenance grants to loans will be offset by the cost of additional loans expenditure.
31 Jul 1997 : Column: 502
Mr. Willis:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment at what point in the academic year tuition fees will have to be paid; and if failure to pay will prevent a student from attending the course. [11173]
Dr. Howells:
It will be for universities and colleges to determine when the fee should be paid and what should happen in the case of students who do not pay.
Miss McIntosh:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if United Kingdom students who have studied for a minimum period of one or two years will have their educational qualifications recognised in other European Union countries; and whether they will continue to qualify for European Union educational programmes and grants. [11627]
Dr. Howells:
The acceptance of United Kingdom qualifications in other European countries is a matter for the appropriate authorities in the country concerned. United Kingdom students will continue to qualify for European Union programmes and grants if they satisfy the conditions of eligibility.
Mr. Mitchell:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what estimate he has made of the total cost of university grants, bursaries and maintenance awards paid to undergraduates in the last available year; and what proportion of that total was paid to undergraduates from households with net incomes of (a) £15,000 or less and (b) £15,000 to £25,000 annually.[11578]
Dr. Howells:
Expenditure on mandatory awards made to students by local education authorities in England and Wales in the academic year 1995-96 was £2,059 million, of which £1,075 million was for maintenance grants. For most students, the grant is means tested primarily on the taxable income of his or her parents and not on the net income of the household. It is not possible to relate the total expenditure on grants to particular levels of parental income. However, in 1995-96, the parents of some 198,000--33 per cent.--dependent students were assessed to make a nil contribution to grant because their income was £15,510 or below. The parents of a further 149,000--25 per cent.--dependent students were assessed to make a contribution of between £45 and £1,000 because their income was between £15,510 and approximately £25,300.
Information on expenditure on bursaries and awards made by other bodies is not collected centrally.
31 Jul 1997 : Column: 503
Ms Walley:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will list the amount, and proportion, of paper recycled by his Department in each of the last five years. [11546]
Dr. Howells:
The Department retains information only on the amount of recyclable wastepaper collected and this is as follows:
| Figures quoted in kilos | |
|---|---|
| 1992-93 | 82,066 |
| 1993-94 | 82,066 |
| 1994-95 | 289,001 |
| 1995-96(15) | 278,671 |
| 1996-97 | 196,860 |
| Total | 928,664 |
Recycling schemes were introduced at different points across the estate during the period covered by the question. Rationalisation of the estate.
(15) The merger between the Department for Education and the Employment Department and a commitment to reduce the use of hard copy documents in favour of electronic documentation have also played their part in the resultant figures given.
Ms Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what plans he has to introduce a waste minimisation strategy for his Department. [11544]
Dr. Howells: Waste minimisation forms part of the Department's green housekeeping strategy. The strategy for 1997-98 is based on measuring several streams of waste collected for recycling--paper, aluminium cans, bottles, copier toner cartridges and fluorescent tubes. Within the framework of the strategy, facilities management teams on each of our four main sites--Darlington, London, Runcorn and Sheffield--decide which streams they will measure.
At the end of the year, it is intended that progress will be reviewed against the overall minimisation target and all sites will be urged to extend the range of streams to be measured during 1998-99.
Ms Walley:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will make a statement on existing targets set to minimise waste in his Department. [11545]
Dr. Howells:
The Department has set a target of reducing waste by 5 per cent. during 1997-98 and plans to compare records for the period from April to September with those from October to March. The year 1997-98 will then be adopted as the base year for setting realistic future targets.
Mr. Todd:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will list each of the functions relating to the payroll for which his Department is responsible, indicating the management systems purchased, all subcontractors involved in the work, co-operative arrangements with other Departments and the costs of the systems and processes in the last year for which figures are available. [10728]
Dr. Howells:
I will write to the hon. Member and place a copy of my reply in the Library.
31 Jul 1997 : Column: 504
Mrs. Browning:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will place in the Library before the summer adjournment a list of his Department's current consultation exercises initiated since 1 May. [11796]
Dr. Howells:
Since 1 May, the Department for Education and Employment has carried out, and is presently undertaking, the following consultations:
Consultations exercises which have ended
Introduction of a single school leaving date for 16-year-olds in 1998--ended 28 July
National curriculum assessment and reporting arrangements--ended 18 July
Current consultation exercises
Adult guidance
Arrangements for publication of primary school performance tables by local education authorities in 1997
Design and Implementation Advisory Group--university for industry
Draft amendments to the Education (Pupil Registration) Regulation 1995
Early years development plans for 1998-99: draft guidance for consultation
Education (Assisted Places) Regulations: statutory consultation
Employment-based routes into teaching
First aid in schools
Funding of in-service training for those involved in careers education and guidance
Higher education
Initial training and qualifications of careers advisers
Investing in young people: the right to study
New deal building partnerships
New deal national design consultation--(three events)
New deal regional conferences and events (28 in total)
Preliminary study into public sector financial control training for training and enterprise councils
Regulations to govern the approval of qualifications under section 37 (1) (b) of the Education Act 1997
School security: dealing with troublemakers
Smaller infant classes
"Successful careers in the 21st Century"--policy document on the future of the careers service
Teaching: high status, high standards--General Teaching Council
TECs and welfare to work
White Paper "Excellence in schools"
Youth service audit
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