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Discretionary Grants
Mr. Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what is his Department's estimate of the number of applicants for discretionary grants who have been refused by their local education authority in each of the last five years. [14561]
Dr. Howells [holding answer 6 November 1997]: The information requested is not available centrally.
Student Loans
Mr. Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment, what is his Department's estimate of the number of graduates who (a) earn too little to repay loans and (b) have defaulted on repayment; and if he will make a statement. [14560]
Dr. Howells [holding answer 6 November 1997]: At 31 March 1997, (a) 314,378 (49 per cent.) borrowers due to repay were deferring repayment because their income was below 85 per cent. of national average earnings and (b) 34,109 (9.3 per cent.) borrowers due to repay but not in deferment were in default.
Home Education
Sir Michael Spicer:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many children are currently being educated at home. [14921]
10 Nov 1997 : Column: 444
Ms Estelle Morris:
In January 1997 local education authorities in England were providing home tuition to 10,800 children under their duty to arrange suitable education for pupils who cannot attend school. It has been estimated that a further 10,000 children are educated outside the school system, under arrangements made by their parents.
Mr. Norris:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what plans he has to review the allocation of school places which prevents a local education authority giving children from its own area priority in admissions to its own schools, when pupils from other authorities live closer to the school. [14758]
Ms Estelle Morris:
We have no plans to reverse the "Greenwich judgment", under which LEAs may not give preference to children living in their administrative area over children living elsewhere. We do, however, believe that there should be greater co-operation and co-ordination between neighbouring authorities, and we shall encourage this in our proposed new Code of Practice on admissions.
Mr. Corbyn:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment, what assessment he has made of university applications for 1997-98 and the levels of parental income of applicants compared with previous years; and if he will make a statement. [14559]
Dr. Howells
[holding answer 6 November 1997]: The latest information from the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service indicates that, allowing for the extra Art and Design Admissions Registry applicants new to the UCAS scheme for 1997-98, the number of home and overseas accepted applicants is some 7 to 8 per cent. higher in 1997-98, than in the previous years. Information on the levels of parental income of applicants is not centrally available; nor have we yet received local authorities' annual returns showing the numbers of award-holding students for 1997-98 and the levels of assessed parental contributions, which reflect their income.
Mr. Don Foster:
To ask the Secretary for Education and Employment, how many students who did not hold a British passport enrolled at United Kingdom universities from (a) other EU countries and (b) South East Asia for each of the last five years; and what are the projected enrolment figures for (i) the current academic year and (ii) the next two academic years. [14695]
Dr. Howells
[holding answer 6 November 1997]: The available data based on domicile rather than passport nationality are given in the table.
Figures for 1997-98 are not yet available.
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| Academic year | EU domicile | South East Asia domicile |
|---|---|---|
| 1992-93 | 36,128 | 29,110 |
| 1993-94 | 43,850 | 35,210 |
| 1994-95 | 61,090 | 42,487 |
| 1995-96 | 76,794 | 49,384 |
| 1996-97 | 79,904 | 46,475 |
The Department's forecasts for EU students are confined to those students who receive mandatory awards to cover the cost of their tuition fees. The Department's spending plans allow for a 1 per cent. per annum increase in these numbers. The Department does not make forecasts of the numbers of students from South East Asia who choose to study HE in the UK.
Higher Education Grants
Mr. Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment, what is his estimate of the annual cost of returning to the full grant system for higher education. [14562]
Dr. Howells [holding answer 6 November 1997]: The cost of returning to a full grant system would be about £29 million in academic year 1998-99 and £180 million in 1999-2000, at 1997-98 prices. This assumes that both student numbers and the levels of parental contribution remain unchanged; that the new arrangements would be introduced for all students; and that the existing loan entitlement would be replaced by a means-tested grant. The savings generated by the new higher education funding arrangements we have announced would also be foregone.
Grammar Schools
Mr. Norman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment (1) how the ballots of parents on the future of grammar schools will be triggered; [14938]
- (2) if a minimum turnout threshold will be set for ballots on the future of grammar schools; [14966]
(3) how eligible parents will be defined in respect of ballots on the future of grammar schools. [14968]
Mr. Byers: The Department issued on 1 August a consultation letter setting out the principles of the government's approach in relation to ballots of parents on future admission arrangements for grammar schools, and inviting views on the issues arising and the procedures which might be adopted. The letter made clear that parental ballots will be triggered only where a petition seeking a ballot has been put forward by local parents. It sought views on which parents should be eligible to vote in ballots, and on the mechanism for conducting ballots. We have received some 1,100 responses to the consultation letter. These are currently being analysed. We shall announce as soon as possible our conclusions on the best way of carrying our proposals forward.
Teachers
Mr. Don Foster:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment, how many teachers other than those in further or higher education or independent
10 Nov 1997 : Column: 446
schools (a) were made redundant and (b) did not have their contracts renewed for each month from September 1996 to September 1997. [14694]
Mr. Byers
[holding answer 6 November 1997]: The information requested is not available.
Mr. Don Foster:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment, pursuant to his Answer of 29 October, Official Report, column 819, what proportion of teachers, other than those in further and higher education or independent schools, who retired under the age of 60 years in the period October 1996 to September 1997 retired (a) on the grounds of (i) ill-health, (ii) efficiency or (iii) redundancy and (b) aged (1) under 30, (2) 30 to 34, (3) 35 to 39, (4) 40 to 44, (5) 45 to 49, (6) 50 to 54 and (7) 55 to 59 years. [14702]
Mr. Byers
[holding answer 6 November 1997]: There were 19,310 retirements aged under 60 from the maintained schools sector in England and Wales between October 1996 and September 1997 on the grounds of ill-health, efficiency or redundancy. The number of retirements is provisional. The percentage breakdown by age group and type of retirement is given below.
| Percentages | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age at | Ill-health(40) | Premature Total | ||
| retirement | Redundancy | Efficiency | retirements | |
| Under 30 | -- | n/a | n/a | -- |
| 30 to 34 | -- | n/a | n/a | -- |
| 35 to 39 | 1 | n/a | n/a | 1 |
| 40 to 44 | 2 | n/a | n/a | 2 |
| 45 to 49 | 6 | n/a | n/a | 6 |
| 50 to 54 | 9 | 9 | 41 | 59 |
| 55 to 59 | 5 | 4 | 23 | 32 |
| All ages | 23 | 14 | 63 | 100 |
-- = less than 0.5 per cent.
n/a = not applicable.
(40) Provisional. Figures are likely to change because of late notifications.
Tennis
Mr. Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what estimate he has made of the number of schools and sixth-form colleges which have staff qualified to provide tuition in tennis. [15146]
Ms Estelle Morris: This information is not collected by the Department.
Mr. Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what estimate he has made of the number of schools and sixth-form colleges which provide tuition in tennis, indicating the number of children receiving such tuition. [15145]
Ms Estelle Morris: None. This information is not collected or held centrally.
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