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4 Apr 2003 : Column 906W—continued

Student Fees

Mr. Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what proportion of higher education students' fees are wholly remitted on account of income; and what proportion of students have home postcodes which attract additional university funding from HEFCE. [104947]

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Margaret Hodge: In England and Wales students on full-time undergraduate courses and their families are expected to make a contribution towards the cost of their tuition only if they can afford to do so. The percentage of students in England and Wales in academic year 2000/01 (latest year for which data are available) who have been assessed to make a nil contribution towards the cost of their tuition is 42 per cent. This figure includes those students eligible for student support studying in further education colleges, and also English and Welsh domiciled students studying at UK institutions.

According to latest available data, around 30 per cent. of English-domiciled students registered at English higher education institutions and 48 per cent. of English-domiciled students registered at English further education attracted additional funding from HEFCE. This funding was allocated on the basis of postcodes to support recruitment and retention of students from low participation neighbourhoods.

Mrs. Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills whether student musicians will be exempted from increased tuition fees. [104508]

Margaret Hodge: No.

Mr. Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what action he plans to recover post-course tuition fees from students who have been (a) resident in the UK but go abroad after graduation and (b) resident abroad before commencing their studies. [105399]

Margaret Hodge: There are mechanisms in place to recover loan repayments for maintenance from UK students who live abroad after graduation, and who are outside the UK tax system, through direct payments to the Student Loans Company. The arrangements for collecting varied fees from EU graduates and UK graduates that go abroad will be based on these mechanisms.

Vocational Qualifications

Mr. Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many people aged 14 to 19 are studying for a vocational qualification in (a) further education colleges, (b) schools and (c) on-the-job training in each of the learning and skills council areas. [105137]

Margaret Hodge: The numbers of 16 to 19-year-olds studying vocational qualifications in schools and further education colleges (including sixth form colleges) at end 2000 by each local Learning and Skills Council area are given in the following table. The year 2000 is the latest for which comparable figures are available. The figures include people studying NVQs, VCE A-levels, GNVQs and equivalents.

Also included are the numbers of 16 to 18-year-olds in Government Supported Training (GST). Local level information for other forms of work-based training is not available.

Numbers of 14 and 15-year-olds in schools are not available by type of course being studied.

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Participation in vocational qualifications(8) in England by local LSC area, end 2000

16 to 19-year-olds(9)16 to 18-year-olds(9)
All Schools(10)Sixth form and other FE colleges(11)Government supported training(12)
North East
County Durham6006,0003,000
Northumberland1,0002,7001,400
Tees Valley20010,1003,900
Tyne and Wear2,20012,4005,900
North West
Cheshire and Warrington1,3008,6003,200
Cumbria9004,7002,600
Greater Manchester90031,50011,300
Greater Merseyside3,00016,7008,300
Lancashire60019,0006,500
Yorkshire and the Humber
Humberside60011,4004,700
North Yorkshire1,5007,1003,400
South Yorkshire1,30014,3006,100
West Yorkshire4,80024,3008,100
East Midlands
Derbyshire1,1009,7004,100
Leicestershire1,6009,7002,500
Lincolnshire and Rutland9006,1002,500
Northamptonshire1,3005,9002,300
Nottinghamshire1,10011,0004,100
West Midlands
Birmingham and Solihull2,30014,5003,000
Coventry and Warwickshire1,0009,4003,200
Herefordshire and Worcestershire9007,9002,300
Shropshire2005,1001,900
Staffordshire1,30012,3004,500
The Black Country2,00013,1005,100
East of England
Bedfordshire and Luton1,0006,6001,600
Cambridgeshire1,3006,3001,900
Essex2,10014,5004,100
Hertfordshire2,0008,5002,000
Norfolk8007,1002,100
Suffolk1,1006,1002,300
London
London Central3,00011,0001,900
London East3,60020,8004,200
London North2,00010,7001,600
London South2,4009,5002,100
London West3,60013,4002,100
South East
Berkshire1,5006,4002,700
Hampshire and the Isle of Wight70019,1005,200
Kent and Medway4,40013,0003,700
Milton Keynes, Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire2,60010,9003,900
Surrey1,5007,8001,300
Sussex2,20013,3003,000
South West
Bournemouth, Dorset and Poole1,2006,1002,700
Devon and Cornwall3,00016,2005,400
Gloucestershire8005,3001,800
Somerset4006,0002,000
West of England1,4008,9002,700
Wiltshire and Swindon7006,7001,600

(8) Highest qualification aim of student. There will be some whose highest aim is an academic qualification, but who combine this with a lower level vocational qualification.

(9) Age as at 31August.

(10) From January 2001 Annual Schools Census. Includes all 16 to 19-year-olds in maintained and independent schools and City Technology Colleges. Excludes special schools, as qualification breakdowns are not available.

(11) From the LSC's Individualised Student Record—final data for snapshot at 1 November 2000. Includes all 16 to 19-year-olds in sixth form colleges, general FE colleges, tertiary colleges and specialist colleges.

(12) From the Training and Enterprise Council's Management information Service combined with the trainee databases, as at end 2000.


4 Apr 2003 : Column 909W

WORK AND PENSIONS

Employer Liability Insurance

Mr. David Marshall: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what plans he has to ensure that main contractors working for government authorities ensure that their specialist and sub-contractors have in place employers liability compulsory insurance; and if he will make a statement. [100856]

Mr. Nicholas Brown: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Broxbourne (Mrs. Roe) on 27 March 2003, Official Report, columns 369–70W.

MPDI Networks

Mr. Heyes: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what effect HSE's October 2002 warning of the need for replacement of all non-Transco owned MPDI networks within 30 metres of buildings has had on the development of (a) a complete picture of all such networks, irrespective of ownership and (b) a programme of work for their replacement that is agreed with their owners. [102242]

Mr. Nicholas Brown: The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) issued an alert to occupiers of sites and local authorities with their own gas mains that medium pressure ductile iron (MPDI) pipes need to be replaced. This followed enforcement action requiring Transco to carry out an agreed accelerated programme of replacement of all MPDI gas mains located within 30 metres of buildings by the end of 2002.

The effect of this was that a small number of additional sites with MPDI gas pipes have been identified as a result and HSE will ensure a programme of remedial measures is implemented.

Benefit Payments

Mr. McLoughlin: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many pensioners collect benefits from post offices in Derbyshire. [98895]

Malcolm Wicks: The number of pensioners in Derbyshire receiving DWP benefits (including War Pensions) collectable from post offices is 88,274 as at the 28 December 2002. This figure includes benefits paid by giro cheque, which can also be paid into a bank or building society account.

Some customers who are paid direct into an account can also collect their benefit in cash at post offices through network banking arrangements at the Post Office. There are no data available on the number of benefit claims collected in this way.

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Sir Archy Kirkwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what (a) number and (b) proportion of those who have their pension paid into a bank or building society account are paid (i) weekly and (ii) monthly in arrears in (A) the Scottish Borders, (B) Scotland and (C) the UK. [106646]

Mr. McCartney: The available information is in the table.

The number and proportion of retirement pensioners receiving payment directly into a bank or building society account as at 25 January 2003 is as follows:

AreaNumberProportion (percentage)
The Scottish Borders11,08253.1
Scotland368,34845.9
Great Britain4,547,87449.6

Note:

Figures for the Scottish Borders are for the area of the local authority.



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