---

15 Oct 2003 : Column 251W—continued

Student Loans

Mr. Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what proportion of British undergraduate students used student loan facilities while they have capital sums invested elsewhere in the last year for which figures are available; and what the annual cost is of the interest subsidy on these loans. [129987]

Alan Johnson: The information requested is not collected centrally.

Mr. Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to the Answer of 17 September, reference 129731 what credit is given to the Student Loan Company for delays in transmission of repayments by the Inland Revenue; and what plans he has to minimise such delays. [131572]

Alan Johnson: The Student Loans Company (SLC) manages student loan accounts. However, the loans are funded by and repaid to DfES, once Inland Revenue has collected and accounted for the loan repayments. The flow of loan repayments monies does not affect SLC's financial position in any way. Therefore, the question of credit to SLC for any delays in transmission of loan repayments does not arise.

As mentioned in written answer 129731, recovered loan amounts are accounted for annually in arrears (by analogy with tax collections) and there is little scope for current change. However, from 2005/06, Inland Revenue will require electronic deductions records (in respect of 2004/05) from large employers. These developments should enable earlier transmission of repayments in due course.

Mr. Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the value was of student loans outstanding and attributable to persons who had dropped out from their higher education courses in each of the past three years. [131722]

Alan Johnson: The information requested is not available centrally.

Cadet Training Courses

Mr. Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what guidelines his Department issues to schools on the release of pupils in full-time education for training courses offered by (a) Sea Cadets, (b) Army Cadets and (c) the Air Training Corps. [131811]

15 Oct 2003 : Column 252W

Mr. Ivan Lewis: We recognise the positive impact of participation in training courses offered by the Sea Cadets, Army Cadets, Air Training Corps and other out of school activities on pupils' leadership skills, self esteem and motivation. They also significantly reduce the risk of vulnerable young people drifting into crime as well as improving their school attendance, as I observed when I visited Project Outreach run by the Army Cadet Force Association in February.

It is for schools to consider requests to attend such activities. Requests should be considered on an individual basis taking into account the impact on the continuity of the pupil's learning and the guidance in annex A of the Department for Education and Skills' circular 10/99, School Inclusion: Pupil Support.

University Admissions

Ms Drown: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) what appeal or complaint procedures there are for students refused placements at the University of the West of England on the joint distance learning programme MA in planning; [132138]

(2) what his policy is on whether the administrators of a university registering a student for a joint qualification course may override the decisions of the management board representing all participating universities. [132139]

Alan Johnson: The administration of joint programmes and internal appeals or complaints procedures at universities are matters for the individual institutions, although they should have regard to the Quality Assurance Agency's Code of Practice on these issues. The Secretary of State has no powers to intervene in the internal affairs of higher education institutions.

As both of these questions essentially concern the internal affairs of the University of West of England, I have written to the Vice-Chancellor, Mr. Alfred Morris, asking for a response. I shall send you a copy of his reply and arrange for a copy to be placed in the House of Commons Library.

Parliamentary Questions

Mr. Andrew Love: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills when he will reply to the questions of the hon. Member for Edmonton, Refs (a) 120769, (b) 120770, (C) 120771, (d) 120772 and (e) 120773, tabled on 19 June. [125007]

Stephen Twigg: Replies were issued on (a) 23 September, (b) 7 July, (c) 14 July, (d) 14 July and (e) 30 September.

Teenage Pregnancy

Mr. Andrew Love: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what action is being taken to tackle teenage pregnancy in deprived areas; and if he will make a statement. [120773]

Stephen Twigg: The similar geography of teenage pregnancy and deprivation suggests that whilst there is still much work to do, the encouraging 10 per cent. decline in England's under 18 conception rate from 1998

15 Oct 2003 : Column 253W

to 2001 has been largely achieved through targeted work in deprived localities with high numbers of conceptions by:

the allocation of funding to Teenage Pregnancy Partnerships based on teenage pregnancy rates;


the use of research and toolkits to address the needs of vulnerable groups. For example, Teenage Pregnancy and Neighbourhood Renewal: Learning from New Deal for Communities which details good practice in New Deal for Community areas and shares the main learning points from that practice;


New Deal for Communities and other Neighbourhood Renewal pathfinder programmes are given support and guidance in tackling teenage pregnancy as an issue through learning events and written guidance;


encouraging local strategies to target wards with a high number of teenage conceptions; and


the development of a programme of work to improve our understanding of the relationship between teenage pregnancy and socio-economic factors.

The association between deprivation and teenage pregnancy is well established and reflected in the under 18 conception rates for local authorities across England. To achieve its national targets of halving the under 18 conception rate and reducing the inequality in rates between wards by at least 25 per cent. by 2010, the Teenage Pregnancy Strategy must focus its work on deprived areas with high conception rates.

Student Visas

Mrs. Anne Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills which universities have the largest number of students studying on international student visas. [129426]

Alan Johnson: Information on the number of non-European Union students studying at higher education institutions in England for 2001–02 shows that the largest number of these students are studying at the universities listed in the table below. Information is not collected on the visa status of these students.

Institution	Number
London School of Economics and Political Science	3,425
Middlesex University	3,348
The University of Oxford	3,265
The University of Cambridge	3,065
The University of Nottingham	3,042
The University of Warwick	3,038
University College London	2,933
The University of Leeds	2,855
The University of Birmingham	2,827
The Victoria University of Manchester	2,795
The University of Sheffield	2,440
The London Institute	2,105
The University of Westminster	2,104
Imperial College of Science, Technology & Medicine	2,014
City University	1,872
King's College London	1,869
University of Luton	1,759
The University of Leicester	1,710
Oxford Brookes University	1,679
The University of North London	1,677

15 Oct 2003 : Column 254W

Skills Base

Mr. Barry Gardiner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment his Department has made of the effect on the UK skills base of those on low incomes choosing not to seek new employment because of concerns over short term cash flow problems.[129862]

Mr Ivan Lewis: This Department has not made an assessment of the effect on the skills base if those on low incomes choose not to seek new employment. The recent Skills Strategy White Paper sets out a number of measures aimed at ensuring individuals have the skills they need to be employable, and work productively in a flexible labour market. In addition, the Department for Work and Pensions is committed to making work pay for all those who are able to work, and to supporting households, including low-income households, in sustaining employment.

The Department for Work and Pensions believe that most people moving from one job to another will be able to manage until they receive payment from their new job, as wages are paid in arrears. For those in receipt of Working Tax Credit, continuity of payment is maintained when people move from one job to another, as long as the gap between jobs is no more than 7 days. The new Working Tax Credit has been extended to people aged 25 and over without children. If people receive the Child Tax Credit, this continues to be paid direct to the main carer throughout any changes in employment. People in low paid employment may also be entitled to Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit.

People who are unable to manage whilst waiting for payment of wages, leading to a serious risk to their own health or safety or that of their family, may be able to get an interest free Crisis Loan. Repayment of a Crisis Loan does not start until the period of crisis is over and the rate of repayment takes account of a person's income and other commitments to avoid hardship.

---