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10 Nov 2003 : Column 84W—continued
Teenage Pregnancy
Mr. Love: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what research has been conducted into the cost of the morning-after pill and its
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affordability in (a) disadvantaged areas and (b) areas where the incidence of teenage pregnancy is higher than average. [134642]
Margaret Hodge [holding answer 6 November 2003]: Research into the affordability of emergency contraception is unnecessary because it is available free to all women from a number of services including General Practice, community family planning clinics, youth advisory clinics and community pharmacists working to Patient Group Direction's under NHS arrangements. All areas are looking at improving the accessibility of free emergency contraception particularly those where the incidence of teenage pregnancy is higher than average. In addition, women age 16 plus can buy emergency contraception as a pharmacy product. The price of emergency contraception is set by the manufacturer.
Mr. Love: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what his policy is on the over the counter provision of the morning-after pill free of charge, in areas where levels of teenage pregnancy are higher than average, to young people who have not received prior counselling on birth control. [134643]
Margaret Hodge [holding answer 6 November 2003]: There are three routes for the supply of emergency contraception: on prescription through a medical practitioner, as a prescription only medicine under a patient group direction (PGD) or as a pharmacy product.
Emergency contraception is only provided to young people under 16 under medical supervision. This includes the supply by other health professionals, such as school nurses and community pharmacists, working to PGDs. A Patient Group Direction is a written instruction for the supply or administration of medicines to groups of patients without an individualised doctor's prescription.
All health professionals providing emergency contraception are trained to ensure that young women are informed about and encouraged to visit local services that provide regular forms of contraception and condoms to protect against sexually transmitted infections.
Services aimed at improving early access to emergency contraception should be seen in the context of a much wider programme of the Government's Teenage Pregnancy and Sexual Health and HIV Strategies. This includes helping young people to resist pressure to have early sex through improved sex and relationship education, improving knowledge of risks of unprotected sex, increasing early uptake of contraceptive and sexual health advice by sexually active young people and involving parents and the wider community.
Training Links
Linda Perham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what plans he has to develop stronger (a) links and (b) partnerships between higher education, training providers and the small business community. [136614]
Alan Johnson: Our plans for strengthening partnerships between higher education institutions, training providers and industry, including small
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business were set out in The future of higher education' published in January this year and also in '21st Century Skills: Realising Our Potential' published in July.
Our plans include expanding Foundation Degrees which are designed with employers to meet their needs; support via the Higher Education Innovation Fund (HEIF) which includes setting up a network of Knowledge Exchanges to benefit local business communities; and, New Technology Institutes (Nils) to provide advanced technology skills.
We are also establishing Sector Skills Councils which will address sector skills needs and are also developing stronger arrangements at regional level between Regional Development Agencies (RDAs), business and education and training providers to develop strategies for tackling local and regional skills needs.
Transitional Funding
Mr. Jack: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will (a) list the criteria that were used to determine which authorities should receive additional transitional funding for 2004–05, (b) set out the basis on which the amounts were calculated and (c) make a statement on why Lancashire did not receive an allocation of these monies. [136890]
Mr. Miliband: Details of the transitional support package for 2004–05, including details of the formula for calculating which local education authorities will be eligible, will be published at the time of the provisional Local Government Finance Settlement later this month.
On 29 October the Government published indicative figures for the targeted grant in 2004–05, which have been placed in the Library of the House. These assumed that grant would be available to authorities whose increase in Education Formula Spending and relevant DfES grant between 2002–03 and 2004–05 would otherwise be less than 12 per cent. per pupil. The increase in Lancashire LEA is expected to be above 12 per cent. per pupil over the relevant period, which means it would not be eligible for the targeted grant.
However, if Lancashire or any other LEA is able to put forward a compelling case that additional, transitional funds are needed in the short term—above and beyond those already available to the LEA—my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State will be prepared to consider bringing forward grant payments from my Department, so that the LEA will have funds available in 2004–05 for this purpose, with the expectation of a consequential reduction to what they will receive in future years. The maximum amount that might be made available in this way would be £300,000 per authority, or 0.2 per cent. of the authority's total education resources in 2004–05, if that is higher. For Lancashire, 0.2 per cent. of its education resources would be over £1.2 million.
Mr. Ian Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the indicative allocation of targeted transitional grant 2004–05 is for Surrey. [137525]
Mr. Miliband: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State announced, in his statement to the House on 29 October, that targeted transitional grant will be made available to about one third of local education
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authorities next year, so that the total increase in education resources for every authority, over the two year period between 2002–03 and 2004–05, will be a minimum of 12 per cent. per pupil.
Final allocations of targeted transitional grant will be announced at the time of the provisional Local Government Finance Settlement. The indicative allocations published on 29 October made no allocation to Surrey, whose total increase in education resources between 2002–03 and 2004–05 was estimated to be above 12 per cent. per pupil. A list of indicative allocations has been placed in the Library of the House.
Tuition Fees
Mr. Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills whether after the introduction of variable tuition fees in 2006, those higher education institutions wishing (a) to charge fees not exceeding the current standard flat-rate fees and (b) wishing to charge top-up fees for only some of their courses will be required to conclude a (i) full and (ii) partial access agreement. [136707]
Alan Johnson: As we set out in Widening participation in higher education, any higher education provider wishing to charge variable fees for any of its courses above the standard rate from 2006, will need to have an access agreement approved by the Office for Fair Access (OFFA). Institutions which do not charge fees above the standard rate for any of their courses will not be required to have an access agreement.
Mr. Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what estimate he has made of the public expenditure impact of including the income of cohabiting partners and new spouses in the assessment of residual income for tuition fee exemption from 2004–05; and what estimate he has made of the net change in the numbers paying full tuition fees which will result from the change. [137134]
Alan Johnson: We estimate that the change resulting from including the income of cohabiting partners and spouses will produce steady state savings of approximately £30 million on funding of tuition fees by 2007–08. The change is to be introduced for new students entering HE from 2004–05 onwards.
This estimate has been derived using income-data from a number of sources and is indicative. Our best indication is that it could account for an increase of approximately three percentage points in the proportion of dependent students paying full tuition fees. We cannot give a precise estimate at this stage since some families will benefit from other aspects of the new household income definition, such as the new £1000 disregard for children financially dependent on the household.
Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, from (1) how many universities he has received representations on allowing them to charge tuition fees of more than £5,000 per annum; [137158]
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- (2) which universities have indicated they wish to charge tuition fees above £3,000 a year; [137159]
(3) if he will list the universities which have made representations to him on the level of tuition fees they wish to be free to charge, broken down by level. [137160]
Alan Johnson: I have received numerous representations on a number of matters from universities, both by means of formal correspondence and in meetings with Vice Chancellors. The level of fee has been covered in general terms in a number of these discussions.
Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much of the money raised by universities from variable tuition fees he estimates will be invested in (a) teaching, (b) research, (c) bursaries for poorer students and (d) other categories if his proposals are implemented. [137211]
Alan Johnson: It will be for universities to decide how to invest their income in teaching and in research. We are considering and discussing how access to higher education can be safeguarded—for example through bursaries for poorer students—at institutions which decide to charge tuition fees above the standard rate.
Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many universities he estimates will charge the proposed maximum annual tuition fee in respect of courses covering up to (a) 10 per cent., (b) 20 per cent., (c) 30 per cent., (d) 40 per cent., (e) 50 per cent., (f) 60 per cent., (g) 70 per cent., (h) 80 per cent., (i) 90 per cent. and (j) 100 per cent. of their projected student intake within (i) one year, (ii) two years, (iii) three years and (iv) more than three years of the implementation of his proposals. [137217]
Alan Johnson: It will be up to universities themselves to set their fee levels, provided that they have an access agreement approved by the Office for Fair Access.
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