Vote Bundle Text (940302-06)

Amendments proposed to the Higher Education Bill - continued	House of Commons

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Government interest rate and fee deferral

Mr Graham Allen

NC2

To move the following Clause:—

'(1) All fees shall be deferred, to be repaid on an income contingent basis at a government rate of interest.

(2) A government rate of interest shall also be charged on all student loans.

(3) All monies raised from interest payments shall be used to finance loans to students, to be repaid on terms set out by the Secretary of State, which must take into account a student's personal and household financial circumstances.'.

Access to student loans

Mr Phil Willis
Mr David Rendel

NC3

To move the following Clause:—

'In determining eligibility for student loans age may not be taken into account.'.

Application of limit on time for complaints relating to disability

Mr Tim Collins
Chris Grayling
Mr Mark Francois
Mrs Anne Campbell

NC4

To move the following Clause:—

'For the purposes of paragraph 13(2) of Schedule 3 to the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 (c. 50) a complaint referred to the body designated by the Secretary of State or the Assembly in Wales under section 13 shall be deemed to be conciliation under section 31B of that Act.'.

Distribution principle for funding by research councils

Mr Simon Thomas

NC5

To move the following Clause:—

'(1) In distributing funding, the research councils to which this section applies shall have regard to the distribution principle in this section.

(2) That principle is that, in any period of twelve months, 10 per cent. of funds to be distributed shall be awarded to those institutions that have benefited the least from the distribution of the other 90 per cent. of funds.

(3) This section applies to—

(a)	the Arts and Humanities Research Council,

(b)	the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council,

(c)	the Particle Physics and Astronomy Research Council,

(d)	the Natural Environment Research Council,

(e)	the Medical Research Council,

(f)	the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council,

(g)	the Economic and Social Research Council, and

(h)	the Council for the Central Laboratory of the Research Councils.'.

Post-legislative scrutiny

Mr Graham Allen

NC6

To move the following Clause:—

'(1) The effects of this Act shall be reviewed twice a year by the Education and Skills Select Committee of the House of Commons which shall make a report to that House on that outcome of such reviews.

(2) If at any time after the passing of this Act—

(a)	the name of the Education and Skills Select Committee is changed; or

(b)	the functions discharged by that Committee at the passing of this Act, or functions substantially corresponding thereto, are discharged by a different Committee of the House of Commons,

references in this Act to the Education and Skills Select Committee shall be construed as a reference to that Committee by its new name or, as the case may be, to the Committee for the time being discharging those functions.

(3) Any question arising under subsection (2) shall be determined by the Speaker of the House of Commons.'.

Educational subsidy

Mr Graham Allen

NC7

To move the following Clause:—

'(1) All English and Welsh funding bodies shall present students with a voucher, redeemable only at an agreed course and institution, equivalent to the full support from the taxpayer for the fee and cost of that course.

(2) Such a voucher shall specify the amounts contributed by the taxpayer and by the individual graduate.'.

Repayment of student loans through voluntary service or prescribed employment

Mr Graham Allen

NC8

To move the following Clause:—

'(1) The Secretary of State may make regulations allowing any borrower to repay any student loan, in whole or in part, through the performance of voluntary service or employment in a particular occupation.

(2) Any such regulations may prescribe the type of voluntary service or the occupations which are eligible for such repayment, and the minimum period for which the eligible service or employment is to be performed.

(3) Any such regulations may make different provision for different circumstances.

(4) Any such regulations shall be laid before Parliament at least two calendar months before they are due to take effect, and shall be subject to scrutiny in such form as both Houses of Parliament may prescribe.'.

Increase in threshold for loan repayment

Mr Graham Allen
David Taylor

NC9

To move the following Clause:—

'(1) The Education (Student Loans) (Repayment) Regulations 2000 (S.I., 2000/944) are amended as follows.

(2) In the regulations specified in subsection (3), for "£10,000", there shall be substituted the words "£10,000 up to the year ending 5th April 2005, and £20,000 with effect thereafter".

(3) Those regulations are—

(a)	regulation 13(4);

(b)	regulation 15(5)(a);

(c)	regulation 15(5)(aa);

(d)	regulation 29(2)(a);

(e)	regulation 29(2)(b);

(f)	regulation 56(4)(a).'.

Equity of funding for part-time students

Mr Graham Allen
Dr Hywel Francis

NC10

To move the following Clause:—

'(1) In deciding the funding of qualifying institutions the funding body shall ensure that there is equity of treatment between institutions predominantly providing full-time higher education and institutions predominantly providing part-time higher education.

(2) In this section—

"funding body" means—

(a)	the Higher Education Funding Council for England,

(b)	the Higher Education Funding Council for Wales,

(c)	the Teacher Training Agency;

"qualifying institutions" has the same meaning as in Part 2.'.

Research and development funding

Mr Graham Allen

NC11

To move the following Clause:—

'The Secretary of State shall establish a fund to be distributed to institutions, as directed by the Secretary of State, for the purposes of research and development-related activities, to be financed through a levy on businesses investing below a minimum proportion of their turnover in their own research and development activities, to be determined by the Secretary of State.'.

Publicising of information

Mr Graham Allen

NC12

To move the following Clause:—

'The Secretary of State shall ensure that there is the widest possible public dissemination of information relating to grants and fees, made available through—

(a)	schools and other educational institutions,

(b)	local and national media,

(c)	electronic means, and

(d)	careers information advice, guidance, services and support services.'.

Transfer of functions under section 26 of the 1998 Act to the Assembly

Mr Simon Thomas

NC13

To move the following Clause:—

'The functions of the Secretary of State under section 26 of the 1998 Act (imposition of conditions as to fees at further or higher education institutions) shall be transferred to the Assembly so far as they relate to student fees in Welsh institutions.'.

ORDERS OF THE HOUSE [27th JANUARY AND 5th FEBRUARY 2004]

That the following provisions shall apply to the Higher Education Bill:

Committal

1. The Bill shall be committed to a Standing Committee.

Proceedings in Standing Committee

2. Proceedings in the Standing Committee shall (so far as not previously concluded) be brought to a conclusion on Thursday 4th March 2004.

3. The Standing Committee shall have leave to sit twice on the first day on which it meets.

Consideration and Third Reading

4. Proceedings on consideration shall (so far as not previously concluded) be brought to a conclusion one hour before the moment of interruption on the day on which those proceedings are commenced.

5. Proceedings on Third Reading shall (so far as not previously concluded) be brought to a conclusion at the moment of interruption on that day.

6. Sessional Order B (programming committees) made on 28th June 2001 shall not apply to proceedings on consideration and Third Reading.

Programming of proceedings

7. All other proceedings on the Bill (including any proceedings on consideration of Lords Amendments or on any further Messages from the Lords) may be programmed.

ORDERS OF THE COMMITTEE [10th AND 12th FEBRUARY 2004]

That—

(1) during proceedings on the Higher Education Bill the Standing Committee (in addition to its first sitting on Tuesday 10th February at 9.10 am) do meet on that day at 2.30 pm, and thereafter on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 9.10 am and 2.30 pm, except that the Committee shall not meet on Tuesday 17th February or Thursday 19th February;

(2) the proceedings shall be taken in the following order, namely Clauses 1 to 13, Schedules 1 and 2, Clause 14, Schedule 3, Clauses 15 and 16, Schedule 4, Clauses 17 to 29, Schedule 5, Clauses 30 to 45, Schedule 6, Clause 46, Schedule 7, Clauses 47 to 50, new Clauses, new Schedules;

(3) the proceedings on Clauses 1 to 13, Schedules 1 and 2, Clause 14, Schedule 3, Clauses 15 and 16, Schedule 4 and Clauses 17 to 20 (so far as not previously concluded) shall be brought to a conclusion at 11.20 am on Thursday 12th February;

(4) the proceedings on Clauses 21 to 29, Schedule 5 and Clauses 30 to 38 (so far as not previously concluded) shall be brought to a conclusion at 11.25 am on Thursday 4th March;

(5) the remaining proceedings on the Bill (so far as not previously concluded) shall be brought to a conclusion at 5.00 pm on Thursday 4th March.




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