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4 Dec 2003 : Column 188W—continued

Grammar Schools

Sir Teddy Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many referenda on the future of grammar schools have taken place in the last 12 months; and what the outcome was in each case. [141320]

Mr. Miliband: There have been no grammar school ballots in the past 12 months.

Millennium Volunteers

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the total funding for Millennium volunteers for each local authority area has been for (a) 2003–04, (b) 2002–03, (c) 2001–02 and (d) 2000–01; and what the anticipated level of funding for 2004–05 is. [140662]

Mr. Ivan Lewis: The amount of funding allocated for Millennium Volunteers projects in each local authority area is not collected as many projects operate across boundaries. £10 million was allocated for MV in England in 2000–01 but information by region is not available.

The amount of funding allocated in each region in 2001–02, 2002–03, 2003–04 and 2004–05 is provided in the table. The figure for 2004–05 is lower than that in previous years because the Department invested additional funds in excess of the allocated budget in the spending period.

£

Region2001–022002–032003–042004–05
East Midlands1,027,1741,059,2681,121,052979,036
East of England1,474,7171,452,3311,325,1981,157,321
London2,062,7171,933,5141,711,1191,494,353
North East1,072,368932,442960,734839,027
North West1,834,0841,967,7012,018,3151,762,633
South East1,468,2311,933,8271,952,8711,705,479
South West1,628,9931,675,5701,810,5131,581,156
West Midlands1,598,4131,577,3141,664,6271,453,750
Yorks & the Humber1,315,3651,711,2131,748,7831,527,245
Totals13,482,06214,243,18014,313,21212,500,000

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will make a statement on the impact of the decision to fund support for Millennium volunteers through Connexions. [140681]

Mr. Ivan Lewis: The impact of the decision to fund support for Millennium Volunteers through Connexions will be significant. It will ensure that the programme will be more responsive to the needs of young people and their local communities and that the programme will be marketed and supported alongside a range of support for young people. The early pilots of Connexions delivery have demonstrated that additional investment in the programme can be achieved as well as economies of scale in areas such as data collection, marketing and celebration events.

Modern Apprenticeships

Mr. McLoughlin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many young people in (a) West Derbyshire and (b) East Midlands have entered (i) an advanced modern apprenticeship and (ii) a foundation modern apprenticeship since the schemes' inception. [141450]

4 Dec 2003 : Column 189W

Mr. Ivan Lewis: The information is not available for West Derbyshire as requested by the hon. Gentleman. However, information is available for old Training and Enterprise Council (TEC) areas and new Learning and Skills Council (LSC) areas. The following table shows the number of starts on modern apprenticeships in Derbyshire Learning and Skills Council (LSC) between 26 March 2001 and the end of July 2003, as well as the number of starts from the inception of the programmes until 25 March 2001 in the three TEC areas that became part of Derbyshire LSC area. The table also shows the number of starts in the East Midlands region in these respective periods.

Time period/TEC/LSCAdvanced MAFoundation MA
Inception to March 2001
North Derbyshire2,5001,300
Southern Derbyshire5,6002,000
Stockport and High Peak(41)3,8001,900
East Midlands Region37,80019,500
March 2001 to July 2003
Derbyshire LSC2,3005,300
East Midlands LSC region9,10021,300

(41) Some of the Stockport and High Peak TEC area became part of Derbyshire LSC, but some of the old TEC area also became part of Greater Manchester LSC.


Open University

Mr. Jack: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the average cost per graduate of an Open University degree was in the last year for which figures are available. [141902]

Alan Johnson: The estimated cost of the course fees and other study costs to a student at the Open University graduating with a BA/BSc degree in 2001/02 was £4,400. This excludes the costs to the university and any costs to the student of supporting themselves while studying.

Student Loans

Mr. Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the average size of student loan on entering repayment status was in the last year for which figures are available and; what the average loan taken out in 1999–2000 to 2001–02 was in (a) each region of England, (b) the county of Tyne and Wear and (c) the City of Newcastle-upon-Tyne. [141194]

Alan Johnson: The table shows the average student loan debt at the point at which they entered repayment status for borrowers who became liable to repay their loans in financial year 2003–04.

Average student loan debt on entering repayment status in financial year 2003–04(42)

£
Mortgage Style loans(43)6,070
Income Contingent loans(44)7,170
Part-time loans(45)650

(42) Data rounded to nearest £10. Include interest accrued up to the point of entering repayment status. Exclude any early voluntary repayments which may have been made before borrowers enter repayment status. Debt of borrowers with more than one loan type has been split between types. Borrowers enter repayment status in the April following their graduation or otherwise leaving their course. Borrowers may have accounts in more than one cohort year of entering repayment.

(43) Loans made to students who entered higher education up to 1997/98 or who entered in 1998/99 under existing arrangements. Includes loans repayable to the private sector following the sale of two tranches of student loans.

(44) Loans repayable on an income contingent basis, available to students who entered higher education from academic year 1998/99. These loans were subject to a repayment holiday until April 2000. Includes hardship loans.

(45) Fixed-rate loans made to eligible part-time students, introduced in September 2000.

Source:

Student Loans Company


4 Dec 2003 : Column 190W

Borrowers entering repayment status include those who attended shorter courses as well as those who have left higher education before completing their courses. Therefore the average level of debt will not be representative of the average debt experienced by those who complete their courses.

Borrowers are liable to repay their loans from the April following graduation or otherwise leaving their course. Most borrowers who started their course from the 1998/99 academic year will repay income contingent loans. Loans for those who started their course before 1998/99 are repayable on a mortgage style basis.

The table shows the average full-time income-contingent loan taken out by students in the English Government Office Regions, Tyne and Wear and Newcastle upon Tyne.

Average income-contingent(46),(47),(48) loan taken out by domicile of student—academic years 1999/2000, 2000/01 and 2001/02(49)
£

Academic year
1999/20002000/01(50)2001/02
Government Office Region(51)
North East3,0603,0203,060
North West3,1303,0903,130
Yorkshire and Humberside3,1103,0803,130
East Midlands3,1903,1203,170
West Midlands3,1403,0903,150
East of England3,1803,1503,190
Inner London3,5403,4703,500
Outer London3,2403,2003,240
South East3,1803,1303,160
South West3,2403,1903,250
Tyne and Wear(52)3,0002,9903,020
Newcastle upon Tyne3,0503,0203,030

(46) Loans available to students who entered higher education from September 1998, excludes the fixed rate loans (£500) for eligible part-time students, introduced in September 2000.

(47) Mandatory award holders, i.e. those eligible for mortgage style loans, made applications for student loans through their education institution; data are therefore not available for these students.

(48) Data have been taken from available data and may include a small number of loans which have been authorised for payment but not paid.

(49) Figures have been rounded to the nearest £10.

(50) The apparent fall in the average value of income-contingent loan taken out in 2000/01 can be explained mainly by the fact that this was the third year of this loan scheme; students on the third year of a three year course will receive the final year rate of loan which is at a lower rate as it does not cover the summer vacation. This effect is not present in 1999/2000 and has been levelled out in the years subsequent to 2000/01. Additionally, this is likely to be the first year in which those students on sandwich courses have their placement year and are therefore in receipt of the reduced rate of loan.

(51) Government Office Region of domicile of student.

(52) The Metropolitan County of Tyne and Wear was abolished in 1996; it comprised Gateshead, Newcastle upon Tyne, North Tyneside, South Tyneside and Sunderland.

Source:

Student Loans Company


4 Dec 2003 : Column 191W

Data on the domicile of students taking out fixed rate mortgage style loans (normally those who entered higher education before 1998/99) are not available because applications are made through their education institution.

Mr. Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills whether student loan repayments made via the Inland Revenue are immediately credited to individual loan accounts; how frequently the interest on student loan accounts is calculated; and if he will make a statement. [141525]

Alan Johnson: Student loan repayments are collected by the Inland Revenue mostly through PAYE and the data is transmitted to the Student Loan Company after the end of each tax year. At that stage, repayments are credited to the student's loan account as at the date they were collected. Interest on student loans is calculated annually, set every year from 1 September based on the Retail Prices Index published in April for the previous year.


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