Previous Section Index Home Page


26 Jan 2004 : Column 149W—continued

Student Finance

Mr. Djanogly: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the average student loan taken out by students from (a) Huntingdon, (b) Cambridgeshire and (c) England was in each year since 2000–01. [149685]

Alan Johnson: The tables show the average full-time income-contingent loan taken out by students in Cambridgeshire and in England and the average mortgage style loan taken out by students in England.

Data on the average student loan taken out by students from Huntingdon are not available.

Average income-contingent loan(36) , (37) taken out by domicile of students in academic years 2000/01 to 2002/03(38) (£)

Academic year
2000/012001/02(39)2002/03 (provisional)
Cambridgeshire(40) , (41)3,1703,210(42)
England3,1603,1903,240

(36) New student support arrangements were introduced from academic year 1998/99. New students in 1998/99 (apart from certain specified exceptions) received support for maintenance expenditure through means-tested grants (comprising about a quarter of the support available) and non income-assessed student loans (comprising about three quarters of the support available). From 1999/2000 students who entered higher education after 1998/99 received support for maintenance expenditure through loans, of which approximately three quarters of the value was non income-assessed. Loans made under these arrangements are repayable on an income contingent basis.

(37) Excludes the fixed rate loans (£500) for eligible part-time students, introduced in September 2000

(38) Figures have been rounded to the nearest 10

(39) Latest year for which data by local education authority (LEA) are available

(40) LEA of domicile of student

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

(42) Regional breakdown not yet available

Source:

Student Loans Company


Average mortgage style(43)loan taken out by domicile of student—academic years 2000/01 to 2002/03(44)
£

Academic year
2000/012001/022002/03 (provisional)
England1,4601,5201,580

(43) Loans available to students who entered higher education up to academic year 1997/98 and those who entered in 1998/99 under existing arrangements. These loans are non income assessed and are repayable on a fixed term, mortgage style, basis.

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

Source:

Student Loans Company


Data on the local education authority of 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 the students' education institution. The data provided in the answer relate to student loans

26 Jan 2004 : Column 150W

available from the Student Loans Company and do not include bank loans, overdrafts, and informal loans from family and friends.

Mr. Yeo: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) how many students he expects to receive the full £1,500 maintenance grant, assuming current student numbers; and how many will receive an amount of grant; [148563]

Alan Johnson: Based on the current student cohort we estimate about 30 per cent. of English and Welsh students will benefit from the full grant when it is introduced in the 2004/05 academic year. Approximately a further 10 per cent. of students should benefit from a partial grant. I refer my hon. Friend to the Regulatory Impact Assessment, published on 8 January, which sets out the costs of increasing the grant to £1,500 a year from 2006/07. Copies of the Regulatory Impact Assessment were placed in the Library of the House it is also available on the Department for Education and Skills website.

Mr. Steinberg: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what fees will be chargeable to students for part-time degrees at (a) universities and (b) further education colleges under the provisions of the Higher Education Bill. [150537]

Alan Johnson : Universities and further education colleges are currently free to determine the level of fees which are chargeable to part-time students in higher education. The Higher Education Bill will not change this.

Sure Start

Mr. Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will make a statement on the steps his Department is taking to monitor the effectiveness of the Sure Start programme. [148641]

Margaret Hodge: A major evaluation of the Sure Start programme began in January 2001. It will examine the effectiveness of Sure Start on children, families and communities, both in the short, medium and long-term by tracking a sample of eight thousand (8,000) children and their families over time. The first information on impact and effectiveness will become available over the next 12 months.

Martin Linton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many children have had contact with Sure Start in Battersea since its inception. [144773]

Margaret Hodge: Contact by Sure Start local programmes is defined to mean that a child aged 0–3 years and/or their parent or carer has taken up services. Since its inception in October 2000 Sure Start Battersea reports that it has provided services to some 630 children under four living in the catchment area.

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the annual budget is for the Sure Start Childcare and Early Years magazine. [147929]

Margaret Hodge: The Sure Start Childcare and Early Years magazine was published twice in 2003. The cost for

26 Jan 2004 : Column 151W

the two issues was £66,339.61 including distribution to 37,000 partners.

The Sure Start Childcare and Early Years magazine was merged with our Upstart magazine at the end of 2003. The new magazine is called Sure Start. The planned annual budget for the new magazine is approximately £160,000 which includes distribution to 60,000 partners.

Helen Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills which constituencies in Yorkshire and Humberside have one or more Sure Start initiatives. [149344]

26 Jan 2004 : Column 152W

Margaret Hodge: The following table shows the constituencies in Yorkshire and Humberside that have operational Sure Start local programmes, Early Excellence Centres, neighbourhood nurseries and children's centres based within them. Figures for neighbourhood nurseries however are changing by the day as new settings open. The Government intend that, wherever possible, existing Sure Start provision will develop into children's centres as part of the expansion of high quality integrated services to all pre-school children and their families living in the 20 per cent. most disadvantaged wards in England.

Constituency Number of Sure Start local programmesNumber of Early Excellence CentresNumber of neighbourhood nurseriesNumber of children'scentres
East and North Ridings
Beverley and Holderness, James Cran, Conservative2
Brigg and Goole, Ian Cawsey, Labour1
City of York, Hugh Bayley, Labour1
Cleethorpes, Shona McIsaac, Labour12
Great Grimsby, Austin Mitchell, Labour4 31
Hull East, John Prescott, Labour22
Hull North, Kevin McNamara, Labour23
Hull West and Hessle, Allan Johnson, Labour32
Scarborough and Whitby, Lawrie Quinn, Labour12
Scunthorpe, Elliot Morley, Labour.21
Selby, John Grogan, Labour11
Yorkshire East, Greg Knight, Conservative11
South Yorkshire
Barnsley Central, Eric Illsley, Labour29
Barnsley East and Mexborough, Jeff Ennis Labour21
Barnsley West and Penistone, Michael Clapham, Labour13
Don Valley, Caroline Flint, Labour11
Doncaster Central, Rosie Winterton, Labour1
Doncaster North, Kevin Hughes, Labour3
Rotherham, Denis MacShane, Labour111
Rother Valley, Kevin Barron, Labour.111
Sheffield Attercliffe, Clive Betts, Labour1 (part of the SheffieldEEC network)2
Sheffield Brightside, David Blunkett, Labour.31 (part of the SheffieldEEC network)1
Sheffield Central, Richard Caborn, Labour31 (part of the SheffieldEEC network)3
Sheffield Heeley, Meg Munn, Labour1
Sheffield Hillsborough, Helen Jackson, Labour2
Wentworth, John Healey, Labour121
West Yorkshire
Batley and Spen, Mike Wood, Labour1
Bradford North, Terry Rooney, Labour23
Bradford South, Gerry Sutcliffe Labour4
Bradford West, Marsha Singh, Labour112
Calder Valley, Chris McCafferty, Labour11
Dewsbury, Ann Taylor, Labour21
Halifax, Alice Mahon, Labour2
Hemsworth, Jon Trickett, Labour1
Huddersfield, Barry Sheerman, Labour313
Keighley, Ann Cryer, Labour1
Leeds East, George Mudie, Labour.113
Leeds Central, Hilary Benn, Labour.34
Leeds North East Fabian Hamilton, Labour1
Leeds North-west, Harold Best, Labour.1
Leeds West, John Battle, Labour12
Morley and Rothwell, Colin Challen Labour13
Pontefract and Castleford, Yvette Cooper, Labour.2
Shipley, Chris Lesley, Labour1
Wakefield, David Hinchcliffe, Labour211

26 Jan 2004 : Column 153W

Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many toothbrushes have been distributed free by each Sure Start project. [149398]

Margaret Hodge [holding answer 21 January 2004]: This information is not collected. It is estimated that to date some 450,000 packs have been distributed to families under the Department of Health's Brushing for Life scheme. This scheme operates in the 29 former district health authority areas with the highest levels of tooth decay and all Sure Start Local Programmes in areas where the water is not fluoridated. Many Sure Start Local Programmes also distribute similar packs to babies and young children under their own oral health promotion schemes.

Mr. Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what legal services and goods Sure Start projects are (a) authorised and (b) forbidden to provide at no cost to the recipient. [149399]

Margaret Hodge [holding answer 21 January 2004]: There are 524 Sure Start local programmes delivering services to children under 4 and their families in the most disadvantaged areas of the country. They aim to achieve better outcomes for children, parents and communities by increasing the availability of child care, improving health, education and emotional development for young children, and supporting parents as parents and in their aspirations towards employment. Services to meet these aims are designed in consultation with families in the area to ensure they reflect local needs. Programmes are neither prevented nor required to provide any goods or legal services free of charge.

Mr. Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to evaluate Sure Start schemes; and what arrangements have been made to ensure that lessons from such evaluations are disseminated. [145079]

Margaret Hodge: A comprehensive evaluation of the Sure Start programme began in January 2001. It will examine the effectiveness of Sure Start on children, families and communities in the short, medium and long-term by tracking a sample of eight thousand (8,000) children and their families over time. The first information on impact and effectiveness will become available over the next 12 months.

Lessons from the evaluation will be disseminated widely; through the Sure Start Unit Research Publication series, academic journals and practitioner publications and through workshops, seminars and conferences for both practitioners and the academic community.


Next Section Index Home Page