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5 Feb 2004 : Column 1032W—continued
Student Loans
Mr. Rendel: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to his reply of 22 January 2004, Official Report, columns 1405–07W, what the
5 Feb 2004 : Column 1033W
assumed distribution was in the model of the (a) size of means-tested loan taken out and (b) size of fee loan, net of any fee remission. [151860]
Alan Johnson [holding answer 29 January 2004]: In estimating the 13 years figure as the average time for loan repayment—22 January 2004, Official Report, columns 1405–07W—the modelling was undertaken across all students rather than being a figure for an 'average student'. The estimate is based on the whole distribution of borrowers rather than on an 'average student' or a student with average debt—there is therefore no one level of debt on which the estimate is based. Factors that were taken into account in developing the model include:
- (i) The future pattern of demand for Higher Education by parental income;
- (ii) The proportion of students studying in London, at home or elsewhere;
- (iii) The propensity of students to take out loans;
- (iv) The distribution of fees actually charged by Higher Education institutions from 2006/07;
- (v) The distribution of lengths of courses (based on internal modelling); and
- (vi) The pattern of withdrawals from HE courses (based on internal modelling).
The model was applied on the basis of a separate fee grant and HE grant as set out as follows. Once the grants are combined, as announced by the Secretary of State to the House on 27 January 2004, the balance between maintenance loan and fee loan will be slightly different, though the overall impact is likely to be small.
- (a) We currently expect that in 2006/07 around 50 per cent. to 55 per cent. of students will be eligible for the full value of the means-tested maintenance loan of—on average—around £4,000. The remaining students are expected to be eligible for at least the non means-tested element of the loan—an average of around £3,000.
- (b) For fee loans, our estimates have been prepared using an assumption that 75 per cent. of students could be charged £3,000 and 25 per cent. of students £1,200 (an average fee of £2,550). We expect around 50 per cent. to 55 per cent. of students will receive some fee remission. Under these assumptions, the 40 per cent. to 45 per cent. of students who receive no fee support would be eligible for an average fee loan of £2,550.
As noted above, this is on the basis of a separate fee grant and HE grant. Under the combined grant scheme, we expect that 50 per cent. to 55 per cent. of students would receive all or part of the HE grant of £2,700.
We then assume that 85 per cent. of students will take up maintenance loans and 80 per cent. of students take up fee loans. Loan take-up is assumed to be independent of parental income.
TeacherNet
Mr. Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the costs involved in producing the TeacherNet Emergencies website were. [152418]
Mr. Ivan Lewis: In my earlier replies of 7 May and 8 September I indicated that the cost would be approximately £60,000. The final cost for producing the website was £63,338.
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Teachers' Pay
Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will make a statement on the pay differentials between teaching staff in schools, further education colleges and higher education institutions. [152690]
Alan Johnson: The statutory pay and conditions of service for teachers in the maintained schools sector in England and Wales are based on the recommendations of an independent pay review body—the School Teachers' Review Body.
The Government play no part in setting the levels of pay in the higher education and further education sectors as universities and further education colleges are independent and autonomous bodies. Pay levels are subject to negotiations between employers and the representative trade union bodies, and will therefore vary from institution to institution.
Top-up Fees
Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills under his proposed top-up fees plans, what the difference in take home pay would be between two graduates, one of whom had been liable to pay fees of £3,000 and the other of whom had not, at salary levels of (a) £15,000, (b) £25,000 and (c) £35,000. [153084]
Alan Johnson: Loan repayments do not depend on the level of fees charged to a student or their level of outstanding debt. They depend on their salary level after graduation, so there will be no difference in monthly take home pay between graduates who were liable for different levels of fees. Monthly repayments for a graduate on £15,000 will be zero; for a graduate on £25,000, they will be £75; and for a graduate on £35,000, they will be £150.
University Access
Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will make a statement on the impact on the teaching budgets of higher education institutions of the creation of the access premium. [152781]
Miss Melanie Johnson: Funding for widening access and improving retention forms part of the teaching grants paid by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) to higher education institutions. For the 2003–04 academic year, HEFCE allocated £3.4 billion of teaching funding, of which £265 million, including £10 million for disabled students, related specifically to widening access and improving retention. For 2004–05, HEFCE have recently announced that they will allocate some £3.8 billion in teaching funds, including £273 million for widening access and improving retention. HEFCE funding is provided as a block grant and it is for institutions to decide how to spend that money.
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HOME DEPARTMENT
Alcohol Harm Reduction
Mrs. Betty Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether health warnings on alcoholic drinks are being considered in the development of the National Alcohol Harm Reduction Strategy; and when the strategy will be published. [149348]
Miss Melanie Johnson: I have been asked to reply.
My right hon. Friend the Prime Minister's strategy unit is currently developing the Alcohol Harm Reduction Strategy for England, which will be published shortly. The strategy unit is examining a range of interventions to combat health harms, including the placement of health warnings on alcoholic drinks containers, as part of the work on the development of the strategy.
Asylum Seekers
Mr. Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many asylum seekers who have committed crimes in the UK in the last five years have been deported. [151270]
Beverley Hughes: The number of asylum seekers removed from the United Kingdom as a result of deportation action in each of the last five years for which information is available is given in the table.
| Total | of whom: principal asylum applicants | of whom: non-asylum cases | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 1,730 | 350 | 1,380 |
| 1999 | 1,210 | 140 | 1,075 |
| 2000 | 1,280 | 145 | 1,140 |
| 2001 | 450 | 85 | 365 |
| 2002(19) | 415 | 100 | 315 |
(16) Under section 3(5) and 3(6) of the Immigration Act 1971.
(17) Figures for 2001 and 2002 have been estimated.
(18) Deportation figures may be under recorded in 1999 and 2000.
(19) Provisional figures.
The number of these who were removed after having committed a crime is not available except by examination of individual case-files at disproportionate cost.
We take very seriously any criminal or antisocial acts committed by asylum seekers. Although there is no evidence to suggest that asylum seekers are disproportionately likely to commit crime, we have taken powers in the Nationality, Immigration and Asylum Act 2002 to prevent serious criminals using the protection of the 1951 Refugee Convention. We will seek to remove such criminals from the United Kingdom wherever possible.
Civil Servants (Disabled People)
Mr. Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will set out the number of employees in his Department who have a disability, broken down by disability type. [148994]
5 Feb 2004 : Column 1036W
Fiona Mactaggart: The information requested for the Home Office (excluding Prison Service and the UK Passport Agency) is in the table.
| Type of disability | Number of staff(20) |
|---|---|
| Non-disabled | 18,500 |
| Hearing impairment | 50 |
| Visual impairment | 30 |
| Mobility impairment | 70 |
| Physical coordination difficulties | 40 |
| Reduced physical capacity | 110 |
| Learning difficulties | 20 |
| Mental illness | 20 |
| Unknown disability | 50 |
| Speech impairment | (21)— |
| Hearing impairment plus(22) | — |
| Visual impairment plus | — |
| Speech impairment plus | — |
| Mobility impairment plus | 10 |
| Physical co-ordination difficulties plus | 10 |
| Reduced physical capacity plus | 40 |
| Mental illness plus | 10 |
| Status unknown | 250 |
| Total Home Office staff(23) | 19,210 |
(20) Provided from Mandate Data as at 1 April 2003. The data from Mandate incorporate information on 98 per cent. civil servants. Therefore, any analysis that comes from Mandate will not cover the complete population of civil servants and will not always reconcile with the data that are in the public domain.
(21) Less than 10.
(22) ln combination with one or more disabilities.
(23) Including Forensic Science Service.
Note:
The number of staff in post and the number of disabled staff have been rounded to the nearest 10, and numbers under five are not disclosed in order to protect the privacy of the individual.
A Home Office Staff Survey undertaken in 2001 showed that 5 per cent. of respondents were declaring a disability against a declared level of 2.3 per cent. staff with a disability recorded on their personal record at that time. However, the declaration of disability is a voluntary matter and the Department is exploring ways of persuading staff of the value of declaring their disability. The Department participates in the Cabinet Office Disability Bursary Scheme, designed for staff with potential for early promotion to the senior civil service, the Cabinet Office summer placement scheme for disabled graduates and is a member of the Cabinet Office-chaired Disability Working Group, which is examining issues around disability monitoring and collection and the non-declaration of disability.
The Department has facilitated and resourced the establishment of the Home Office Disability Support network (HODS), to provide support and encouragement to staff with disabilities and advice to the Department about their needs. The Department is working with HODS to raise awareness and improve understanding of disability issues across the office, and to help realise the potential of disabled staff to rise to senior levels.
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