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6 Apr 2005 : Column 1519W—continued
Non-vocational Adult Education
Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will make a statement on (a) provision and (b) funding of non-vocational adult education in 2005–06. [224732]
Dr. Howells: As reiterated in our White Paper, 'Skills: Getting on in business, getting on at work', published on the 22 March, we remain strongly committed to ensuring the availability of a wide range of learning opportunities for adults, including for personal and community development.
The DfES and the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) will agree each year an overall indicative budget for the funds that should be used to support education and training programmes which do not lead to qualifications. Nationally, this will be based on the broad proportion of LSC funds currently spent on this type of learning. But within it, the range of provision needs to keep evolving so that it best meets changing learner and community needs.
We will therefore continue to provide significant non-vocational provision to meet the needs of a wide range of learners. However it is learning providers and local LSCs who are best placed to assess the learning needs of their communities and to prioritise funding accordingly.
School Meals
Mr. Viggers: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will list the meetings attended by (a) Ministers and (b) officials in her Department with Mr. Jamie Oliver during the last two years on the subject of school dinners. [223980]
Derek Twigg [holding answer 4 April 2005]: Officials have had various contacts with Jamie Oliver's production team since January 2004. Ministers had the following contact with Jamie Oliver to discuss his TV programme and his views on school meals and also to discuss the Department's work improving children's health and diet:
In addition, departmental records show that officials met with Jamie Oliver to discuss school meals issues on:
Student Loans/Support
Mr. Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills why the annual student loan repayment threshold is being increased from £10,000 to £15,000 from 1 April for graduates who commenced their studies on or after 1 September 1998. [224769]
Dr. Howells: The Government's 2003 White Paper "The future of higher education" set out our proposal to raise the repayment threshold for income contingent student loans from £10,000 to £15,000 a year, as part of new arrangements for student support. The change, which takes effect from 6 April 2005, will reduce annual repayments for borrowers earning £15,000 per annum or more by £450 a year; and those with earnings under the new threshold will not be required to make repayments.
Mr. Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what effect the change to the student loan repayment threshold from 1 April will have on the national student loan repayment book. [224770]
Dr. Howells: The impact of raising the repayment threshold for income contingent student loans from £10,000 to £15,000 per annum, which takes effect from 6 April 2005, was set out in chapter 7 of "The future of higher education and the Higher Education Bill 2004: Regulatory Impact Assessment". This is available in the House of Commons Library.
Mr. Clappison:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much support will be available to students in the form of fee remission and
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university bursaries in the case of joint family incomes of (a) less than £15,970, (b) between £15,970 and £22,270, (b) between £22,270 and £33,533 and (d) more than £33,533 for each English university in (i) 2005–06 and (ii) 2006–07; and what these figures are net of tuition fees. [224077]
Dr. Howells: The thresholds for the HE grant and tuition fee grant for 2005–06, for English and Welsh domiciled students, are as follows.
In 2006–07 there will be no fee remission grant for new English domiciled students; fee support will be in the form of non-means-tested loans rather than grants. Students with household income below about £33,000 will also be eligible for a new non-repayable grant of up to £2,700 a year. The exact thresholds and tapers for this grant will be confirmed in the summer but the indicative thresholds for the grant are as follows.
| Household income | Grant entitlement |
|---|---|
| £16,000 or less | full £2,700 |
| £16,001 to £33,000 | Partial |
| £33,001 or more | none |
In addition, individual universities may offer support; and details of the level of bursary support available to students eligible for full state support were provided in answer to Peter Bradley's question (No.223409) on 22 March 2005. Further details of the bursaries offered by individual institutions are available in their access agreements, visible on the OFFA website; in all, such support is calculated at around £300 million.
Teacher Training (York)
Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much was spent on training teachers at (a) University of York and (b) University College of York St. John in (i) 1997–98 and (ii) 2003–04; and how many trainee teachers completed their studies at each institution in each year. [224650]
Dr. Howells:
The latest available figures, provided by the Teacher Training Agency (TTA), are in the following table.
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(26) The funding figures are on mainstream funding only.
2 Figures for 2003/04 are provisional.
Woodcraft Folk
Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will meet representatives of the Woodcraft Folk to discuss the movement's future programme and request for continued grant funding. [223449]
Margaret Hodge: I met the Woodcraft Folk on 4 April.
ENVIRONMENT, FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS
Bovine Artificial Insemination
David Maclean: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 10 March 2005, Official Report, columns 1925–26W, on bovine artificial insemination, what the reasons are for the difference in the costs of official testing of bull semen in Northern Ireland and in Great Britain. [224591]
Mr. Bradshaw: As stated in the answer of 10 March 2005, Official Report, columns 1925–26W in Northern Ireland, bulls are sampled by private veterinary practitioners with financial arrangements agreed between the bull owner and the veterinary practice concerned. As this cost is arranged between the bull owner and the veterinary practice concerned, it was not included in the costs given in the earlier answer. We understand that private vets typically charge £80 to £100 per bull. In Great Britain, Defra veterinarians carry out the sampling and the charge is amalgamated into a single fee.
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