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21 Mar 2006 : Column 224W—continued
Staff Strikes (Higher Education)
Dr. Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what steps her Department is taking to minimise the effects of strikes by National Association of Teachers of Further and Higher Education and the Association of University Teachers on students in higher education. [57086]
Bill Rammell: Universities are autonomous and responsible for determining their own academic and administrative affairs, including deciding what to pay their own staff. Pay and conditions of service are subject to negotiations between employers, their staff and their representative trade union bodies. The Government play no part in this.
It is a matter for higher education institutions to consider how best they can minimise the adverse effects of the current dispute. The Government would encourage both employers and unions to reach a speedy resolution on this matter, to ensure minimal further disruption to students
Student Finance
Mr. Newmark: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills whether her Department has made an estimate of the number of students who would become ineligible for student support if eligibility was based on the combined income of a student's resident and non-resident parent instead of the household income measure. [60464]
Bill Rammell: We do not collect data on the income of non-resident parents and as such no estimate has been produced.
University Fees/Students
Anne Snelgrove: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills whether she plans to decrease the income threshold necessary for obtaining financial help with university fees. [57996]
Bill Rammell:
From the 2006/07 academic year, all eligible full-time undergraduate students will be able to take out a loan to cover the cost of their tuition fees, regardless of their household income. However, we will be undertaking a review of household income thresholds and tapers for maintenance support to anticipate around 30 per cent. of new full-time undergraduate
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students qualifying for the full £2,700 non-repayable maintenance grant and around 50 per cent. qualifying for a full or partial grant in future academic years.
Mr. Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills pursuant to the answer of 2 February 2006, Official Report, column 690W, on university students, which institution in 2003–04 had the highest percentage of young full-time first degree from National Statistics socio-economic classes 4–7 students that is not a former polytechnic. [59869]
Bill Rammell: Harper Adams university college was the institution with the highest proportion of students from NS-SEC categories 4–7, which was not a former polytechnic. The following table indicates which institutions in the top 10 were not former polytechnics.
(20)Indicates institutions which were not former polytechnics.
WORK AND PENSIONS
Administration Costs
Mr. MacNeil:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the administrative costs were of each agency for which he has responsibility in the last year for which figures are available; what the total of such costs
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was in that year; and whether the costs are regarded for the purposes of public expenditure statistical analyses as (a) identifiable and (b) non-identifiable. [39853]
Mr. Plaskitt: The administrative costs of each agency of the Department for 2004–05 are set out in the following table and are stated net of income. All the costs were identifiable for the purposes of the public expenditure statistical analyses. The Disability and Carers Service was set up in November 2004.
Agency | Administration costs 2004–05 (£ million) |
|---|---|
| Jobcentre Plus | 3,148 |
| Pension Service | 831 |
| Child Support Agency | 326 |
| Disability and Carers Service | 120 |
| Appeals Service | 66 |
| Rent Service | 39 |
| Total | 4,530 |
Attendance Allowance
Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what (a) proportion of attendance allowance decisions were appealed against and (b) percentage of appeals by the claimant were successful in each of the last five years, broken down by disability benefit centre. [57461]
Mrs. McGuire: The administration of attendance allowance is a matter for the chief executive of the disability and carers service, Mr. Terry Moran. He will write to the hon. Member.
You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what (a) proportion of attendance allowance decisions were appealed against and (b) percentage of appeals by the claimant were successful, in each of the last five years, broken down by disability benefit centre.
The Minister for Disabled People, Anne McGuire MP, promised you a substantive reply from the Chief Executive of the Disability and Carers Service.
The information is not available in the format requested. Such information as is available is in the following table:
Note:
Data is not available for AA appeals prior to 2003–04.
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Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many claims for attendance allowances were made in each of the last five years; and what percentage were successful, broken down by disability benefits centre. [57465]
Mrs. McGuire:
The administration of attendance allowance is a matter for the Chief Executive of the Disability and Carers Service, Mr. Terry Moran. He will
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write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many claims for attendance allowances were made in each of the last five years; and what percentage were successful broken down by disability benefits centre.
The Minister for Disabled People, Anne McGuire MP, promised you a substantive reply from the Chief Executive of the Disability and Carers Service.
(21)Figures up to February 2006
I hope this is helpful.
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Mr. Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the longest period was between a claim for attendance allowance being approved and the first payment being made in the last year for which figures are available. [60531]
Mrs. McGuire: The administration of attendance allowance is a matter for the chief executive of the disability and carers service, Mr. Terry Moran. He will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
Letter from Terry Moran, dated 21 March 2006:
You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the longest period was between a claim for attendance allowance being approved and the first payment being made in the last year for which figures are available.
The Minister for Disabled People, Anne McGuire MP, promised you a substantive reply from the Chief Executive of the Disability and Carers Service.
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