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25 Feb 2008 : Column 1305W—continued
Obesity: Publications
Mr. Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how much the documents (a) Tackling Obesities: Future Choices and ( b) Tackling Obesities Future Choices - Obesity System Atlas cost to (i) produce and (ii) to distribute. [166875]
Mr. Lammy:
The production costs, i.e. design and printing, of the Tackling Obesities: Future Choices report were approx £3,300 and for Tackling Obesities:
Future Choices—Obesity Systems Atlas were approx £8,600. The cost of distributing the Tackling Obesities Future Choices are likely to be approx £5,900 and for the Obesity Systems Atlas £2,500
Overseas Students
Mr. Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what penalties would be imposed on a college approved to provide education for overseas students found to be falsifying information to retain its approved status; how many such penalties have been issued in the last five years; and if he will make a statement. [183211]
Bill Rammell: Since 1 January 2005, colleges which want to recruit international students have to appear on the register of education and training providers. To remain on the register, colleges agree to abide by the terms and conditions of registration, including compliance with the immigration rules. To date, 143 colleges have been found to be in breach of the immigration rules, following investigation by the BIA and therefore removed from the register. They are therefore no longer able to recruit international students.
Overseas Students: Vietnam
Ben Chapman: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many Vietnamese nationals are studying in the UK's higher education system; and if he will make a statement. [179632]
Bill Rammell: The latest available information shows that the number of Vietnamese domiciled students in UK higher education institutions for the 2006-07 academic year was 1,685. Figures for 2007-08 will be available in January 2009. Numbers have increased by 16 per cent. from the previous year. This is good news. International students such as those from Vietnam bring an international perspective to our campuses, they help maintain the UK's world class research base, and they provide a valuable source of income for our universities and indeed for the economy more widely. The "Global Value" report published by the British Council in September estimated that the total value of international HE students to the UK economy was in the region of £5 billion per year.
Research: Finance
Dr. Iddon: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how much has been transferred from other budgets to allow the research councils to provide 80 per cent. of the full economic costs of the research that they sponsor; and if he will make a statement. [181725]
Ian Pearson: None, no funding has been transferred from other budgets.
Road Traffic Offences
Mr. Jeremy Browne:
To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many (a) parking tickets and (b) speeding fines were issued for
vehicles used by his Department and its predecessor in each of the last 10 years; and what the cost to the public purse of those penalties was in each year. [183359]
Mr. Lammy: The Department for Innovation Universities and Skills was created in June 2007. The following information relates to the period since then.
Parking fines and speeding tickets incurred by DIUS staff when using vehicles for official business are not met by the public purse.
The Department also uses vehicles provided by the Government Car and Despatch Agency, which is the responsibility of my hon. Friend the Under-Secretary of State for Transport. I refer to the answer in respect of that agency given by my right hon. Friend on 5 February 2008.
Student Loans Company: ICT
Martin Horwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the IT system which co-ordinates confirmation of student loan repayments between the Student Loans Company and HM Revenue and Customs; and whether this system has failed or generated errors in the last three years. [175399]
Bill Rammell [holding answer 18 December 2007]: There are a number of data exchanges between the Student Loans Company (SLC) and HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) to enable the repayment of student loans. Information is principally exchanged to match student loan borrowers with live employment records, provide repayment information and confirm that employers need to be sent notice to start and stop making student loan deductions. The SLC is not aware of any IT system failures or errors that have prevented the exchange of data with HMRC in the last three years.
The Government take the protection of personal data extremely seriously. The provisions catering for the sharing of information in the Sale of Student Loans Bill will strengthen the framework for legal protection of data in respect of all loans, whether sold or unsold. The Bill will extend an existing criminal sanction prohibiting the wrongful disclosure of HMRC information outside the terms of the legislative gateway.
Data exchanges between the SLC and HMRC have all been reviewed following the Chancellor’s statement on 20 November to ensure they meet the appropriate security standards. No breaches of data protection protocols have occurred in respect of student loan administration.
Student Wastage
Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills (1) how many (a) full-time and (b) part-time students under 22 years old withdrew from their higher education course in each year since 2001; [164198]
(2) how many (a) full-time and (b) part-time mature students withdrew from their higher education course in each year since 2001. [164199]
Mr. Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many (a) full-time and (b) part-time (i) students under 22 years old and (ii) mature students withdrew from their higher education course in each year since 2001. [166863]
Bill Rammell: The information available on non-continuation of higher education students is shown in Tables 1 and 2. The figures are taken from the Performance Indicators in Higher Education, published by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA). Table 1 shows the proportion of UK-domiciled full-time first degree entrants to higher education institutions in England, who do not continue in higher education after their first year. Table 2 shows the proportion of UK-domiciled full-time other undergraduate entrants to higher education institutions in England who do not continue in higher education after their first year.
| Table 1: Percentage of UK-domiciled full-time first degree entrants to English higher education institutions not continuing in higher education after their first year | ||||
| Academic year | 2001-02 | 2002-03 | 2003-04 | 2004-05 |
| Source: Performance Indicators in Higher Education, published by HESA | ||||
| Table 2: Percentage of UK-domiciled full-time other undergraduate entrants to English higher education institutions not continuing in higher education after their first year | ||||
| Academic year | 2001-02 | 2002-03 | 2003-04 | 2004-05 |
| Source: Performance Indicators in Higher Education, published by HESA | ||||
Figures for 2005-06 will become available in 2008.
HESA do not publish figures on the percentage of part-time students not continuing in higher education after their first year.
According to the figures published by the OECD, the overall completion rate for Type A (first degree equivalent) courses in UK universities and colleges of higher education is among the highest in the OECD countries.
Julia Goldsworthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many students aged over 21 years withdrew from (a) full-time and (b) part-time higher education courses in each year since 2003; and what the most frequently given reasons were for withdrawal. [180496]
Bill Rammell: The standard measure of non-completion is the proportion of UK-domiciled full-time first degree starters of all ages who are projected to neither obtain an award nor transfer to another institution. The available information for higher education institutions in England is shown in table 1.
| Table 1: Proportion of UK-domiciled full-time first degree starters at higher education institutions in England, who are projected to neither obtain an award nor transfer to another institution | |
| Percentage | |
| Source: Performance Indicators in Higher Education, published by HESA. | |
Projected non-completion rates are not available for part-time starters, and are not available broken down by age groups.
The available information on reasons for withdrawing from higher education courses is shown in tables 2 and 3. This information covers students, aged over 21, leaving first degree courses at English higher education institutions in each year, and includes students in their first, final and intervening years of study, irrespective of the year in which they began their course.
| Table 2: UK-domiciled full-time students aged over 21 years, on first degree courses at English higher education institutions, who left their course | |||||
| Academic year | |||||
| Reason for leaving | 2002/03 | 2003/04 | 2004/05 | 2005/06 | 2006/07 |
| Note: Numbers are rounded to the nearest five so components may not sum to totals. Source: Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA). | |||||
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