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26 Feb 2008 : Column 1435W—continued
Higher Education: Student Numbers
Mr. Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many additional places for first-time students will be funded in 2008-09 as a result of the shift in funding away from students on courses that are equivalent or lower to qualifications they already hold. [187238]
Bill Rammell: The January 2008 Grant Letter to HEFCE set out our expectations for growth in student numbers. As a result of the 2 per cent. real terms increase in funding for HE we are making available over the next three years, and our decision to redistribute grant away from students doing second degrees or other HE qualifications at an equivalent or lower level (ELQs) in order to fund more first degree students, there is scope overall to fund significant growth. In full-time equivalent terms, we expect a growth in core-fundable students of 20,000 in 2008-09 (on a full-time equivalent basis) either entering higher education for the first time or progressing to higher degrees of which some 5,000 are attributable to our decision to redistribute funding which would otherwise have funded ELQ students.
Higher Education: Student Wastage
Mr. Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills 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. [162122]
Bill Rammell: The information available on non-continuation of young 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 young (under 21) 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 young (under 21) 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 young (under 21) full-time first degree entrants to English higher education institutions not continuing in higher education after their first year | |
| Academic year | Percentage |
| Source: “Performance Indicators in Higher Education”, published by HESA. | |
| Table 2 : Percentage of young (under 21) full-time other undergraduate entrants to English higher education institutions not continuing in higher education after their first year | |
| Academic year | Percentage |
| 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 2004 figures published by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the overall completion rate of 78 per cent. for Type A (first degree equivalent) courses in UK universities and colleges of higher education is the fifth highest among the OECD countries, after Japan, Ireland, Korea and Greece, and is above the OECD average of 70 per cent.
Higher Education: Terrorism
Mr. Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many reports have been made to the Government by higher education providers about extremism on campus in the last 12 months. [175745]
Bill Rammell: No formal written reports have been submitted to HMG by higher education providers on extremism on campus in the last 12 months. However, there is a regular on-going dialogue between officials and Ministers in the DIUS and higher education providers, Universities UK, the NUS and the University and College Union concerning the issue of violent extremist activity in higher education.
All higher education providers have regular contact with their local police force and have ongoing discussions about issues and concerns within their HEI.
Postgraduate Education: Finance
Mr. Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills whether public funding is available for students studying for a masters in research degree who already hold a level 7 qualification. [187239]
Bill Rammell:
Public funding for research degrees is distributed through the research grant we give to HEFCE which will rise by 18 per cent. in cash terms from under £1.4 billion this year to over £1.6 billion over the next three years. Funding for research has been and will
continue to be allocated selectively on the basis of excellence. Students already holding level 7 qualifications will as now continue to be funded for a Masters Research degree provided they are studying in a department rated 4 and above in the 2001 Research Assessment Exercise.
Students: Finance
Stephen Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what estimate he has made of the proportion of part-time (a) first degree and (b) second degree students who had their fees paid by an employer in the latest period for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement. [186616]
Bill Rammell: The latest available information is given in the table.
| Number and proportion of part-time first degree and postgraduate students who had their fees paid by an employer, English Higher Education Institutions, academic year 2006/07 | ||||
| First degree | Postgraduate | |||
| Major source of tuition fees | Number | Percentage of known | Number | Percentage of known |
| (1) Employer as major source of tuition fees includes students who were recorded as having their tuition fees paid by “student's employer” and “UK industry/commerce”. Note: Figures are on a HESA standard registration population basis and have been rounded to the nearest five. Source: Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA). | ||||
Economic competitiveness demands knowledge-intensive, innovating, organisations, with highly skilled and knowledgeable workforces. Substantial numbers of learners already receive support for first and subsequent degrees with employers paying their fees and often providing other support. We recently announced plans to deliver real growth in higher education co-funded with employers. We are making the public investment—rising to at least £50 million in 2010-11—and look to employers to work with us to deliver.
Students: Loans
Mr. Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many and what proportion of people making repayments of student loans were also claiming the working tax credit or child tax credit in the latest period for which figures are available; and how many and what proportion were higher rate income tax payers. [166864]
Bill Rammell: The information requested is not held centrally.
Mr. Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many students have entered into individual voluntary arrangements since their introduction. [166887]
Bill Rammell: The Government’s student finance package is designed to ensure that finance should not be a barrier to a higher education course. Student loans from the Government are not like commercial loans: interest is paid at the rate of inflation, so in real terms students only pay back what they borrowed. For income contingent loans available since 1998, repayment is linked to earnings and borrowers only repay if their earnings are over £15,000; from April 2012 they will be able to take up to five years ‘Repayment Holiday’ and those taking out a student loan from 2006 have their debt cancelled after 25 years.
During the passage of the Enterprise Act in 2002 there was a growing awareness about student loan borrowers declaring themselves bankrupt. There was a rise in the number of bankruptcies/Individual Voluntary Agreements (IVAs) notified in 2003. In addition, one of the effects of the Enterprise Act itself was to reduce the period of discharge from bankruptcy from three years to one. Provisions were therefore included in the Higher Education Act 2004 to prevent student loans being written off on bankruptcy. Currently student loans are not exempt from IVAs.
The increase in student loan borrowers with bankruptcies and IVAs should be seen in the context of the increases in the general population. Figures from the Insolvency Service show that between 2002 and 2006 the number of individual bankruptcies in England and Wales more than doubled; the number of IVAs increased seven-fold.
Until 2004 IVAs and bankruptcies were not recorded separately in SLC data. After the change in legislation, only IVAs are recorded, as student loans are excluded from bankruptcy debts and are not written off on discharge from bankruptcy.
Available data are shown in the following tables.
| English domiciled borrowers with publicly-owned student loans who notified the Student Loans Company (SLC) of their bankruptcy or Individual Voluntary Agreement (IVA)( 1) —calendar year of bankruptcy or IVA 1997 to 2004 | ||
| Calendar year | Borrowers with bankruptcy or IVA | Percentage of all borrowers UK( 2) |
| n/a = not available. (1) Bankruptcies and IVAs are not separately identified in the data. There may be delays between borrowers becoming bankrupt/taking an IVA and notifying SLC, therefore figures can increase overtime, particularly for the most recent years. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10. (2) UK borrowers with bankruptcy or IVA in the calendar year as a percentage of all UK borrowers in the March of each year. Source: Student Loans Company | ||
| English domiciled borrowers with publicly-owned student loans who notified the Student Loans Company (SLC) of their Individual Voluntary Agreement (IVA)( 1) —calendar year of IVA 2005 and 2006 | ||
| Calendar year | Borrowers with IVAs | Percentage of all borrowers England( 2) |
| (1) There may be delays between borrowers taking IVAs and notifying SLC, therefore figures can increase over time, particularly for the most recent years. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10. (2) English domiciled borrowers with bankruptcy or IVA in the calendar year as a percentage of all English domiciled borrowers in the March of each year. Source: Student Loans Company | ||
Early indications suggest the numbers of IVAs are reducing after 2006.
Vocational Training
Mr. Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what proportion of qualifications which count towards the Skills for Life target are (a) wholly and (b) partly funded by the Learning and Skills Council. [166890]
Mr. Lammy: For the Skills for Life 2010 PSA target, the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) has adopted the aim of achieving the whole of the PSA target and therefore aims to deliver 2.25 million learner achievements by 2010. Prior to 2007-08, there were contributions from Jobcentre Plus and the Offender Learning, for which LSC now has assumed responsibility for planning and funding.
The data on Skills for Life achievements to July 2006 indicate that a total of 1,759,000 people have achieved a first Skills for Life qualification since 2001. Of those achievements, 1,610,000 were delivered by the LSC, 138,000 were delivered through the Offender Learning and 12,000 were delivered through programmes for Jobcentre Plus clients funded by the Department for Work and Pensions.
The LSC has also committed to funding 100 per cent. of the new Skills for Life targets indicators for 2011, as agreed through the 2007 comprehensive spending review and set out in the LSC's statement of priorities published in November 2007.
Adult literacy and numeracy courses which contribute to the target are fully funded by the LSC and are free to learners.
Mr. Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what criteria are required to be met for a qualification to be considered as qualifying for the Skills for Life target. [166891]
Mr. Lammy: The generic criterion is that all qualifications that count to national targets have to be accredited by QCA for inclusion in the National Qualifications Framework and approved by the Secretary of State under Sections 96 and 97.
For the 2010 Skills for Life PSA target this includes GCSE in maths and English, key skills in communication and application of number and the certificates in adult literacy, numeracy and ESOL skills
for life and will include the newly developed functional skills in English and maths, when achieved at entry level 3, level 1 and level 2.
For the 2011 adult literacy and numeracy indicators this will continue, although measurement of progress towards the target will only count those people achieving a qualification at functional levels—level 1 for literacy and entry level 3 for in numeracy.
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