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26 Mar 2008 : Column 300W—continued
| Table 2—part-time entrants( 1) to higher education courses at English higher education institutions( 2) by age( 3) and level of study—academic years 2001/02 to 2006/07 | ||||||||||
| 17 to 21 | Over 21 | |||||||||
| First Degree | First Degree | |||||||||
| Academic year | On 1( st) Degree( 4) | On 2( nd) Degree( 5) | Other UG | Post graduate | Total | On 1( st) Degree( 4) | On 2( nd) Degree( 5) | Other UG | Post graduate | Total |
| (1) Includes students from the UK and overseas. (2) Excludes the Open university. (3) Excludes a small number of students with an unknown age or an age less than 17 (this was less than 0.6 per cent. in 2006/07). (4) Includes entrants to first degree courses who do not already have qualifications of first degree level or higher. (5) Includes entrants to first degree courses who already have qualifications of first degree level or higher. Note: Figures are given on a HESA standard registration population and are rounded to the nearest five. Source: Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) | ||||||||||
Higher Education: Finance
Stephen Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what proportion of (a) part-time and (b) full-time students enrolled on full-time level 3 courses have their fees paid for by their employers. [195314]
Bill Rammell: Through the Train to Gain Programme, we are committed to ensuring that FE colleges are increasingly responsive to employers’ needs and provide training in which employers will increasingly choose to invest. We do not currently routinely collect information on payment of fees by employers, but some information is available from surveys of learners. The last such survey was of learners who completed an FE course in 2003/04. It found that 30 per cent. of the learners doing full level 3 courses said their course fees were paid for by their employer, compared with 18 per cent. of non-full level 3 FE learners.
Members: Correspondence
Mr. Salmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills when he plans to reply to the letter of 11 December 2007 from the right hon. Member for Banff and Buchan regarding his constituent L. Flack of Cruden Bay. [183961]
Bill Rammell: A reply was sent to the hon. Member on 8 February 2008.
Ministers: Official Residences
Anne Main: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills whether any ministerial residencies are allocated to Ministers in his Department. [194656]
Bill Rammell: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Secretary for the Cabinet Office (Mr. Watson) on 19 February 2008, Official Report, column 688W.
Science and Technology Facilities Council
Mr. Wallace: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what subscription payments to which organisations the Science and Technology Facilities Council is expected to make in financial year 2008-09. [191867]
Ian Pearson: The STFC informed me that they expect to make the following subscription payments in financial year 2008-09:
| £ million | |
Sign Language: North East Region
Bill Etherington: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what steps he has taken to increase the availability of basic and advanced sign language training in the North East region for adults, children and young people. [183723]
Bill Rammell: The Department is working closely with the Learning and Skills Council to ensure that there are opportunities available to meet the needs of learners with learning difficulties and/or disabilities. This is a priority identified in the Learning and Skills Council’s Statement of Priorities for the funding period 2008/09 to 2010/11.
Building on this the Learning and Skills Council North East region indicate that there are 250 courses in Sign Language at various levels being delivered in the region. The region has given a commitment within its regional strategy for learners with learning difficulties and/or disabilities “Meeting Need: Raising Aspiration”, to ensure that provision that equips learners, or people who support learners, to communicate or develop their specialised skills eg British Sign Language, is protected within the balance and mix of provision. In addition there are several projects being undertaken aimed at raising awareness of hearing impairment issues, to build capacity of staff in meeting the needs of learners with hearing impairments and to increase the support to learners.
Students: Disabled
Mr. Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many equal and lower qualification students with disabilities were studying less than 50 per cent. of a full course in the latest period for which figures are available. [195099]
Bill Rammell: About 6,300 students recorded as having a disability were studying at less than 0.5 of a full-course for equivalent or lower level qualifications (ELQ) to ones they already hold in 2005/06—the latest year for which data are available. All existing ELQ students will continue to be supported but the progressive redistribution of funding away from ELQ students will enable us over time to support more of the 5 million people of working age with a disability but without a first higher education qualification than would otherwise be possible, especially the 900,000 or so with level 3 qualifications who have not progressed to level 4.
Students: Females
Mr. Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many and what proportion of equal and lower qualification students were female in the most recent period for which figures are available. [195090]
Bill Rammell: About 70,000 women were studying for equivalent or lower level qualifications (ELQ) to ones they already hold in 2006/07—the latest year for which data are available. This represents a little under 60 per cent. of the total number of ELQ students, and that proportion is broadly the same as the overall male/female balance within higher education. The progressive redistribution of funding away from ELQ students will enable us to support more of the 10 million women without a first higher education qualification than would otherwise be possible, especially the two million women with level 3 qualifications who have not progressed to level 4.
Students: Finance
Mr. Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what estimate he has made of the number of students for equivalent and lower qualifications as an additional degree who will no longer receive funding in (a) 2008-09, (b) 2009-10 and (c) 2010-11. [175802]
Bill Rammell: All existing students doing equivalent and lower level qualifications will continue to receive funding during the years in question.
Students: Identity Cards
Stephen Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what estimate he has made of the financial impact upon young people of requiring them to pay for identity cards prior to applying for a student loan; and if he will make a statement. [192729]
Bill Rammell: There are no plans to require students to have an ID card to apply for a student loan or any other form of student support, therefore no estimates of the cost have been made.
The policy on the introduction of identity cards on a voluntary basis rests with the Home Office. Currently either a passport or a birth certificate (accompanied by an identity confirmation form signed by a person of good standing) is required as proof of identity for students applying for a Government student loan. We have no current plans to change this, although the process for verifying the identity of applicants is kept under review.
Students: Loans
Stephen Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many people who graduated in (a) 2001, (b) 2002, (c) 2003, (d) 2004, (e) 2005, (f) 2006 and (g) 2007 have repaid the whole of their student loan. [188038]
Bill Rammell: Available data are shown in the table.
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