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5 Nov 2008 : Column 565W—continued
Higher Education: Admissions
Stephen Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what proportion of 17 to 20 year olds with (a) A levels, (b) ACVEs, (c) BTEC Level 3, (d) other vocational Level 3 qualifications and (e) advanced apprenticeships entered (i) part-time first degrees and (ii) part-time other undergraduate qualifications in the most recent year for which figures are available. [232402]
Mr. Simon: The proportion of pupils who gained one or more GCE A-levels in 2003/04, who entered a part-time first degree course at a UK higher education institution aged 18 in 2004/05 or aged 19 in 2005/06, was 0.9 per cent. The proportion who entered a part-time other undergraduate course was 0.6 per cent. In total, 1.5 per cent. entered part-time undergraduate courses.
The proportion of pupils who gained one or more VCE A-levels in 2003/04, who entered a part-time first degree course at a UK higher education institution aged 18 in 2004/05 or aged 19 in 2005/06, was 1.0 per cent.
The proportion who entered a part-time other undergraduate course was 0.8 per cent. In total, 1.9 per cent. entered part time undergraduate courses.
Information is not held centrally on the proportion of pupils with BTEC Level 3, vocational qualifications other than VCE A-levels, or Advanced Apprenticeships, who have entered higher education. The data required to determine progression rates to higher education by age 20 are not currently held by DIUS.
Note:
Due to rounding, components may not sum to totals.
Source:
For figures: Linked NPD dataset.
Higher Education: Business
Stephen Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what estimate he has made of the overall level of co-funding by (a) employers and (b) individuals for part-time undergraduate qualifications in relation to (a) first degrees and (b) other undergraduate qualifications. [232399]
Mr. Lammy: A 2004 study for the former DFES looked at various sources contributing to how part-time HE students' fees were paid. It estimated that 36 per cent. of all part-time students had the whole fee paid by their employer. The remainder paid their fees themselves, or with help from family and friends, financial assistance schemes, employers or other sources. This report is available at:
A smaller 2006 study for universities UK found that three in five part-time students paid for some of the fees themselves, with 35 per cent. getting financial support from their employer. This is available at
The Government are supporting a new form of flexible higher education co-funded by employers, and has set the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) a target of supporting 5,000 new co-funded entrants in 2008-09. To date, HEFCE has agreed proposals to deliver around 8,000 places for 2008-09.
Higher Education: Gifts and Endowments
Mr. Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what information he holds on the (a) value and (b) change in value of university endowments in each of the last five years, broken down by (a) donations, (b) surplus transfers, (c) match funding, (d) realised asset sales and (e) unrealised capital gains. [232614]
Mr. Lammy: It is not possible to answer this question precisely from the data which are currently collected centrally. The following table sets out the information we hold on the overall income English higher education institutions have generated in each of the last five years from endowments. In August, we launched a £200 million matched funding scheme over three years to promote more philanthropic donations to higher education.
We shall be working closely with institutions and discussing what data should be captured in future to enable us to quantify progress being made in diversifying the range of funding streams available to higher education providers.
| Total level of income from endowments for English Higher Education Institutions | |
| £ million | |
Higher Education: Research
Mr. Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills following the conclusions of the Wakeham review of Physics, which subject area will be the next to be covered in the series of reviews into the health of key research disciplines. [232267]
Mr. Lammy: The subject area for the next health of disciplines review will be finalised by Research Councils UK (RCUK) following a ‘lessons-learnt’ exercise on the Physics review, which is currently being conducted. I understand that RCUK expect to announce confirmation of the timing and topic of the next health of disciplines review in spring 2009.
Learning and Skills Councils
Robert Neill: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what the (a) office locations and (b) 2009-10 budgets, of each of the regional councils of the Learning and Skills Council are. [232805]
Mr. Simon: The office locations of the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) national office and regional councils are set out in the following table. The total budget for the LSC is set out in the Secretary of State's annual Grant Letter. The budget for 2008-09 is £11.590 billion. The 2009-10 budget will be allocated in the 2009-10 Grant Letter shortly. The latest published information about regional programme expenditure was set out in the LSC's annual report and accounts for 2007-08 and is provided in the table:
| Office | Location | 2007-08 Regional programme spend (£000) |
Physics: Higher Education
Mr. Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Huntingdon of 23 October 2008, Official Report, columns 551-2W, on physics: higher education, what the figures provided in the answer would be if expressed in real terms in 2008-09 prices. [232293]
Mr. Lammy: The response given to the hon. Member for Huntingdon (Mr. Djanogly) on 23 October 2008, Official Report, columns 551-52W, provided figures for quality related research funding for physics paid by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE). These figures, re-based to 2008-09 values, are shown in the following table:
| Academic year | £ million |
Research Council expenditure in university physics departments—rebased to 2008-09 values—is as follows:
| £ million | |
All figures have been converted to real 2008/09 terms using the HM Treasury GDP deflator. The GDP deflator for financial year 2008/09 is not yet known so the official estimate from the HM Treasury Budget report 2008 has been used.
Plain English
Mr. Scott: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how much has been spent by his Department on Plain English Campaign training courses for its staff in each year since 2005. [230605]
Mr. Simon:
The Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills was created as a result of Machinery of Government changes in June 2007. Information on how
much has been spent by the Department on Plain English Campaign training courses for its staff in each year prior to this date is not held by the Department.
Our financial records indicate that the Department did not spend any money in 2007-08 on Pain English Campaign training courses for its staff.
Research
Stephen Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what targets his Department has set to (a) improve the international performance of the UK research base and (b) increase the overall innovation performance of the UK economy. [232397]
Mr. Lammy: The Government published the delivery agreement for its public service agreement for world class science and innovation alongside the comprehensive spending review in 2007. This sets out the Government's objectives over the three year period from 2008-09 to 2010-11. Alongside other indicators by which progress will be measured, the public service agreement includes ambitions to maintain and improve (a) the percentage share of UK citations in leading scientific journals; and (b) the percentage of UK businesses with 10 or more employees that are innovation active.
Science and Innovation Framework
Mr. Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills when the annual review on the Science and Innovation Framework will be published. [232261]
Mr. Lammy: The fourth annual report on the 10-year Science and Innovation Investment Framework will be published later in the year alongside the first Annual Innovation Report.
Students: Loans
Mr. Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many people in (a) West Chelmsford constituency and (b) the Chelmsford local authority area are repaying student loans. [233188]
Mr. Lammy: Reliable information on repayments made by borrowers is not available at the level requested. The repayment of income contingent student loans begins from the April after a student graduates or leaves full-time study and earns over £15,000 a year. Repayments are made through the UK tax system either by employers through the PAYE system or through the self assessment returns at 9 per cent. of income above the threshold. Borrowers with the older mortgage style loans make repayments through agreed monthly direct debits when income is above 8 per cent. of average national average earnings (£25,936 in 2008-09).
UfI: Finance
Stephen Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how much his Department has spent on Ufi and learndirect in (a) the most recent year for which figures are available and (b) each of the previous five years, broken down by main budget heading. [232389]
Mr. Simon: The expenditure of Ufi/learndirect from the direct grant it receives from the Department through the Learning and Skills Council is set out in the following table.
| £ 000 | ||||||
| 2002-03 | 2003-04 | 2004-05 | 2005-06 | 2006-07 | 2007-08 | |
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