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9 Feb 2009 : Column 1658W—continued
Further Education: Pay
Mr. Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills when he plans to implement salary structures for lecturers in further education institutions equivalent to those for teachers in the maintained sector. [255816]
Mr. Simon: There are no plans to implement a salary structure for lecturers in further education institutions. This is a matter for FECs themselves, as independent organisations and employers of their own staff.
Higher Education: Admissions
John Battle: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many school students from Leeds West constituency went on to higher education in each academic year since 2001. [255467]
Mr. Lammy: The latest available figures from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) are shown in the following table. Figures for the 2007/08 academic year were released on 29 January 2009. Figures for the 2008/09 academic year will be available in January 2010.
Higher Education: Disadvantaged
Mr. Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills (1) how many university entrance applications were received from applicants in the lowest three socio-economic groupings in the academic years (a) 2007-08, (b) 2006-07, (c) 2005-06, (d) 2004-05 and (e) 2003-04; [254188]
(2) how many applicants from the lowest three socio-economic groupings were awarded places at university in the academic years (a) 2007-08, (b) 2006-07, (c) 2005-06, (d) 2004-05 and (e) 2003-04. [254189]
Mr. Lammy: The information is shown in the following tables:
| English domiciled applicants to full-time undergraduate courses via UCAS by socio-economic groups 5-7 2003/04 to 2007/08 | |
| SEG 5-7 | |
| Source: UCAS | |
| English domiciled applicants who were accepted for entry to full-time undergraduate courses via UCAS by socio-economic groups 5-7 2003/04 to 2007/08 | |
| SEG 5-7 | |
| Note: The categories of socio-economic groups 5-7 are:; 5 Lower supervisory and technical occupations; 6 Semi-routine occupations; 7 Routine occupations. Source: UCAS | |
For the academic years recorded in the tables, for those aged up to 20, UCAS recorded socio-economic class based on the applicant’s parent’s occupation; for those aged 21 and over, the applicant’s socio-economic class was based on their own occupation.
Learning and Skills Council
Mr. Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills if he will place in the Library a copy of the minutes of the Learning and Skills Council's December 2008 board meeting. [254389]
Mr. Simon: The publication of the minutes of the Learning and Skills Council's (LSC) National Council meetings are an operational issue. Decisions about their publication are therefore a matter for the LSC. The LSC publishes a summary of its council minutes on their website. A summary of all meetings, including the December meeting, can be found at
Learning and Skills Council: Finance
Mr. Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what the capital budget of the Learning and Skills Council is for (a) 2008-09, (b) 2009-10 and (c) 2010-11. [254382]
Mr. Simon: In Our Statement of Priorities—Better skills, Better jobs, Better lives, published in November 2007, it was stated that we will invest £2.3 billion between 2008-09 and 2010-11 to ensure that colleges have world-class buildings.
The original annual capital grant allocations to the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) were set out as follows:
| Amount (£ million) | |
These figures include the total LSC capital budget which includes funding for both 16 to 19-year-olds and adults.
However, as announced in the last pre-Budget report, investment of £110 million for 2009-10 has been brought forward into 2008-09, and a further £110 million for 2010-11 has been brought forward into 2009-10. This is in support of this Government's actions to help beat the current global economic downturn.
The revised annual capital grant allocations to the LSC are subsequently as follows:
| Amount (£ million) | |
Mr. Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how much Learning and Skills Council capital spending has been brought forward (a) from 2009-10 to 2008-09 and (b) from 2010-11 to 2009-10. [254384]
Mr. Simon: As announced in the last pre-Budget report, investment of £110 million for 2009-10 has been brought forward into 2008-09, and a further £110 million for 2010-11 has been brought forward into 2009-10.
This accelerated funding will be spent to bring forward building works, benefiting learners and regenerating communities, and will help us beat the current global economic downturn.
Postgraduate Education
Mrs. Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills if he will increase the funding available for students from poorer backgrounds to pursue postgraduate studies. [255307]
Mr. Lammy: This Government acknowledge the value of postgraduate studies. However, we have to prioritise the funding available. Our priority is to ensure that finance is no barrier to students achieving a first degree: that is why statutory student support is concentrated on undergraduates.
However, there are also a number of measures in place to help people finance postgraduate studies. For example, we recently announced proposals to reposition career development loans as a key additional source of support to help people finance learning, as new professional and career development loans (PCDLs). PCDLs will offer more people the opportunity to reskill and improve their employment prospects by offering more generous terms for the learner, such as loans up to £10,000 and lower interest rates.
Funding may also be available for individuals through the Access to Learning Fund (ALF). The fund allows universities and colleges to provide extra discretionary support for students in particular need; it is administered directly by universities and colleges, which are best placed to assess students’ circumstances.
Postgraduate Education: Finance
Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills (1) what assessment the Government (a) has made and (b) plans to make of the effects of (i) the recession and (ii) restricted availability of credit on the number of UK students wishing to study at postgraduate level; [254953]
(2) what steps the Government plans to take to maintain numbers of students wishing to study at postgraduate level in the current economic climate; [254954]
(3) what assessment he has made of the effect on postgraduate students of private finance providers being (a) unwilling and (b) not required to make binding funding commitments for the duration of courses in the current economic situation; [254955]
(4) what steps his Department takes to assist postgraduate students not eligible for career development loans whose financial support is withdrawn part-way through their course; [254957]
(5) what recent assessment he has made of the effect of the economic downturn on levels of financial assistance for postgraduate students from (a) employers, (b) private companies providing loans and (c) banks. [254958]
Mr. Lammy:
The Government are determined to ensure that finance is no barrier to going to university. Having a degree remains one of the best pathways to a rewarding career: employers prize the highly-developed skills and talents that graduates bring to their businesses. Going to university is an investment for the future, with graduates benefiting over their lifetime from their decision to go into higher education. The Government’s priority
is to assist students to achieve a first degree. That is why statutory student support is concentrated on undergraduates.
No matter what the short-term outlook for the economy, it is sensible for individuals to look at how they can fulfil their potential—and for many that means postgraduate study. The number studying at postgraduate level have increased by 27 per cent. in the last decade. The Government continue to promote the importance of higher level skills and supports excellence in higher education, including through providing significant funding for internationally acclaimed research activity through the various research councils which support postgraduate study. In the decade since 1997, the Government’s support for the UK research base has risen from £1.3 billion to £3.4 billion.
It is up to individuals themselves to decide which private finance providers to select to fund their postgraduate study. To help learners tackle the challenges arising from the economic downturn, we recently announced proposals to reposition career development loans as a key additional source of support to help people finance learning, as new professional and career development loans (PCDLs). PCDLs will offer more people the opportunity to reskill and improve their employment prospects by offering more generous terms for the learner, such as loans up to £10,000 and lower interest rates.
Like career development loans, PCDLs will be commercial loans offered by participating banks and supported by the Government. The decision on which course the loan is used for, including who provides the course, lies with the individual and that is made clear to them before they take out a loan. The Government pay the interest on the loan during the period of study, after which the individual must repay the loan capital plus remaining interest in full. Deferred repayment terms are subject to the banks’ loan policy.
Further Government funding may be available for individuals through the Access to Learning Fund (ALF). The fund allows universities and colleges to provide extra discretionary support for students in particular need; it is administered directly by universities and colleges, which are best placed to assess students’ circumstances.
We continue to work closely with the higher education sector to monitor the impact of the current economic climate on students and institutions; and the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) are considering further measures to address the immediate needs of the economy, including funding for short courses which might lead to up-skilling.
Students: Finance
Mr. Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many Perfect Gift vouchers to help with the costs of further education have been sold (a) in each region and (b) by each college. [251128]
Mr. Simon [holding answer 28 January 2009]: The Perfect Gift scheme was launched as a pilot project in October 2007 in nine further education colleges across England (one college per Learning and Skills Council region). The following table sets out the number of gift vouchers sold by each of the participating colleges:
| College | Region | Number of vouchers sold |
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