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15 July 2009 : Column 501W—continued
Mr. Marsden: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate his Department has made of the number of (a) places available for applicants in and (b) applications for entry to university in 2009. [286023]
Mr. Lammy [holding answer 13 July 2009]: As of 30 June, there had been 487,356 applicants to full-time undergraduate courses for entry in 2009. This is based on UCAS data, and covers UK and EU domiciled applicants to English institutions. UCAS data do not provide a complete picture. They do not cover all institutions, or applications for part-time or postgraduate study.
We do not have an estimate of the total number of places available in 2009. This will depend on a number of factors-including growth in non-funded places and part-time provision.
In terms of HEFCE funded growth, the 2009 Grant Letter provides teaching grant for 10,000 Additional Student Numbers (ASNs) in 2009-10. ASNs refer to full-time equivalent places, and do not purely relate to entrants. They are also used to accommodate second or subsequent cohorts related to entrant expansion in earlier years. HEFCE estimate that the allocation these ASNs funds an additional 10,000 part-time entrant places (in headcount terms) and 3,000 full-time entrant places in 2009. This is in addition to the number of entrants in 2008. Data on the number of entrants in 2008 will not be available until early 2010.
Stephen Williams: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many first degree undergraduates from (a) England and (b) other EU member states have been enrolled at a university in each year since 2005. [286835]
Mr. Lammy: The latest figures from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) are shown in the table. Figures for the 2008-09 academic year will be available in January 2010.
| Domiciled first degree enrolments( 1 ) UK higher education institutions | ||
| Academic year | English | Other EU |
| (1) Cover enrolments to both full-time and part-time courses. Note: Figures are based on a HESA standard registration population and have been rounded to the nearest five. Source: Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA). | ||
Higher Education: York
Hugh Bayley: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how much funding per (a) undergraduate and (b) postgraduate student his Department and its predecessors allocated to (i) the University of York and (ii) York St. John University in each year since 1998. [285700]
Mr. Lammy:
This information is not held in the form requested. However, it is possible to provide notional figures for the amount of grant distributed by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) for teaching and research apportioned by the number of
learners (full time equivalent) in each year. It should be noted that there have been some significant changes in HEFCE's funding methodology over this period which means that the following table should not be read as a time series. In addition the data do not take account of other sources of public funding, for example from the NHS or the Research Councils. Crucially it should be borne in mind that institutions have a significant degree of freedom in terms of how their grants are distributed internally. It is for that reason that the figures given are notional and should not be read as the actual level of resource attached to any particular learner.
| £ per academic year | ||||||
| York St. John University | University of York | |||||
| Study level | UG | PGT | PGR | UG | PGT | PGR |
| Key: UG: Undergraduate PGT: Postgraduate taught PGR: Postgraduate research | ||||||
Islam: Higher Education
Mr. Wallace: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to paragraph 9.21 of the UK Strategy for Countering International Terrorism, Cm 7457, how much of the £1 million which the Higher Education Funding Council for England has committed for work on the gaps in Islamic studies teaching and research has been allocated; and to what projects. [286114]
Mr. Lammy: In June 2007, the Government designated Islamic Studies as a strategically important subject and asked HEFCE to earmark £1 million of its existing funding to develop a programme of work to support this.
£100,000 towards commissioning research into Islamic Studies in higher education, building on Dr. Siddiqui's report on Islam at universities in England, and holding consultation events with the Islamic Studies community at:
£850,000 towards the development and implementation of a UK Islamic Studies network to bring the community of UK Islamic Studies scholars closer together. The Higher Education Academy (HEA) and the Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC) are taking this forward at:
In the coming year, HEFCE is commissioning a symposium for Islamic Studies scholars across the UK and Europe. Hosted by the British Academy, the symposium will promote the UK as a centre of excellence in Europe for Islamic Studies.
LDV
Mr. Watson: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he is taking to ensure that employees of LDV receive employment advice and support; and if he will make a statement. [279358]
Jim Knight: I have been asked to reply.
This question has been passed to me as the Department for Work and Pensions and Jobcentre Plus are responsible for the action being taken to help people who are made redundant. The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the acting chief executive of Jobcentre Plus, Mel Groves. I have asked him to provide the right hon. Member with the information requested.
The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your question asking, what steps we are taking to ensure that employees of LDV receive employment advice and support. This is something that falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Acting Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
In response to LDV entering administration, we formed a Task Force in partnership with Birmingham City Council, Advantage West Midlands, the Regional Development Agency, the Learning and Skills Council and Unity, its regional redundancy response contractor.
From 8 June, Washwood Heath Jobcentre Plus set up a telephone hotline to take new claims appointments for all those workers being made redundant. These redundant workers attended LDV's premises on 11 and 12 June to meet with representatives of PricewaterhouseCoopers together with Jobcentre Plus and partners to provide advice.
Claims for Jobseeker's Allowance from the LDV Workforce were taken at Washwood Heath Jobcentre Plus on 13 and 14 June. The Pension, Disability and Carers Service, HM Revenue and Customs and Birmingham City Council attended over the weekend at the Jobcentre to give advice on pensions, tax credits, Housing Benefit, financial management and debt issues.
The former LDV workers are being offered a tailored package of support to help them get back into work as quickly as possible. This includes help and advice with their jobsearch, CV writing, interview techniques, training and identified employment opportunities. This package of help and support will be available across the West Midlands region and will be delivered by a range of partner organisations including the union Unity. The support package for LDV workers is being co-ordinated from the Jobcentre Plus Office in Washwood Heath and all LDV workers will be offered .access to this help.
London Metropolitan University
Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills on what date his Department was first informed of the Higher Education and Funding Council for England's audit of student numbers and course completion rates at London Metropolitan University. [283560]
Mr. Lammy [holding answer 2 July 2009]: Ministers and officials in the Department were first informed about HEFCE's audit findings in February 2008.
Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he is taking to protect (a) student places and (b) staff jobs at London Metropolitan University following the Higher Education and Funding Council for England's request for repayment of funds allocated to the university in previous years. [283561]
Mr. Lammy [holding answer 2 July 2009]: It is an important principle set out in legislation (sections 65(1) and 68(2b) of the Further and Higher Education Act 1992) that Ministers cannot intervene in the funding decisions for individual institutions made by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE). As is the case with other universities, London Metropolitan University receives grant from HEFCE under a Financial Memorandum which sets out how it should properly account for its public funding. It is for the Funding Council to keep the financial health of the institutions it funds under review to protect the public interest, including ensuring that public funds are properly spent.
The University will wish to consider a bid to HEFCE's Strategic Development Fund to support its future plans. The final decision on restructuring and forward planning must rest with the University and I remain confident that Higher Education provision in general across London will be sufficient to meet the diversity of demand. No Government, however, can give a commitment to protect every course or department at any particular institution.
Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will ensure publication of the KPMG report commissioned by the Higher Education and Funding Council for England (HEFCE) into the finances of London Metropolitan University on its receipt by HEFCE. [283562]
Mr. Lammy [holding answer 2 July 2009]: The Funding Council's Board and Chief Executive commissioned a report from KPMG of the lessons to be learned from its recent engagement with London Metropolitan University. It is for the Council to take decisions on publication. I have, however, been assured that it will be made available as soon as the Funding Council has had an opportunity to consider the findings of the report. This is expected to happen before the end of July.
Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what discussions (a) Ministers and (b) officials have had with the Higher Education and Funding Council for England on the (i) finances of and (ii) student numbers at London Metropolitan University; and on what dates those discussions took place. [283563]
Mr. Lammy [holding answer 10 July 2009]: HEFCE discussed the current situation at London Metropolitan university with Ministers in February 2008, 24 March 2009, 6 May 2009, 10 June 2009 and 8 July 2009. In addition there were discussions at HEFCE's board meeting on 28 February 2008, 8 May 2008, 17 December 2008, 22 January 2009, 26 February 2009, 1 April 2009, and 7 May 2009. A senior official from the Department was present at each of these meetings. There have been regular discussions between HEFCE and other departmental officials throughout this period.
Ministers and officials have not sought to influence decisions on the finances of or the student numbers at London Metropolitan university, which under sections 65(1) and 68(2b) of the Further and Higher Education Act 1992 are a matter for the Funding Council.
Jeremy Corbyn:
To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps his Department has taken to ensure an independent inquiry into the finances of London Metropolitan University
following the Westminster Hall adjournment debate of 20 May 2009, Official Report, columns 435-57WH. [283745]
Mr. Lammy [holding answer 2 July 2009]: I fully supported the Funding Council's decision to commission an independent review of its own handling of the situation at London Metropolitan university. It has also always been my view that a similar review should be conducted into the actions of the university itself, and I have made that view clear in discussions with the Funding Council. I am therefore pleased that London Metropolitan has now commissioned Sir David Melville and Deloitte to conduct such a review. I believe that this must look at all aspects of what happened at London Metropolitan, including issues of governance.
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