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9 Sep 2009 : Column 2088W—continued
Students: Finance
Mr. Marsden: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what discussions his Department has had with the Higher Education Funding Council for England on the implications for its policy on levels of assistance for part-time students in 2009-10 and 2010-11 of an increase in the number of Universities and Colleges Admissions Service applications. [285743]
Mr. McFadden [holding answer 13 July 2009]: The Department has had no discussions with the Funding Council on this subject. It is for higher education institutions to decide the mix of provision they want to provide within the teaching grant allocated.
Students: Grants
Sandra Gidley: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how many students were receiving maintenance grants in (a) the City of Southampton and (b) Hampshire County Council local education authority area in the latest period for which figures are available; and what the average grant received by such students was in that period. [288391]
Mr. McFadden: The information is found in the table.
| Students awarded grants( 1) academic year 2008/09 (provisional)( 2) | ||
| Local authority | Number of students awarded grants | Average (£) |
| (1) Figures cover the Higher Education Grant, the Maintenance Grant and grants and allowances for children and dependents. Each of these grant types has a different maximum entitlement amount. (2) Data at mid-November 2008. Figures may change as later applications are processed. Source: Student Loans Company | ||
Students: Loans
Mr. Willetts: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what percentage of people with student loans have paid back the full amount within the first two years of leaving higher education since loans were introduced. [287685]
Mr. Lammy: Income Contingent Loan borrowers become liable to repay their student loan in the April after leaving their course. This is known as the statutory repayment due date (SRDD). Borrowers will normally only start making repayment once their income is above the £15,000 threshold and they repay 9 per cent. of their income over the threshold level.
It is not possible to calculate precisely how many borrowers have paid back the full amount within the first two years of leaving higher education. However, as at 31 March 2009, Student Loan Company (SLC) figures show that 2.4 per cent. of ICR borrowers had repaid in full before their SRDD. A further 2.5 per cent. had repaid their loan within two years of their SRDD which may be almost three years after students have left their courses.
Providing the information for those with mortgage-style loans (MS) is not possible. In 1998, when the SLC migrated these data, only the number of borrowers who had fully repaid was recorded, not the number of financial transactions which would enable us to accurately calculate the percentage who had repaid within two years.
Sandra Gidley: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (1) how many people in each age group had not repaid their student loans in the (a) City of Southampton and (b) non-metropolitan County of Hampshire area on the latest date for which figures are available; [288392]
(2) how many people in each age group had begun repayments of student loans in the (a) City of Southampton and (b) non-metropolitan County of Hampshire area on the latest date for which figures are available. [288393]
Mr. McFadden: The information requested is shown in the following table:
| Income-Contingent loan borrowers, March 2009( 1) | |||
| Numbers who have not yet made a repayment | Numbers who have made a repayment | Total | |
| (1) Table covers income-contingent loan borrowers liable to repay with known repayment or non-repayment status. (2) Local authority where the borrower was resident at the time of application for student finance. This does not indicate current residence. (3) Age at the end of the last tax year for which repayment/non-repayment information has been posted, mainly end of tax year 2007-08. Source: Student Loans Company | |||
Borrowers become liable to repay their loans in the April after they leave their course. Repayments are at the rate of 9 per cent. of earnings above the £15,000 threshold. Those earning less than the threshold are not liable to repay. Those not yet repaying may include borrowers who have gone on to further study or are doing voluntary work.
Sandra Gidley: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how much has been deducted from the salaries of individuals in each income group for student loan repayments in the (a) City of Southampton and (b) non-metropolitan County of Hampshire area in the last 12 months. [288394]
Mr. McFadden: The information is available in the following table.
Borrowers become liable to repay their loans in the April after they leave their course. Repayments are at the rate of 9 per cent. of earnings above the £15,000 threshold.
Take It To The World
Mr. Hurd: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills what the budget for marketing, public relations, communications and advertising is of UK Trade and Investment's Take It To The World publicity campaign in 2009-10. [288845]
Mr. McFadden: UK Trade and Investment's June 2009 'Take it to the World' programme was aimed at both new and existing exporters, promoting the benefits of international trade and reaffirming the role of UK Trade and Investment as the organisation that can help make it happen. This is in line with the recommendation in the National Audit Office's recent value for money report.
The budget for the programme in 2009-10 was £430,000 (0.13 per cent. of UK Trade and Investment's total budget).
For the month of June alone this has helped achieve an additional 25,000 more visits to UK Trade and Investment's website when compared with the same month in the previous year.
Trade Unions: Consumers
Mr. Hurd: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 30 March 2009, Official Report, column 914W, on trade unions: legal opinion, if he will bring forward proposals to ensure that consumer protection rights apply to the sale and supply of goods and services by trade unions to their members. [288720]
Mr. McFadden: Consumer protection legislation usually applies in the area of the supply of goods and services by businesses to consumers. Where the supply of goods and service by trade unions falls within this area consumer protection provisions will apply.
UK High Technology Fund
Adam Afriyie: To ask the Minister of State, Department for Business, Innovation and Skills how much (a) public and (b) private sector funding has been provided for the UK High Technology Fund; what the cost of management fees related to the fund has been; and how many companies have received funding from the fund in each year since its formation. [284880]
Mr. McFadden [holding answer 16 July 2009]: £20 million of public and £106.1 million of private funding has been provided for the UK High Technology Fund (UKHTF).
Fund manager fees of £2,992,017 to 31 December 2008 were made against the total size of the fund of £126.1 million and relate to the fees of the fund of funds manager and the nine underlying funds where the UKHTF was committed.
245 companies have received investment through the UKHTF between 2001 and 2008 as follows:
| Companies | |
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