Instruments of Interest
EDUCATION (STUDENT SUPPORT) (AMENDMENT) REGULATIONS
2008 (SI 2008/235)
1. The Department for Innovation, Universities
and Skills (DIUS) have made the Education (Student Support) (Amendment)
Regulations 2008 (SI 2008/235). DIUS state that a small number
of students who are prisoners have received loans and grants for
living costs for higher education courses which they are pursuing,
and that, because prisoners are already maintained at public expense,
they should not be eligible for living costs support under the
Student Support Regulations. SI 2008/235 addresses this situation:
from the end of February 2008, students who are prisoners during
any part of the academic year will no longer be eligible for living
costs support for the academic year; and prisoners who received
living costs support whilst in prison and are released before
the end of their academic year will not be eligible for living
costs support for the remainder of that year, as they have already
received living costs support which they did not need. We put
certain questions to the Department about the effect of the Regulations
and publish their responses at Appendix 1.
EDUCATION (SCHOOL PERFORMANCE INFORMATION (ENGLAND)
(AMENDMENT) REGULATIONS 2008 (SI 2008/364)
2. The Department for Children, Schools and Families
(DCSF) have made the Education (School Performance Information)
(England) (Amendment) Regulations 2008. These amend Regulations
made in 2007, by adding a requirement for any maintained school,
Academy or city technology college to supply the Secretary of
State, on receipt of a written request, with the reason for each
absence from Key Stage 3 National Curriculum tests. We obtained
further information from DCSF about the background to this additional
requirement and, in particular, about the Department's decision
to receive absence data direct from schools rather than relying
on the flow of information between schools and local education
authorities. DCSF's response is published at Appendix 2.
CONCESSIONARY BUS TRAVEL (PERMITS) (ENGLAND) REGULATIONS
2008 (SI 2008/417)
3. The Concessionary Bus Travel (Permits) (England)
Regulations 2008 (SI 2008/ 417) bring in a standard format for
the free bus travel pass for people over 60 and disabled people.
The Concessionary Bus Travel Act 2007 extends the scheme to any
local off-peak bus in England from 1 April 2008. A standard format
is necessary to ensure that bus drivers throughout England are
able to recognise the pass holder's eligibility for the concession.
Transitional provisions may apply until September (until April
2010 in London), and the Impact Assessment sets out how the Department
for Transport will reimburse Travel Concession Authorities for
the costs of the changeover.
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