§ 30. Mr. van Straubenzeeasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he will take steps to provide that rent and rates, or repayment of mortgage principal, shall be allowable expenses in calculating parental contribution for purposes of student grants.
§ Mrs. Shirley WilliamsNo, Sir. This would mean a substantial increase in public expenditure which cannot be considered at the present time.
§ Mr. van StraubenzeeDoes not the hon. Lady recognise that the deductions mentioned in the Question are the same as those applied for school meals when working out the parental or national contribution? If it is good enough for one, why is it not good enough for the other?
§ Mrs. WilliamsThe hon. Gentleman will realise that the deductions are based on Income Tax deductions, which do not include these particular figures. I can only repeat, with regret, that public expenditure considerations will not allow us to take this step at present.