§ 46. Sir Hugh Lucas-Toothasked the Minister of Labour whether awards made under the Further Education and Training Scheme are subject to a means test on the part of the applicant; and whether any income earned by the applicant during the period of training is taken into account in arriving at the amount of the award.
§ The Minister of Labour (Mr. Isaacs)Awards made under the Further Education and Training Scheme are in all cases subject to financial necessity. Maintenance allowances are payable only in the case of full-time study. Half of any 1327 earnings from employment which forms a regular part of the approved course of study is taken into account in assessing the amount of a student's award. Earnings from other employment are disregarded.
§ Sir H. Lucas-ToothDoes not the right hon. Gentleman think that the penalising of earnings made by those undergoing training is unfair to those doing the training and a clog on the national economy at the same time?
§ Mr. IsaacsI do not thing it is penalising them in any way, and I do not think it is a clog on the national position, because otherwise we would be paying people money from the nation's funds.
§ Mr. K. LindsayWould the right hon. Gentleman reconsider this matter? He was good enough a year ago to dispense with the irregular earnings, and could he not reconsider what little earnings can be paid to a student while he is also studying?
§ Mr. IsaacsNo, Sir, because a student's further education and training is something for which he gets paid, and he would get paid twice if he got full wages and maintenance at the same time.