§ 5. Mr. McQuarrieasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he is yet in a position to announce his decision on a student loans scheme to replace the existing student grants scheme; and if he will make a statement.
§ Dr. BoysonMy right hon. and learned Friend expects to make a statement shortly.
§ Mr. McQuarrieI should like to draw the attention of my hon. Friend to page 3 of today's Glasgow Herald which states that the issue has already been taken—[Interruption.]
§ Mr. SpeakerOrder. Will the hon. Gentleman be good enough to put his statement in the form of a question, even if he is referring to his local newspaper?
§ Mr. McQuarrieI am grateful to you for your guidance, Mr. Speaker, but it is not my local newspaper. However, in deference to you, Mr. Speaker, I shall ask a question.
Does my hon. Friend agree that the decision to bring into operation a student loans scheme has been shelved and that that will bring considerable joy to students and parents?
§ Dr. BoysonI was interested in my hon. Friend's comment. I have not yet read today's Glasgow Herald, as no doubt many other hon. Members have not. We shall shortly announce our decision and when that announcement is made the whole country will be able to read the announcement not only in the Glasgow Herald, but in any other paper which reports it.
§ Mr. FlanneryWhat will the Minister say in that statement? Does he not remember that many potential students in his day and mine were deterred from going on with education because they would have to pay back loans? It took me years to pay back the loan which I received just before the war. Does he not realise that that deters people from continuing their education? Will he assure us that grants will continue and that they will even be extended?
§ Dr. BoysonI am sure that we are all pleased to have an intervention from the hon. Member. However, I can go no further than what I have already said. Having repaid his loan, the hon. Member must wait quietly until next week or some time very soon, when the announcement will be made.
§ Mr. AlexanderMay I urge my hon. Friend to realise that "very soon" cannot come too soon for many students who are genuinely concerned about their future? May I urge my hon. Friend to ensure that any decision he makes will not alter the status of students who are now at university, that whatever he decides will make no difference to them during their stay there?
§ Dr. BoysonWhen economic charges were introduced for overseas students, they did not apply to overseas students already at university. We do not intend to change the arrangements for those already at university, even if we change them for others.
§ Mr. WhiteheadThe Minister must now be taking for granted the opposition of all Opposition parties and student organisations to those regressive proposals? [HON MEMBERS: "Not the Social Democrats."] I mean all parties represented here today. Will he consider putting in the Official Report a list of all Conservative Members and Conservative students' associations which also opposed any form of loan scheme, from those who are opposed to such schemes on the grounds of public expenditure, such as the hon. Member for Southend, East (Mr. Taylor), to those who are opposed to them on educational grounds such as the hon. Member for Cambridge (Mr. Rhodes James)? Where are the Minister's supporters?
§ Dr. BoysonThis is not a football match, in which one has to line up one's supporters. One weighs up what is best for one's country. Inside the Conservative Party, unlike the Labour Party where the debate is less important, there has been a continuous debate. From that, a true answer has been distilled, which will shortly be announced to the country.