§ 7. Mr. St. AubynIf he has met student groups' representatives to discuss the future of the maintenance grant for students in Wales. [33432]
§ Mr. St. AubynGiven the concern about the fall in applications for places in the autumn, what will the 1280 Minister do if the number of students taking up places is seriously down this year? What plans has he to make up the shortfall if there is spare capacity?
§ Mr. HainI was not aware that Guildford was in Wales—[HON. MEMBERS: "Irrelevant."] No, it is relevant. The hon. Gentleman is clearly unaware of the fact that university applications are holding up very well, not just in Wales but throughout Great Britain. In some universities—Aberystwyth, for example—the number of applications has risen by 2 per cent., and there is no reason to suppose that the new funding arrangements that we have introduced are penalising students or deterring them from applying for places.