§ Mr. Pardoeasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will revise the grant scheme for students at colleges of education so as to ignore maintenance money paid to a divorced woman by her ex-husband in assessing her eligibility for a grant.
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§ Mr. CroslandRecognised students at colleges of education who are divorced women are eligible for maintenance grants from local education authorities in the same way as other students.
The grant system is intended to ensure that a student is not prevented from following her studies because she is unable to maintain herself. Where a student's income exceeds £100 p.a., in addition to her grant, her need for assistance must be smaller and the value of the grant is reduced accordingly. Maintenance payments to divorced women from their ex-husbands are treated in the same way as other sources of income. I do not propose to alter this arrangement.