HC Deb 19 January 1982 vol 16 c102W
Sir Brandon Rhys Williams

asked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what is the estimated total cost in the current financial year, at 1981 cash prices, of administering the student award scheme.

Mr. Waldegrave

Local education authorities carry the main responsibility for the administration of student awards and my Department does not collect information on the costs they incur in doing so. An estimate based on a small sample of LEAs was however made as part of the Rayner scrutiny of the administration of student awards. This put the total cash cost to local education authorities and the Department for the academic year 1979–80 at about £9 million, but the reliability of this figure is open to question.