§ Mr. Adleyasked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the implications for commercial relationships between the United Kingdom and other countries of the increases made by the Government in fees for overseas students; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. RentonWhen the Government made the decision in 1979 to charge full cost fees for overseas students, we took into account all the relevant political and commercial factors against the background of using the limited resources for overseas students to maximum effect in the national interest. We later came to the conclusion that we should limit the damage to our commercial interests by replacing the indiscriminate subsidy with targeted support to overseas students. This included, besides specific country schemes, the creation of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's scholarships and awards scheme, the criteria of which include business-and-trade-related objectives, in addition to giving awards to particularly able students from countries with whom the United Kingdom's economic relations are expected to develop. Within the resources available, we believe our policy best serves our political and commercial interests.