§ Lord Beswickasked Her Majesty's Government:
What reserach was conducted as a basis for the Prime Minister's statement that students in the United Kingdom receive more generous grants than anywhere in the world; and what are the comparable figures for Austria. East Germany, and the Soviet Union.
§ The Earl of SwintonThe Department of Education and Science has drawn on the results of inquiries made to all European Community countries in November 1982 and on information contained in a number of United Kingdom, foreign and international publications. International comparisons present difficulties, but all the evidence available indicates that grant levels in the United Kingdom are more generous than in other Western countries.
In Austria only some 5 per cent. of higher education students qualify for grant compared with 97 per cent. of United Kingdom students. Detailed information on the Communist countries is not available for the purpose of comparisons with the United Kingdom.