§ Sir Peter Hordernasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will express the resources made available for student support as a proportion of total public expenditure on higher education in the United States of America, France, West Germany and the United Kingdom.
§ Mr. BrookeValid international comparisons of education expenditure are difficult to make. However the available information, drawn mainly from UNESCO sources, is as follows:
Country Date of Information HE student support as a percentage of all HE public sector current expenditure United States of America 1979 3.9 France 1980 4.6 1981 4.9 West Germany 1980 16.2 United Kingdom 1980 19.5 1983 20.8 Notes:
(1) The student support systems of the above countries vary and involve grants or loans, or a combination of the two.
(2) The way in which educational expenditure is allocated to the different sectors of education varies both between countries and within countries over time, thus making comparisons difficult.