§ Mr. Hirstasked the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will announce the statistics for the assisted places scheme in the 1985–86 school session in Scotland, and the income scale which will apply to the scheme in school session 1986–87.
§ Mr. RifkindAt the beginning of the current school session there were 2,583 pupils receiving assistance under the assisted places scheme. Additional pupils will be admitted to assisted places throughout the 1985–86 school session.
Of the 2,583 pupils in the scheme, 1,300 (50 per cent.) attended a fee paying school prior to taking up an assisted place. The corresponding proportion for the new intake of pupils joining the scheme at the beginning of the current session was 48 per cent.
The scheme continues to concentrate assistance on lower income families. In 1985–86, 1,267 pupils (49 per cent. of those in the scheme) will be receiving full fee remission because they have a family income of £6,376 per annum or less. A further 146 pupils (6 per cent.) have family incomes between £6,377 and £7,000 per annum and 242 (9 per cent.) between £7,001 and £8,000.
For school session 1986–87 I propose to lay regulations before the House in due course providing for progressive parental contributions for one assisted pupil in relation to family income as follows:
Part of relevant income to which the specified percentage applies Parental contribution (per cent.) That Part (if any) which exceeds £6,640 but does not exceed £7,220 9 That Part (if any) which exceeds £7,220 but does not exceed £7,810 12 That Part (if any) which exceeds £7,810 but does not exceed £8,980 15 That Part (if any) which exceeds £8,980 but does not exceed £10,780 12 That Part (if any) which exceeds £10,780 but does not exceed £13,130 24 That Part (if any) which exceeds £13,130 33 The relevant income scale is open ended, but the remission can of course be given only where the parental contribution is less than the school tuition fee.