§ Mr. Allan StewartTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what arrangements he is making for the payment of increased tuition fees for courses of higher education on behalf of students who receive awards under the students' allowances scheme.
§ Mr. LangThe Government announced on 6 July 1989 that the maximum tuition fee for most courses for which awards are made under the students' allowances scheme will be £1,675 from the 1990–91 academic year. In order to ensure that public funds are not paid in advance of need, I have decided that tuition fees will be paid in termly instalments. The arrangements will replace the present systems, which vary among universities, grant-aided colleges and other establishments of higher education. Scottish universities and grant-aided colleges will be consulted about detailed arrangements for termly fee payments. The Universities Funding Council and the Scottish Education Department will adjust the profile of their recurrent grant instalments to institutions to take account of the change.
A similar change will be made in the payment of increased fees to local authority further education colleges at a later date.
I have also considered what fee levels would be appropriate for reimbursement through the students' allowances scheme for courses where a student spends at least a year away from an institution—for example, students on "thick" sandwich courses. In these cases, the costs to the institution are usually less during the year away than for the main part of the course. I have decided that the maximum fee reimbursed in such cases should be half the standard tuition fee.