§ Mr. Andrew SmithTo ask the Secretary of State for Education what representations he has received about the prospect of student hardship this summer; and if he intends to increase the availability of the access funds.
§ Mr. FormanMy right hon. Friend regularly receives representations on all aspects of student support. We have made substantially more money available in maintenance support for students. The full-year loan and grant together are now over 30 per cent. higher than the grant alone was two years ago. We recently announced a 4.5 per cent. increase in average student resources for the 1992–93 academic year thus maintaining their value in real terms. Access funds are a relatively small and supplementary part of a generous package of student support. We believe that the sums made available to the funds should be sufficient for their purpose, if properly targeted.