§ Mr. Bryan DaviesTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment, pursuant to her answer on 7 December,Official Report, column 396, if she will provide a breakdown of how the provisional assumptions as to net savings arising from the introduction of subsidised private sector loans have been calculated, indicating (a) the annual number of eligible students taking out subsidised private sector loans and (b) the level of public sector subsidy per annual loan. [5776]
§ Mr. ForthAs I made clear in my answer of 7 December, the figures for the net savings that would arise from the introduction of subsidised private sector loans to students were provisional. However, they were based on the assumption that by 1998–99 some 25 per cent. of eligible students would be taking out private sector loans.