HC Deb 23 November 1995 vol 267 cc320-2W
Mr. Walden

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if the ownership of a house worth £500,000 renders an individual who has no current income ineligible for an assisted place for his or her child; [1000]

(2) if the ownership of a house worth £700,000 and investments of £140,000 assuming a net interest rate of 6 per cent. but no other current income renders an individual ineligible for an assisted place for his or her child. [999]

Mrs. Gillan

The selection of pupils for assisted places is carried out by participating schools. The amount of assistance available under the scheme is determined by parent's total gross income from all sources. Children would be eligible for assistance from the scheme if their parents had no current income, or if their only income was £8,400 per annum from investments.

Mr. Walden

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment (1) what plans she has to amend the regulations on income in respect of the assisted places scheme; [187]

(2) what plans she has to include capital assets and investments in deciding who should qualify for an assisted place; [177]

(3) what plans she has to raise the income ceiling below which parents qualify for an assisted place. [188]

Mrs. Gillan

Eligibility conditions and means-testing arrangements for assisted places are set out in regulations which are revised annually.

Mr. Walden

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what is the average cost of(a) an assisted place and (b) a place in the state secondary sector. [213]

Mrs. Gillan

The estimated average cost of public funds for an assisted pupil in England in the financial year 1995–96 is about £3,700 for ages 11 to 18. There is no directly comparable figure for the maintained sector. The average standard spending assessment allocation per pupil aged 11 to 16 in England in the financial year 1995–96 is some £2,600; for pupils aged above 16 it is about £3,600. The SSA figures exclude capital and certain other costs which may be subsumed in the assisted pupil figure.

Mr. Walden

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if she will make a statement on the purpose of the assisted places scheme. [191]

Mrs. Gillan

The assisted places scheme gives able children from less well-off families an opportunity of an excellent academic education at one of England's best independent schools which would not otherwise have been available to them. This helps to promote choice and diversity and to raise standards.

Mr. Walden

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many assisted places there are at Eton college. [211]

Mrs. Gillan

None at present.

Mr. Walden

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what plans she has to extend the assisted places scheme to preparatory schools. [189]

Mrs. Gillan

We will shortly be announcing our detailed plans for expanding the assisted places scheme as a whole.

Mr. Walden

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment (1) what academic criteria are applied to decide whether a child already at a private school should have an assisted place; [210]

(2) what measures are in place to ensure that the advice of a private school at which an assisted places scheme applicant is already a pupil on that child's academic suitability for an award is accurate. [209]

Mrs. Gillan

The regulations require a school to be satisfied that a pupil selected for an assisted place is likely to benefit from the education provided. Subject to this and other general conditions of eligibility set out in the regulations and to any specific provisions in their participation agreements under the assisted places scheme, it is for each school to select pupils according to its own academic criteria, methods and procedures.

Mr. Walden

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what percentage of pupils in private schools are holders of assisted places. [176]

Mrs. Gillan

Assisted place holders form just over 5 per cent. of pupils in all independent schools.

Mr. Walden

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many private schools receive money from the APS. [212]

Mrs. Gillan

The assisted places scheme provides financial help for parents of pupils at participating schools, rather than for the schools themselves. At present 293 independent schools participate in the scheme in England.

Mr. Walden

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what recent reviews her Department has carried out into the academic standards of schools to which assisted places scheme funds are paid. [190]

Mrs. Gillan

The academic standards of schools participating in the assisted places scheme are regularly monitored through data on the public examination performance and post-school destinations of their pupils, and through inspection by Ofsted.

Mr. Walden

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what percentage of overall private school income derives from the APS. [178]

Mrs. Gillan

Information about the overall income of independent schools is not collected centrally.

Mr. Walden

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what access her Department has to Inland Revenue records in monitoring the validity of claims for assisted places. [186]

Mrs. Gillan

In order to be eligible for assistance under the scheme, parents are required to submit corroborative documentary evidence of their income to participating schools which carry out income assessments on behalf of the Department. Such evidence may include P60s and Inland Revenue tax assessments on schedule A, schedule D or schedule E. The Department regularly audits a sample of schools' assessments, including the supporting documentation.