§ Mr. Chris SmithTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what estimates she has made of the total cost of training a doctor. [18604]
§ Mr. ForthThe cost of training a doctor has various components at undergraduate and postgraduate level and figures are not available in consistent form for each of these components. Figures for the teaching and other costs for undergraduates are as follows.
Teaching costs are based on figures published annually by the Higher Education Funding Council for England for the average council grant for teaching allocated to each academic subject category as reported by higher education institutions. The figures for pre-clinical and clinical medicine are as follows together with figures for the average level of tuition fee for medical students.
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Average Unit of Council Funding (AUCF) and tuition fees for medical students in 1995–96 Average units of council funding £ Tuition fee £ Pre-clinical medicine 3,673 1,600 Clinical medicine 7,167 2,800 A medical student has two years of pre-clinical and three years of clinical tuition. The fees and AUCF for the undergraduate courses followed by a doctor in training, at 1995–96 rates, total £40,447 over five years.
Medical students also receive grants and loans from public funds but data collected on maintenance awards and student loans do not distinguish between types of study. The average level of maintenance grant and student loan for full-time students eligible for awards and loans was £2,595 in 1994–95.
In addition, the national health service supports teaching of medical undergraduates on practice placements through the service increment for teaching—SIFT—levy on health authorities. The total SIFT budget for medical students in England in 1996–97 is £412 million.
§ Mr. SmithTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what estimates she has made of the extent to which graduates entering medical school are more or less likely not to complete their training than non-graduate entrants. [18603]
§ Mr. ForthInformation on the respective rates of course completion by graduate and non-graduate entrants to medical schools is not compiled centrally.