§ Mr. BoswellTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment (1) when he will publish the triennial survey of student finances; [143183]
(2) what independent academic studies his Department has commissioned into sources of student financing and student response to changes in the public student funding support package since the introduction of changes and abolition of grants following the 1997 Dearing report; what studies of this nature have been received by his Department; and when they will be published. [143184]
§ Mr. Wicks"Changing student finances: income, expenditure and the take-up of student loans among full and part-time higher education students in 1998–99" by Claire Callender and Martin Kemp of South Bank University is due to be published on 20 December. This is the fourth in a series of roughly triennial reports on students' income and expenditure, and the first since the Dearing report. A copy will be placed in the House of Commons Library.
The Department has also published "Students in the labour market—nature, extent and implications of term-time employment among University of Northumbria undergraduates" by Dr. Mike Barke, Paul Braidford et al of University of Northumbria in July 2000. In addition, two studies are currently under way and are expected to be completed in early 2001—"Participation in higher education by mature students" (together with Universities UK, Higher Education Funding Council for England, Higher Statistics Agency and Universities and Colleges Admissions Service) and "Participation in higher education by students from lower socio-economic groups".
103WThe Department is currently developing its research programme for 2001–02 which may include further research on students in higher education.