NHS Student Support Arrangements

HC Deb 23 April 2001 vol 367 cc167-8W

Ms Walley

To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will review NHS student support arrangements; and if he will make a statement.[156856]

Mr. Denham

As a result of the review we considered a range of options for change to the existing arrangements taking full account of representations received from students, their representative bodies and others. Following the announcement in the Budget of a substantial package of additional funding for the National Health Service over the next three years, the decision was made to provide additional help for students using an across the board increase in the NHS Bursary. From September 2001 student nurses studying at diploma level will receive a £500 (10.4 per cent.) increase in their bursary, the biggest increase since introduction of bursaries in the late 1980s.

This increase contrasts sharply with practice through much of the 1990s when the bursary was frozen, before the present Government introduced a policy of annual uplifts in 1998.

My ministerial colleagues and I continue to take a close interest in the effective operation of student support arrangements, including the NHS Bursary scheme.