§ Mr. HancockTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many children have been excluded from(a) primary, (b) secondary and (c) special schools in (i) Portsmouth, South and (ii) England in each year since 1999–2000. [141348]
§ Mr. Ivan LewisThe information requested is shown in the table.
§ Mr. EdwardsTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will meet the vice chancellors of(a) South Bank University, (b) University of Glamorgan and (c) University College Wales, Newport to discuss the future of higher education. [142540]
§ Alan JohnsonI have frequent meetings with vice chancellors in which our proposals for the future of higher education are discussed. However, as a devolved matter, issues related to higher education institutions in 485W Wales such as the University of Glamorgan and University College Wales are a matter for the Welsh Assembly.
§ Jeff EnnisTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (1) how many universities he expects will be in a position to offer bursaries to students from poorer backgrounds under the Government's new higher education funding proposal; [142902]
(2) what his estimate is of the percentage of students from poorer backgrounds who could qualify for a bursary under the new higher education funding proposals. [142956]
§ Alan JohnsonWe are considering and discussing the contents of access agreements and the duties of the Office for Fair Access, and will make a statement in due course.
§ Chris GraylingTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what grants OFFA will be involved in distributing and on what basis; and where its funding will come from. [143072]
§ Alan JohnsonWe have no plans for the Office for Fair Access to distribute any grants. It will be a regulatory body, not a funding body.
§ Chris GraylingTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills whether it is his policy to intervene to prevent universities charging the full top-up fee to its students. [142516]
§ Alan JohnsonWe propose that all universities will be able to charge variable fees of up to 3,000 from academic year 2006/07, provided they have an Access Agreement approved by the Office for Fair Access.
§ Annabelle EwingTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what representations he has received from(a) student representative bodies and (b) the university sector in Scotland on the subject of top-up fees. [142730]
§ Alan JohnsonMy right hon. Friend has received a number of representations from various stakeholders in Scotland on the subject of variable fees.
§ Annabelle EwingTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what written representations he has received from the First Minister of Scotland on the subject of top-up fees. [142765]
§ Alan Johnson[holding answer 8 December 2003]My right hon. Friend has had a number of discussions with the First Minister of Scotland on the subject of variable fees and other higher education issues.
§ Mr. Alan WilliamsTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills whether he plans to link the threshold for repayment of tuition fees to(a) the cost of living and (b) average earnings. [143176]
486W
§ Alan JohnsonWe will set out the Government's policies on repayment thresholds for student loans in the new year in the Regulatory Impact Assessment, which will set out the financial implications of the policies announced in the Higher Education White Paper.
§ Helen JacksonTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what consultation there has been with mature entrants to university on the impact of variable tuition fees. [142601]
§ Alan JohnsonThe Department has received a number of representations from a variety of sources following the publication of the White Paper. We have taken steps to stimulate debate about the future of higher education among all interested groups. We want to encourage able students of all ages to take advantage of a university education. Under our proposals for variable tuition fees, every graduate would repay according to their personal financial circumstances regardless of their age.
§ Mr. Gordon PrenticeTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many universities have indicated their intention to waive fees for students embarking on(a) science, (b) engineering and (c) mathematics degrees; and if he will make a statement. [142785]
§ Alan JohnsonIt will be for higher education institutions themselves to decide what level of fees they set for each of their courses from 2006/07 onwards, between £0 and £3,000. I would expect them to consider a range of factors in doing so, including the likely impact of their decisions on demand by students for their courses.