§ Vera BairdTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what proportion of 18-year-olds from the borough of Redcar and Cleveland who will meet the parental income eligibility criteria for Opportunity Bursaries in 2003 would be eligible for the proposed Higher Education Grant. [102711]
§ Margaret HodgeThe Department does not collect information about parental income by local education authority area. Opportunity Bursaries are not awarded solely on the basis of parental income. 11,000 Bursaries are available for those entering English higher education institutions in 2003. Students with Opportunity Bursaries will remain eligible to receive their payments in years 2 and 3 of the course, when the new higher education grant is introduced for new students from 2004. Eligibility for the Higher Education Grant will depend on household income. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State indicated in his reply to my hon. Friend the Member for Birmingham, Selly Oak (Lynne Jones) on 6 February 2003,Official Report, column 358W, that a decision on the income threshold at which the full £1,000 is payable will be announced later this year.