§ Helen JonesTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what steps he is taking to secure the repayment of tuition fees from European Union students after they graduate; and if he will make a statement. [158612]
§ Alan JohnsonThe Student Loans Company (SLC) are responsible for ensuring repayments are made when they fall due, and have well established procedures for recovering loans from graduates living and working outside the UK. All students taking out a loan are required to sign a declaration agreeing to repay, even if they move abroad, and SLC have a range of sanctions that can be imposed on defaulters. Officials and SLC are exploring ways to ensure the most robust and effective loan recovery mechanisms are in place by the time the first graduate contributions from EU students are due to be collected.
§ Helen JonesTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what estimate he has made of the number of overseas students who will enter universities in England in the next five years. [158613]
§ Alan JohnsonThe projected number of EU and non-EU overseas students in English Higher Education institutions in 2003/04 and 2004/05 as published in the Department Annual Report 2003 is shown in the table. These projections are based on a number of assumptions and should be treated with caution. The numbers include, on a headcount basis, full and part-time students on undergraduate and postgraduate courses. 1213W
Non-UK, EU and non-EU overseas resident students attending English universities (000)
2003/04 2004/05 EU Students 71 74 Non-EU Overseas Students 136 145 Detailed projections for later years are currently being prepared, and will be published in the Department Annual Report 2004 this April.