§ Mr. K. Lindsayasked the Minister of Education whether he will now make a statement about the deductions made from students' grants.
§ Mr. TomlinsonIn order to encourage students to undertake work of national importance which will not conflict with their studies, it has been decided that no deductions shall be made from their grants on account of earnings from employment which is not a regular part of the approved course of studies. Similarly, in order to encourage students' wives to undertake such work wherever possible, it has been decided to ignore the first £80 of their earnings in assessing the students' grants and to take into account only one-half of any sum in excess of that figure. In the case of married women holding an award as students, the husband may ordinarily be expected to be responsible for the wife's maintenance and, accordingly, the present practice will continue in respect of maintenance grants under which one-half of the husband's earnings are taken into account; as regards tuition fees, it has been decided that they shall be paid without regard to any earned income derived from the husband's employment. These arrangements have been made in consultation with the Ministry of Labour and National Service, the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries and the Scottish Education Department.