§ Mr. Dalyellasked the Secretary of State for Scotland (1) what consideration he is giving to the recommendation of the Report of the Working Party appointed by the Royal Society and the Council of Engineering Institutions and the Council of Science and Technology Institutes, of which he has received a copy, that teacher training courses for graduates should be put on the same basis as other post-graduate courses in respect of maintenance grants;
(2) whether he is satisfied with a situation whereby graduates who elect to be trained as teachers should be kept on undergraduate grants, including parental contributions, while those who take other 361W post-graduate training get post-graduate maintenance grants, with no parental contributions; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. RossGraduates training as teachers are not at any disadvantage compared with graduates taking other similar courses of professional training. Under the Students' Alowances Scheme administered by my Department eligible graduate students taking such courses automatically receive awards at the same standard rates as undergraduates. Studentships at the higher rate are available only for advanced postgraduate study (e.g. for a higher degree) and are awarded on a limited and highly competitive basis.