§ Mr. Steenasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether the grant of a female student taking a teacher training or BEd degree course is fixed once and for all at the commencement of her studies, regardless of whether she marries or whether her father's earnings increase or decrease.
§ Mr. MulleyAll students in receipt of mandatory awards, which includes those following teacher training and B. Ed courses, have their grants assessed annually in the light of rates and conditions of grant applying in that academic year.
§ Mr. Steenasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether a female student teacher, taking a teacher training course or BEd degree, gets her annual grant assessed with reference to her father's earnings during the year previous to that in which she started her course.
§ Mr. MulleyIf such a student is liable to a parental contribution, her grant for a given academic year would normally be assessed with reference to parental income during the preceding financial year.
312WThere are special arrangements for taking into account current income if this is substantially less than the income in the normal year of assessment.
§ Mr. Steenasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether a female student teacher taking a teacher training course or BEd degree, who marries during the course of her studies, still has her grant calculated on her father's earnings rather than her husband's earnings.
§ Mr. MulleyIf such a student is already subject to a parental contribution and, as from September next, has not reached the age of 25 in the academic year preceding the year of assessment, her grant will continue to be assessed on the basis of her parents' income.
§ Mr. Steenasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether a female student taking a teacher training course or BEd degree is ever asked to pay for her tuition costs; if so, on what basis; and why some are asked to pay and not others.
§ Mr. MulleyFrom the academic year 1975–76 when, as a consequence of the provisions of the Education Act 1975, teacher training courses—including courses leading to a BEd degree—will attract mandatory awards, tuition fees will be charged for such courses at the same levels as for other advanced courses of further education. Previously, separate grant arrangements have applied to teacher training courses and recognised—that is, grant-aided—students have received free tuition but have had no entitlement to the minimum grant payable irrespective of income to students in receipt of mandatory awards. Teacher training students not eligible for grant have been required to pay the full economic cost of tuition except for certain limited categories who have been charged a reduced fee of £62 per annum.