§ Mr. Bryan Daviesasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what action she proposes to take on the results of the survey of student income and expenditure conducted by the Office of Population Censuses and Surveys, a summary of which was published on 17th November 1976.
§ Mr. OakesMy right hon. Friend will take account of the information provided by the survey, which covered Great Britain, in the current review of student grants. I am concerned that the survey reveals that a large proportion of parents do not pay the whole of their assessed contribution towards their student son's or daughter's grant. My Department has on earlier occasions asked local education authorities to remind parents of the importance of paying their contribution in full and I will do so again. Parental contributions will be successively reduced over the next three years as child tax allowances are run down in the course of phasing in child benefits, and I hope 697W this will go some way towards easing the situation.