§ Mr. Formanasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science what would be the total cost to public funds of 469W converting all further education grants on to a mandatory basis; how many students would be involved; and what is the breakdown as between full-time and part-time students.
§ Mr. OakesThe extra cost would depend upon factors such as the proportion of students living at home and the parental incomes, details of which are not available within my Department. It is estimated that, for the academic year 1977–78, the extra cost of giving mandatory awards to all full-time students resident in England and Wales already in further or higher education, excluding postgraduates, would be between £200 million and £300 million. About 300,000 additional students would then be receiving mandatory awards.
It is not practicable to estimate the extra cost of extending mandatory awards to part-time students. This would vary even more widely depending on the categories of part-time students included in any scheme and on the rates of grant and conditions applied.