Baroness VICKERSasked Her Majesty's Government:
What arrangements will be made in the aid programme to help countries like Cyprus, Sierra Leone, Gambia and Nigeria, not favoured by the fall in the pound, as mentioned by the Secretary of State for Education and Science on 25th November 1976 in regard to students' fees, as it would appear that the before-mentioned countries and others would qualify under More Help for the Poorest (Cmnd. 6270).
§ Baroness LLEWELYN-DAVIES of HASTOEThe overall distribution of the aid programme takes account of the 953WA resources and relative poverty of the many countries to which it is applied, and my right honourable friend the then Minister for Overseas Development announced on 29th November last that the Ministry of Overseas Development will continue to meet fee increases for all those students accepted for training under that programme.
Privately financed postgraduate students from the poorer developing countries, enrolled in courses of developmental value, may be eligible for assistance from the Fee Support Scheme also announced by my right honourable friend under which 600 awards of a fixed annual contribution of £325 towards the fee increases announced for the 1977–78 academic year will be available for up to three years to relieve hardship.