§ Mr, Ralph Howellasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science, further to her reply to the hon. Member for Norfolk, North, Official Report30th November 1978, column 318, what measures she proposes to take to compensate for loss of child tax allowances to the parents of students who have to depend on discretionary awards.
§ Mr. Oakes:The same arrangements as for mandatory awards will apply to discretionary awards made under section 1(4) of the Education Act 1962. The rates and conditions of other discretionary awards, and the scales of parental contributions applied, are matters for local education authorities to determine. The advice given by the local authority associations to their members is that the rates, conditions and contribution scales laid down for mandatory awards should be applied to discretionary awards made to students aged over 19 or taking advanced courses. Where authorities follow this advice, parents of students receiving such discretionary awards will benefit from any adjustments in the parental contribution scale made to compensate the parents of mandatory award-holders for the loss of their child tax allowances.