HL Deb 16 January 1984 vol 446 c918WA
Viscount Ridley

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether they have in mind any measures to alleviate hardship caused by their decision to halve the minimum grant to students from £410 to £205 where this applies to students already entered on a course in good faith, and whether they agree that this decision is a retrospective one which can create genuine distress, however justifiable this reduction may be for the future.

The Earl of Swinton

The halving of the minimum award will in practice only affect students from the most well-off families, whose parents are best placed to make a larger contribution, and the Government do not believe that this decision will cause hardship. Students can have no automatic expectations of a particular level of grant for the duration of their courses.