§ Mr. Peter Bruinvelsasked the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether students from Spain and Portugal will become entitled to pay fees at the home student rate on the accession of those countries to the European Community; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. BrookeStudents from Spain and Portugal in the United Kingdom who satisfy the necessary conditions will become entitled to pay the same rate of fee as home students following the accession of those countries to the European Community on 1 January 1986. My right hon. Friend proposes that the following arrangements should apply.
From 1 January 1986 nationals of Spain and Portugal who are students in the United Kingdom will be entitled to pay fees at the same rate as "home" students provided that they satisfy the conditions for residence in the European Community prior to the start of the course laid down in the Education (Fees and Awards) Regulations 1983 (SI 1983/973 as amended by SI 1984/1201) and the Education (Fees and Awards) (Scotland) Regulations 1983(SI 1983/1215 as amended by SI 1984/1361). These regulations will be amended to provide that residence in Spain or Portugal before the accession of those countries to the Community will be treated as residence in the Community for the purposes of the regulations. This amendment will apply not only to nationals of Spain and Portugal, but also to nationals of all other Community countries, including the United Kingdom. Nationals of the United Kingdom resident in Spain and Portugal who might not otherwise be entitled to pay the home rate of fee will therefore be treated on the same basis as nationals of those countries.
The date of accession falls one third of the way through the academic year 1985–86. For that year students from Spain and Portugal who satisfy the necessary conditions will be expected to pay an annual fee composed of one third of the relevant "overseas" rate and two thirds of the relevant "home" rate. Local authorities, universities and other institutions of further and higher education should be guided accordingly.
The necessary amendments to the relevant regulations will be laid before Parliament as soon as possible.