§ Mr. Humeasked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland (1) what aspects of student travel awards he is prepared to review; and what financial or adminstrative limitations there will be on such a review;
(2) what consideration he has given to the recent assessment of the impact of changes in student travel award scheme by the Association of Education and Library Boards; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. ScottMy Department felt unable to accept the validity of the figures presented to me by the Association138W of Education and Library Boards. For this reason—and with the full consent of the association—officers of the Department in collaboration with the boards are currently engaged in an exercise which will, in effect, extend earlier sample surveys to a much fuller review of available data.
I have already given an assurance that if the evidence arising from the survey shows clearly that, as a direct consequence of the introduction of the flat rate travel grants, Northern Ireland students are generally in a worse position than their counterparts in England and Wales, I shall be prepared to re-examine the situation with a view to seeing what, if anything, might reasonably be done to alleviate their position.
§ Mr. Humeasked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what funds his Department has allocated for discretionary student awards, higher value and lower value, for use by each of the education and library boards and by his Department for the next academic year.
§ Mr. ScottFunds are allocated to education and library boards on a financial year basis. The approved financial schemes for the current financial year allow for the following provision for discretionary awards:
£000's Belfast 609 North-Eastern 851 South-Eastern 612 Southern 660 Western 723 The distribution of these funds between higher value and lower value awards is a matter for the education and library boards and the actual distribution for the next academic year has yet to be determined.
§ Mr. Humeasked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement outlining the number of discretionary awards allocated by each of the education and library boards and his Department for the current academic year indicating the numbers of higher value and lower value awards, the numbers of minimum and maximum awards, the numbers of living at home and living away from home awards, the numbers of applications for awards and the total amount allocated by each awarding agency.