§ Mrs. McCurleyasked the Secretary of State for Scotland whether he will announce the fees to be charged to students attending Scottish institutions other than universities in the academic year 1985–86.
§ Mr. YoungerFor the academic year 1985–86, I have prescribed the following fee levels for home students and for students from other European Community countries on full-time advanced courses in the central institutions and the colleges of education (fees for 1984–85 are shown in parentheses): 633W
Fees for home and European Community students on courses at local authority colleges are the responsibility of the local authorities. I understand that the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities has decided to recommend fees as follows:
£ £ Postgraduate courses 1,632 (1,569) Undergraduate and equivalent courses 520 (500)
£ £ Postgraduate courses 1,632 (1,569) Advanced full-time courses 520 (500) Non-advanced full-time courses 265 (220) For overseas students the Government's policy is that students who began their courses on or after 1 September 1980 should pay fees that cover the cost of their education. Local authorities and institutions are free to determine the fees to be charged in accordance with that policy, and in the light of their own circumstances.
I understand that the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities has decided to recommend to local authorities the following fees for students at local authority colleges paying the overseas rate who began their courses on or after 1 September 1980.
£ Advanced courses 3,310 Non-advanced courses 1,820 Any students still on courses that began before 1 September 1980 remain entitled to a subsidised rate of fee. Maximum fees for such students were specified in the Education (Fees and Awards) (Amendment) Act 1984. As there will be few, if any, such students left by 1985–86, I have decided not to revise the fee maxima further. They will therefore remain as follows:
£ Postgraduate courses 2,148 Undergraduate courses 1,653 Non-advanced (full-time) courses 885
1978–79 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 (a) Cash terms Total expenditure (£ million) 1,428 1,704 2,155 2,402 2,578 2,738 2,873 2,889 (2,929) (2,958) Growth from 1978–79 (per cent.) — +19.3 +50.9 +68.2 +80.5 +91.7 +101.2 +102.3 — — (b) Volume Terms (November 1984 prices) Total expenditure (£ million) 2,801 2,835 2,877 2,837 2,817 2,859 2,874 — — — Growth from 1978–79 (per cent.) — +1.2 +2.7 +1.3 +0.6 +2.1 +2.6 — — — (c) Cost terms (1983–84 prices) Total expenditure (£ million) 2,425 2,475 2,639 2,675 2,692 2,738 2,743 2,639 (2,573) (2,517) — +2.1 +8.8 +10.3 +11.0 +12.9 +13.1 +3.8 — — Notes:
1. The figures for 1978–79 to 1983–84 are final or near final outturns: those for 1984–85 are authorities' budget estimates. The figures for 1985–86 to 1987–88 are the Government's provision for forward years.
2. All figures, except those for 1986–87 and 1987–88, are on the basis of relevant expenditure for rate support grant purposes, excluding loan charges. The figures for 1986–87 and 1987–88 also exclude provision for capital financed from current revenue and interest on revenue balances, the precise amounts of which are yet to be determined. It is therefore not possible to compare figures for these two years with those for 1978–79.
3. The cash figures to 1984–85 have been converted to November 1984 prices using factors agreed with the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities. It is not possible to convert cash information for later years on the same basis.
4. Cost terms figures are cash outturns, plans or provision adjusted to a 1983–84 price base using the GDP deflator.