HC Deb 01 March 1988 vol 128 cc489-90W
Mr. Allan Stewart

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will announce the statistics for the assisted places scheme in the 1987–88 school session in Scotland, and the income scale which will apply to the scheme in school session 1988–89.

Mr. Michael Forsyth

At the beginning of the current school session there were 2,591 pupils receiving assistance under the assisted places scheme. Additional pupils will be admitted to assisted places throughout the 1987–88 school session and I expect that the final total will exceed that for the 1986–87 session.

The scheme continues to concentrate assistance on lower income families. In 1987–88 1,183 pupils (46 per cent. of those in the scheme) will be receiving full fee remission because they have a family income of £6,972 per annum or less. A further 223 pupils (9 per cent.) have family incomes between £6,973 and £8,000 per annum and 99 (4 per cent.) between £8,001 and £8,500.

For school session 1988–89 I propose to lay regulations before the House in due course providing for progressive parental contributions for one assisted pupil in relation to family income as follows:

Part of relevant income to which the specified percentage applies Parental contribution
(percentage)
That part (if any) which exceeds £7,092 but does not exceed £7,711 9
That part (if any) which exceeds £7,711 but does not exceed £8,341 12
That part (if any) which exceeds £8,341 but does not exceed £9,591 15
That part (if any) which exceeds £9,591 but does not exceed £11,513 21
That part (if any) which exceeds £11,513 but does not exceed £14,023 24
That part (if any) which exceeds £14,023 33

The relevant income scale is open ended, but the remission can of course be given only where the parental contribution is less than the school tuition fee.