HC Deb 19 December 1989 vol 164 cc202-3W
18. Mr. Battle

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he will make a statement on his projections for student numbers in higher education over the next 10 years.

57. Mr. Evennett

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will make a statement on his plans for the future expansion of student numbers in higher education.

Mr. Wallace

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science if he will make a statement on his policy for the expansion of higher education.

Mr. Win Griffiths

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he will make a statement on his projections for student numbers in higher education over the next 10 years.

54. Mr. Dunnachie

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science whether he will make a statement on his projections for student numbers in higher education over the next 10 years.

Mr. Jackson

We expect to see significant growth in student numbers during the 1990s, actively fostered by the Government's education policies. The latest projection indicates full-time equivalent student numbers rising from about 760,000 in 1988 to about 820,000 by 1992. As a result of the very substantial decline in the relevant age groups, numbers are then expected to level off until 1995 before rising again to about 890,000 by the turn of the century.

102. Mr. Maclennan

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what percentage of young people over the age of 18 years are in higher education in each of the 12 member states of the European Community.

Mr. Jackson

The available information is as follows for each country for the latest year available.

New entrants1 to higher education
Country2(main ages on entry Latest year Participation rate3 (per cent.)
Belgium4(18 to 19) 1985 39
Denmark (18 to 20) 1985 35
France (18 to 20) 1985 32
West Germany (19 to 21) 1987 29
Greece5 1984 38
Ireland5 1985 35
Italy (19 to 21) 1986 25
Netherlands4 (18 to 20) 1985 38
Portugal5 1984 14
Spain (18 to 20) 1985 31
United Kingdom6 (18 to 21) 1987 34
1 Includes full-time and part-time students entering higher education for the first time, ie excluding postgraduate students and others already having a qualification in higher education. Not all other countries may adhere to this general definition.
2 Compatible information is not available for Luxembourg since most higher education is undertaken abroad. Ireland figures partly estimated.
3 To aid comparison and overcome the problem of the varying

lengths of courses in different countries the participation rate is the percentage of all new entrants (defined above) to a derived relevant single year group. The latter is calculated by taking the total populations for the ages providing at least 70 per cent. of the new entrants and dividing by the number of ages involved. For the United Kingdom this is the population of ages 18 to 21 divided by four. OECD recommend this procedure.
4 Provisional.
5 Main ages on entry unavailable.
6 Excludes the private sector and students from abroad. Includes nursing and paramedical students at Health Department establishments.

79. Mr. Tim Smith

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science how many students were in higher education in the 1988–89 academic year; and how many in 1978–79.

Mr. Jackson

It is provisionally estimated that in 1988–89 there were 993,000 full-time and part-time students on higher education courses in Great Britain, compared with 766,000 in 1978–79.

45. Mr. Riddick

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what percentage of persons aged 16 and 18 years went to institutions of higher education in 1979, 1983 and the latest year for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Jackson

A measure of young peoples' participation in higher education is the age participation index (API). This is defined as the numbers of young home full-time initial HE entrants expressed as a percentage of the average numbers of 18 and 19-year-olds in the population. In 1979 and 1983 the API for higher education in Great Britain were 12.4 per cent. and 13.1 per cent. respectively. A provisional estimate for 1988 is 15.1 per cent. I also refer the hon. Member to the reply that I gave earlier today to the hon. Member for Leeds, West (Mr. Battle).