§ Mr. Allan StewartTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what changes he intends to make in the support arrangements for disabled students in higher education.
§ Mr. LangIn recognition of their particular needs, I propose for session 1990–91 to increase the maximum allowance for disabled students from £765 to £1,000 per session. In addition, I propose to introduce two new provisions which will provide up to £3,000 to cover the cost of expensive specialist equipment over the period of the course, and up to £4,000 per session for those students requiring non-medical personal help such as readers for the blind and interpreters for the deaf. We will be taking steps to publicise these new arrangements.
Disabled students will continue to be eligible for relevant social security benefits. These, together with the basic award and the new allowances, should fully meet the disabled student's requirements.
When top-up loans are introduced this autumn, subject to the passage of the Bill before Parliament, I accept that 453W disabled graduates' capacity to repay loans may be affected by additional living costs associated with their disability. I therefore propose to disregard disability related benefits when assessing graduates' income for the purpose of determining when to defer the repayment of the loan.