HC Deb 22 April 1991 vol 189 cc319-20W
Mr. Andrew Smith

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Science what was total Government spending on higher education student support in each year since 1978–79 in(a) cash terms and (b) real terms, indexed so that 1978–79 equals 100; and what was expenditure per student over the same period.

Mr. Alan Howarth

The table shows the expenditure made by local education authorities in England and Wales in bestowing mandatory awards under the Education (Mandatory Awards) Regulations:

Academic Year Expenditure Cash At 1978–79 Prices Expenditure per student
£ million £ million Index cash £
1978–79 468.9 468.9 100 1,466
1979–80 550.0 472.1 101 1,705
1980–81 679.3 503.0 107 2,031
1981–82 783.4 520.9 111 2,210
1982–83 680.6 421.9 90 1,837
1983–84 719.1 424.0 90 1,870
1984–85 706.6 397.9 85 1,788
1985–86 696.1 370.1 79 1,783
1986–87 724.7 374.1 80 1,838
1987–88 765.4 379.3 81 1,893
1988–89 825.7 386.4 82 1,988

The cash expenditure includes both fees and maintenance paid as part of the mandatory award. The

Cash terms Index
£ million
1990–91 2.13 29
1991–92 2.13 27
1 Indexed figures result from adjusting the cash outturn figures for past years using the deflator for gross domestic product at market prices.