§ Mr. PawseyTo ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to her answer of 24 October,Official Report, column 416, if she will make it her policy to increase the funding available to Chinese students.
§ Mr. BoswellThe answer that I gave on 24 October should have said that Chinese students will receive a total of £3.174 million funding in financial year 1994–95 under the overseas research students awards scheme funded through the Higher Education Funding Council for England, as well as £1.136 million funding from FCO, ODA and British Council scholarship schemes for overseas students during the same period. However, it is not possible to identify how much of this funding will benefit students who wish to study English with the aim of becoming translators. The ORSAS awards are available on a competitive basis to students of outstanding merit and no account is taken of nationality. We do not intend to increase the amount of funding to students from any particular nation. Decisions on any increases in other schemes would be taken by FCO, ODA and the British Council.