HC Deb 02 December 1997 vol 302 cc155-6W
Mrs. Ray Michie

To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many students from Argyll and Bute(a) attended full-time undergraduate education at universities or equivalent bodies, (b) attended full-time education as mature students and (c) were in receipt of further education awards in the last year for which figures are available. [17599]

Mr. Wilson

Data on the number of undergraduates studying full-time in Scottish Higher Education Institutions are available only on the basis of the Old Regional Council boundaries and are therefore not available for Argyll and Bute. In 1995–96 there were 28,860 full-time undergraduate students in Scottish Higher Education Institutions from the Strathclyde Region.

The number of mature entrants studying full-time in Scottish Higher Education Institutions from Argyll and bute in 1995–96 is also not available. The number of mature entrants from the Strathclyde Region in 1995–96 was 2,491.

The number of mature entrants studying full-time in Scottish Further Education Colleges is set out in the table.

Mature1 entrants studying full-time in Scotland
Argyll and Bute Strathclyde
Higher Education Undergraduate2 Entrants in Further Education Colleges 45 3,920
Further Education Entrants in Further Education Colleges 61 4,298
1Mature entrants are aged 21 years and over.
2Undergraduate includes first degree and other higher education qualifications.

Around 150 students from Argyll and Bute (around 8,500 from Strathclyde) received local authority bursaries for further education courses in 1995–96.