§ Dr. Lynda ClarkTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what plans he has to assist people from low-income families into and through higher education. [8628]
§ Dr. HowellsThe Government's preferred approach to future funding arrangements for higher education includes continuing access to free tuition for students from lower-income families, no parental contributions from lower-income families and repayment of future maintenance loans on a basis related to income after graduation. But, as the report of the National Committee of Inquiry into Higher Education makes clear, the main factor determining access to higher education is the level of educational attainment up to age 18, the policies which my right hon. Friend has set out in the schools White Paper are designed to increase educational attainment in school and thereby encourage wider access to higher education.