§ Mr. JenkinTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if his Department plans to fund all four years of study by students from England at Scottish Universities; how many students from England are currently in the fourth year of a degree course at a Scottish University; and what assessment he has made of the cost of funding this fourth year. [16091]
163W
§ Dr. Howells[holding answer 14 November 1997]: There were some 3,400 students from England in the fourth year of first degree courses at Scottish institutions in 1996–97 (the latest year for which figures are available). Under our plans, students from lower-income families will have the whole of their tuition fees paid for them in the fourth as in the previous three years, whilst others may have part of their fees paid, depending on an assessment of their parents', spouses' or own income.
We estimate that the extra cost of meeting the contributions payable by students from England towards fees in the fourth year of first degree courses at Scottish institutions would be some £1.5 million.