§ Mr. WillisTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what advice his Department has issued to Higher Education institutions regarding the collection of fees from(a) EU and (b) UK students. [62603]
§ Mr. MudieOur advice did not differentiate between UK and non-UK EU students. My Department wrote to universities and colleges on 7 October 1998 in response to reports that some institutions were pressing for payment of the full £1,000 from students still awaiting an awards letter. It reiterated the advice contained in an earlier letter from the Department of 18 November 1997 about the importance of institutions undertaking the collection of the fee sensitively and flexibly in the early months of a degree course, taking account of the particular circumstances of individual students. It went on to advise that, in the case of students still awaiting an awards letter, and if instalment or other arrangements were offered, these should be put into effect only when the awards letter became available, so that payments were based on actual amounts due and students not required to make any contribution were not disadvantaged.