§ Dr. GibsonTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will make a statement on the Government's plans to monitor the impact of the new student funding system on recruitment to higher education institutions of students studying for professions allied to medicine and pre-clinical medicine. [62640]
§ Mr. MudieResponsibility for the support arrangements for new students on courses in the professions allied to medicine and for students on nursing and midwifery courses transferred to my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health in September this year. I understand that his Department is monitoring the effectiveness of student support for the professions allied to medicine in safeguarding supply. Also from September 1998, arrangements for supporting new medical and dental students became a shared responsibility with the Department of Health. These students will be supported under the main student support system for the first four years of their course and by the Department of Health from year 5 onwards. Medicine has always been a popular subject which is heavily over-subscribed and the situation will continue to be closely monitored by the Department of Health.
Extensive analysis is underway to assess and monitor the impact of our new higher education funding policies in general, using application and entrant data. A range of ongoing and planned research projects will also examine participation in higher education. A combination of internal and external studies will be undertaken.