§ Mr. LevittTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what measures the Government are taking to promote access to further and higher education for young people with special educational needs. [63400]
§ Mr. MudieThe Government's policies on widening participation and increasing access are intended to be inclusive and to benefit students with learning difficulties and/or disabilities as well as others.
The Secretary of State has asked the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) when allocating funds to institutions to take into account the additional costs of providing learning support for students with learning difficulties and disabilities and to monitor the provision made by institutions for disabled students. This was made clear in the grant letter of 8 December to HEFCE. Under the new higher education student support arrangements for 1998–99, Disabled Students' Allowances will no longer be means tested for disabled full time students and the amount students may claim has been increased.
In further education, the funding mechanism provides for additional support for students with learning difficulties and/or disabilities according to need. The grant letter to the Further Education Funding Council of 8 December noted that the FE capital element of the Comprehensive Spending Review (comprising £195 million in total) would enable 550W colleges to make progress on disabled access in the context of the Government's commitment to comprehensive and enforceable civil rights.