§ Lord Cheshamasked Her Majesty's Government:
Why, when applying for assistance towards tuition fees at university from local education authorities, students are asked to provide details of their ethnic origin. [HL2864]
§ Baroness BlackstoneThere is no requirement under the Education (Student Support) Regulations 1999 for LEAs to request information on the ethnic origin of an applicant for student support. LEAs do, however, have to establish a student's nationality and place and country of birth in order to assess his or her eligibility for student support. This is because the eligibility criteria include conditions on residency and settled status. These conditions vary, depending on, for example, whether or not the student is a UK or EU national; or on whether the student is a refugee or has exceptional leave to enter or remain in the United Kingdom.