§ Dr. HarrisTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment of the money announced in the Comprehensive Spending Review for higher education, what the money not specifically allocated for access and academic staff is to be used for. [133110]
§ Mr. WicksMy right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Education and Employment announced on 18 July that the purposes of the additional funding for higher education include: recruitment and retention of top-quality academic staff and improvements in staff management; widening access to students from a broader range of social backgrounds; the development of Foundation Degrees; the e-universities project, and higher stipends for research studentships in the arts and humanities.
§ Dr. HarrisTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how the money announced in the Comprehensive Spending Review for summer schools and measures to widen access for higher education will be allocated between institutions; and who will be responsible for the provision of those measures. [133111]
§ Mr. WicksMy right hon. Friend the Secretary of State recently announced an additional £20 million from the Comprehensive Spending Review to be spent on widening participation in higher education in 2001–02. Further details of this package will be given in due course.
§ Dr. HarrisTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how much funding is to be available for higher education in(a) 2002–03 and (b) 2003–04 which will be additional to sums announced before the current year. [133119]
§ Mr. WicksMy right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has yet to announce the allocation of funding for higher education for 2002–03 and 2003–04.
§ Mr. BoswellTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will make a statement on trends in applications to higher education institutions for the academic year 2000–01. [132906]
§ Mr. WicksThe latest data from the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service on applications to full-time and sandwich courses were issued on 21 July. These indicate that the number of applications is very close to the equivalent point in the application cycle last year; it looks likely that the final applications figure will show that demand for higher education is still buoyant.
§ Dr. HarrisTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how the use of the money allocated in the Comprehensive Spending Review to recruit and retain higher education academic staff will be decided; if it will be ring fenced for that purpose; and how its distribution between institutions will be decided. [133112]
§ Mr. WicksThe Higher Education Funding Council for England is responsible for distributing the funding given to it to support higher education institutions, including the extra funding announced on 18 July. In line with previous years, it will do so in the light of the annual guidance letter the Secretary of State sends the Funding Council each autumn.
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§ Dr. HarrisTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what the amount of funding per student in higher education is to be in(a) 2001–02, (b) 2002–03 and (c) 2003–04. [133113]
§ Mr. WicksMy right hon. Friend the Secretary of State last week announced an extra £100 million for higher education in 2001–02 on top of the increase announced in November 1999. Compared with 2000–01 and in line with current student number targets, the projected unit cost per full time equivalent student in 2001–02 will be about 0.5 per cent. in real terms above that in 2000–01. My right hon. Friend has yet to announce the allocation of funding for higher education for 2002–03 and 2003–04.
§ Dr. HarrisTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment what are his Department's projections for the expansion of higher education places in(a) 2001–02, (b) 2002–03 and (c) 2003–04; and what proportion of this is accounted by (i) foundation degrees and (ii) traditional degrees delivered in higher education institutions. [133114]
§ Mr. WicksThe Foundation Degree Prospectus issued by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) this month states that in 2001–02, HEFCE plan to allocate around 2000 places between the Foundation Degree prototype providers, with a guarantee to make an additional 1,000 places available to these providers if demand increases. HEFCE have also undertaken to make further Foundation Degree places available to good quality bids from other Higher Education Institutions through their standard annual bidding exercise. My right hon. Friend has yet to announce funding and student number targets for higher education in 2002–03 and 2003–04.