§ Mr. BakerTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if he will make it his policy to abolish tuition fees for full-time students. [146692]
§ Mr. WicksNo. The student finance arrangements that we introduced share the cost of higher education fairly between students, their families and taxpayers generally, and provide essential resources for investment in universities and colleges. The Government have invested £1.7 billion (18 per cent. in real terms) in additional planned resources in higher education in England over the six years between 1998–99 and 2003–04. Next year, for the first time since the 1980s, the higher education sector will receive a real increase in funding per student.