§ Mr. DrewTo ask the Secretary of State for Health when the review of student nurse methods of support, including bursaries, is expected to be completed and reported. [1356]
§ Mr. HuttonOfficials undertook a review of support arrangements for National Health Service funded students last year. As a result Ministers considered a range of options for change to the existing arrangements, taking full account of representations received from students, their representative bodies and others. The 10.4 per cent. across-the-board increase in the basic rate of bursary, which my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Health announced shortly after the Budget, was one of the outcomes of the review of student support. It is the biggest increase in bursaries since their introduction in the late 1980s and provides diploma level students (who make up the majority of the student nurse population) with an extra £500 per year.
151WFurther bursary changes will come into effect in September providing extra help with accommodation and travel expenses for students attending practice placements.
Ministers continue to take a close interest in the effective operation of student support arrangements.