§ Ms WalleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will reconsider the criteria relating to the award of bursaries to higher education students so that students living in Excellence in Cities areas and attending further education colleges outside that location are not excluded from eligibility. [13778]
§ Margaret HodgeEligibility for Opportunity Bursaries depends on whether a student is attending one of the schools or further education colleges covered by the Excellence Challenge programme. The programme is being piloted over the next three years in Excellence in Cities (EiC) Phase 1 and 2 areas and Education Action Zones (EAZ). Local EiC Partnerships and EAZ Forums 869W have determined whether to include further education colleges located outside these areas within their Excellence Challenge plans.
There is £93 million available within the Access and Hardship Funds in 2001–02, over four times the amount provided in 1997–98. Higher education institutions are encouraged to use part of this money to provide bursaries for students who do not meet the criteria for an Opportunity Bursary.