§ Mr. Andrew TurnerTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what grants and loans are available to a higher education non-home student living and studying outside London, with parents(a) who are each earning £20,000 a year and are divorced, (b) who are each earning £20,000 a year and are married and (c) one whom is earning £40,000 a year and the other of whom earns nothing. [32732]
§ Margaret Hodge[holding answer 1 February 2002]: The starting point for assessment of student support is the parents' gross taxable income. This is reduced by certain allowances, largely pension contributions that qualify for tax relief, to produce a residual income. In the case of divorced or separated parents, local education authorities will normally base the assessment on the parent's residual income with whom the student lives.
In 2001–02 academic year, a student who was living away from the parental home, studying outside London, whose parent's residual income is £20,000 a year would be eligible to receive a public contribution of £1,030 towards their tuition fees and a student loan of £3,815.
A student with the same circumstances but whose parents are married and have a combined residual income of £40,000 would be liable to meet the full cost of tuition fees of £1,075 but would be eligible to receive a student loan of £2,860. The same level of support would also be available to a student where one parent had a residual 97W income of £40,000 a year and the other parent had no income as the public support we provide is based on joint parental income.