HC Deb 17 July 2003 vol 409 cc494-5W
Mr. Clappison

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much has been allocated by the Higher Education Funding Council for England to higher education institutions in their block grants to recognise the additional costs of recruiting and supporting students from disadvantaged or non-traditional backgrounds in each year since 1997; if he will express this as a proportion of the Higher Education Funding Council for England budget; and what projections there are for such support in future years, expressed both as(a) funding sums and (b) a proportion of the HEFCE budget. [125543]

Alan Johnson

The table shows the funding the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) has allocated for widening participation measures since 1999/2000 and the percentage this is of the total HEFCE institutional allocation. No funds for widening participation were allocated as part of block grant in 1997/98 and 1998/99.

Widening participation funding (£) Percentage of total HEFCE allocation
1999/2000 19,874,648 0.5
2000/01 31,276,261 0.8
2001/02 37,016,630 0.9
2002/03 47,653,002 1.1
2003/04 260,501,27 3.5

The definition of widening participation and the funding method for determining its allocation has changed over this period so figures are not directly comparable. Institutions also receive funds for widening participation through the Excellence Challenge and Aim Higher programmes, but as these go directly to institutions they are excluded from the table. Some special funding is also allocated separately to higher education institutions for widening participation projects. This is also excluded from the table. For 2004/05 and 2005/6, the HEFCE funding as set out in the grant letter and the White paper "The future of Higher Education" will be £6,757,000,000 and £7,295,000,000 respectively. The allocation for widening participation in each of these years will be announced in February/March 2004 and 2005. This will reflect the outcome of the review of the HEFCE funding method, on which the sector will be consulted.