§ Mr. SimonTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what measures his Department is taking to simplify the procedure of providing student support. [112998]
§ Margaret HodgeWe are modernising the delivery of statutory student support so that for the academic year 2004/05 students will need to complete fewer application forms, the burden on students to provide information and evidence will be reduced and students will be able to apply for and obtain information about student support via the internet. We are also moving towards paying all students electronically directly into their bank accounts.
We have also reduced the number of targeted grants and bursaries for students from 14 to just six.
§ Mr. RosindellTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the cost was of collecting university tuition fees from students in the London Borough of Havering in the latest year for which figures are available. [115342]
§ Margaret HodgeHigher education institutions themselves, not local authorities, bear the cost of collecting student contributions to tuition fees. We do not have centrally-held data on the cost to institutions, but an element of institutional funding covers the cost of administration in collecting the fee contributions.