§ Chris GraylingTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the maximum student loan available for a medical student doing a six year course will be after the introduction of the measures outlined in the Government's White Paper; and what the maximum tuition fees are which such a student will be required to pay. [100933]
§ Margaret HodgeFor English and Welsh domiciled students the maximum means tested loan in 2002–03 is £3,090 for a student residing at their parent's home; and otherwise £3,905, unless for studying in London, where it is £4,815. Eligible medical students from lower income families on a six year course will be entitled to these levels of loan, increased for inflation, for four years. Many will also be entitled to a further Higher Education Grant of £1,000 for four years from October 2004. In year five medical students are entitled to a non means tested reduced rate loan (at 2002–03 prices) of £1,465 if they are living with a parent, £1,915 otherwise, and £2,365 if they are studying in London. In the final year these figures reduce to £1,075,£1,400 and £1,725 respectively. In addition, in years five and six English domiciled medical students may receive non repayable annual means tested bursaries from the Department of Health, or if Welsh domiciled from the Welsh Assembly Government, of up to £1,758 (living with parent), £2,148 (otherwise) or £2,640 (living in London).
After implementation of the White Paper proposals, the annual fee contribution for four years will vary from £0-£3,000 per year but the upfront cost to students and parents would be reduced from the current maximum of £1,100 since fees would start to be repaid only after graduation (and achievement of an income threshold of £15,000 per year). Students on lower incomes would continue as now to receive a grant for fees of £1,100 (increased annually for inflation) and their loan for fees would not exceed £1,900 a year. In cases where the Access Regulator agrees higher fee levels than £1,100, university bursary schemes will further reduce the cost of fees to some students on low incomes.
Fee support for English domiciled medical students in years five and six is the responsibility of the Department of Health. Currently students pay no contributions to fees. Department of Health Ministers have indicated that, whatever the future levels of tuition fees, they will take measures to ensure that any increase in the cost of university courses will not have an adverse impact on the supply, retention, diversity or quality of students on health professional courses, including medicine.