§ Mr. BoswellTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what action he will take to alleviate hardship arising from top-up fees for students whose family relationship has been broken. [134496]
§ Alan JohnsonWe expect the student support arrangements for students that are either irreconcilably estranged from their parents or whose parents are no longer living together to continue as they are now, when variable fees are introduced from 2006. The current arrangements are set out as follows:
If a student is irreconcilably estranged from his or her parents, they are treated as independent for the purposes of assessing student support. Where such a student's personal income while on the course is below £10,000, they are entitled to the full fee remission grant to cover the standard fee and to a full maintenance loan. If their income is £15,200 or below, they will be entitled to the full higher education grant when this is introduced from 2004.
If a student's parents are no longer living together, the income to be used for the purposes of assessing student support will continue to be that of the parent considered to be most appropriate. If that parental income is £15,200 or below, the student will be eligible for a full higher education grant; if below £20,970, they will be eligible for the full fee remission grant to cover the standard fee; and if below £31,230, a full maintenance loan.
Both types of students will be able to take out a loan for fees to cover the balance of the fee above the standard fee once variable fees are introduced.
§ Peter BradleyTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what advantages in charging top-up fees will accrue to universities with(a) high levels and (b) low levels of students from low income backgrounds. [135472]
§ Alan JohnsonNo university will be advantaged or disadvantaged in terms of additional fee income by the makeup of their intake. It will be for universities to assess the advantages and disadvantages of charging fees and what level of fee they should charge, up to the maximum of £3,000, provided they have an access agreement.