§ Mr. Damian GreenTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much will be spent by his Department on maintenance grants for students at university in financial years(a) 2004–05 and (b) 2005–06. [137164]
§ Alan JohnsonThe Higher Education Grant is being introduced for new students starting in the 2004/05 academic year and the cost will build up cohort by cohort. We estimate that the cost will be between £63–£75 million in the 2004–05 financial year and £146–£177 million in the 2005–06 financial year, depending on the actual number of students entering higher education in those years and their precise income distribution. We expect the steady state cost of the higher education grant to be around £300 million.
§ Mr. Damian GreenTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment he has made of the average income from part-time or full-time work of students studying in higher education. [137201]
§ Alan JohnsonThe Department has conducted a Student Income and Expenditure Survey (SIES) for the 2002–3 academic year. It will provide up-to-date information on students'employment patterns and their income from paid work in the 2002–03 academic year for full-time, young, single, childless, English and Welsh domiciled students who are undertaking an undergraduate degree at publicly funded Higher Education Institutions in England and Wales in 2002–3.
The Department will announce a date for publication once the research report has been finalised. Once published, the Department will use the data for further analysis of students'income and employment.