HC Deb 19 November 2003 vol 413 cc1004-5W
Mr. Damian Green

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much has been spent on widening participation in higher education in each year since 1997; on what schemes; and how much will be spent in each of the next five years. [137203]

Alan Johnson

Excluding student support, the relevant schemes and initiatives are as followsAimhigher (previously called Excellence Challenge) provides grants mainly to schools and colleges to raise the aspirations and attainment levels of young people. The Higher Education Funding Council for England's (HEFCE) Partnerships for Progression provides funds to universities for outreach. The White Paper The future of higher education announced that these two initiatives would be merged to form a new Aimhigher programme. Between 1998 and 2003, HEFCE established regionally based widening participation projects. Expenditure on these schemes and initiatives to 2005–06 are given in the following tables. In addition, HEFCE uses part of its teaching grant to provide a widening participation premium to universities to assist them with the additional costs of recruiting and retaining students from non-traditional backgrounds. The amount for this is £255 million in 2003–04, which includes £10 million from the Department's Aimhigher/Excellence challenge budget. HEFCE's disability allocation (£10 million in 2003–04) provides additional funding to universities to support recruitment and retention of disabled students.

Plans for expenditure after 2005–06 will be determined during the next spending review.

£ million
1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–051 2005–061
Excellence Challenge/higher — — — 50 69.5 100 — —
Partnerships for Progression — — — — — 20 — —
The new Aimhigher — — — — — — 126 128
HEFCE's Regional projects 1.5 5 5 5 5 — — —
Total non-student support 1.5 5 5 55 74.5 120 126 128

Paul Farrelly

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what models of higher education funding his Department has assessed based on increases to(a) basic rate income tax, (b) basic rate national insurance payable by individuals and businesses, (c) income tax paid by higher rate taxpayers only and (d) national insurance payable by individuals and businesses in respect of higher rate taxpayers only. [139163]

Alan Johnson

I refer my hon. Friend to the two letters to my hon. Friend from my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, dated 11 April 2003 and 3 June 2003. Copies of both letters are in the House Library. I also refer my hon. Friend to the Government response to the Education and Skills Select Committee's report on the Higher Education White paper, published on 28 July, and to a letter to my hon. Friend from my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, dated 12 November 2003.