§ Mr. BestTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the cost of abolishing tuition and top-up fees in 2003–04 would be; and what the cost of administering the eligibility assessment for loans and fees is. [127296]
§ Alan JohnsonEnglish HE institutions' income from the standard fee of £1,125 is estimated at £847 million for 2003/04, comprising £431 million in private contributions and £416 million in public contributions through the fee remission grant. English HE institutions will not start to receive income from variable fees until 2006/07. Data on the cost to local education authorities of administering the eligibility assessments for loans and fees is not separately identified in the information collected by the Department on LEA spending.