§ Mr. Jon Owen JonesTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales whether, under the provisions of the Higher Education Bill, English universities will be able to charge top-up fees to students resident in Wales; and what assessment he has made of the funding shortfall if such fees are not charged. [150116]
§ Mr. TouhigSubject to their having an access agreement with the Office for Fair Access English HEIs will be able to charge variable fees. Welsh domiciled students will be charged a variable fee on the same basis as English domiciled students.
§ Mr. Jon Owen JonesTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales whether, under the provisions of the Higher Education Bill, Welsh universities will be able to charge top-up fees to students resident in(a) England and (b) Scotland; and what assessment he has made of the funding shortfall if such fees are not charged. [150117]
§ Mr TouhigThe provisions of the Higher Education Bill transfer to the Assembly responsibility for student support for students resident in Wales and HE tuition fee levels.
The Assembly Education and Lifelong Learning Minister has given a commitment that variable fees would not be introduced in Wales during the lifetime of the second Assembly. This means no student from England or Scotland entering a Welsh Higher Education Institution in academic year 2006–07 will be charged a variable fee, for the duration of his or her course. Funding of Higher Education Institutions in Wales is a matter for the Assembly.
§ Mr. Jon Owen JonesTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales whether, under the provisions of the Higher Education Bill, students resident in England will have to pay up-front fees if attending a Welsh university; whether they will be entitled to claim bursaries while attending a Welsh university; and what assessment has been made of funding methods for such bursaries. [150118]
§ Mr. TouhigFee deferment is an integral part of the new package of student support for which the HE Bill provides. English domiciled students studying in Wales will be eligible for loans for fees from the Department for Education and Skills on the same basis as a English domiciles studying in England.
Bursary provision by English HEIs will be directly connected with the terms of access plans with the Director of Fair Access which permit them to charge variable fees. The Welsh Assembly has said that it will not introduce variable fees during the lifetime of the second Assembly, therefore Welsh Higher Education Institutions will not need to provide access bursaries on similar terms to those being provided in England.
§ Mr. Jon Owen JonesTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales whether, under the provisions of the Higher Education Bill, students resident in Wales will have to pay upfront fees if attending an English university; whether they will be entitled to claim bursaries while attending English universities; and what assessment he has made of funding methods for such bursaries. [150119]
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§ Mr. TouhigThe Assembly has given a commitment that should tuition fee and student support powers be transferred from 2006, Welsh domiciled students studying in England will be eligible for a loan for fees and therefore will not have to pay upfront fees. It will be for English institutions to set out the details of their own bursary schemes, but we would expect these to be equally available to Welsh students.
§ Mr. Jon Owen JonesTo ask the Secretary of State for Wales what the estimated cost is of compensating universities in Wales for lost revenue if top-up fees are not charged. [150120]
§ Mr. TouhigThe Higher Education Bill will transfer to the Assembly the responsibility for student support for students resident in Wales and Higher Education tuition fee level.
The Assembly has given a commitment that Higher Education Institutions in Wales will not be disadvantaged by not being allowed to charge variable fees in 2006–07. The Assembly will meet the costs of this commitment.