HL Deb 27 October 2004 vol 665 cc130-1WA
Lord Howie of Troon

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether they have any proposals to increase public expenditure on tertiary education as a percentage of gross domestic product from the figure of 0.7 to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development mean of 1.0. [HL4548]

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Education and Skills (Lord Filkin)

The 2004 Spending Review settlement means that significant additional public resources will be available for tertiary education. There will also be the additional funding from variable fees, which will be publicly funded until such time as students complete their courses and are earning above the repayment threshold. It is not clear at this stage what difference the extra funding will make to the overall percentage of gross domestic product spent on tertiary education.