HL Deb 16 September 2004 vol 664 c205WA
Lord McColl of Dulwich

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What proportion of medical and dental students admitted to medical schools in the United Kingdom have physical disabilities. [HL4185]

Lord Filkin

The available information from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) shows that in 2002–03, 0.4 per cent of UK-domiciled undergraduate entrants to all courses in medicine and dentistry at UK HE institutions said that they had a physical disability.

Lord McColl of Dulwich

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What system is in place to monitor whether medical and dental schools are complying with current disability equality legislation in their admissions procedures. [HL4186]

Lord Filkin

Universities are autonomous bodies and they are responsible for monitoring their own compliance with legislation. Professor Steven Schwartz published his working group's report on fair admissions on 14 September. It recommended that all higher education institutions should adopt five key principles for fair admissions, one of those being that a fair admissions system should seek to minimise barriers for applicants. This includes those with disabilities.

The Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) expects institutions to include details of how they are developing provision for disabled students in their annual monitoring statements (returned to the Council in July each year). HEFCE also provides funding and sources of advice for institutions seeking guidance in implementing legislation and best practice.