§ The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Department for Education and Skills (Baroness Ashton of Upholland)My right honourable friend the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (Mr Charles Clarke) has made the following Written Ministerial Statement.
In my statement to the House on 8 January I set out measures to improve the student support arrangements that would operate alongside the introduction of variable tuition fees in higher education from autumn 2006. I said we would establish an independent review, working with the Office for Fair Access, to report to the House, on all aspects of the new arrangements based on the first three years' operation of the policy. I can now give more details on the draft remit of the review. During the passage of the Bill I would welcome comments and suggestions for amendments to this remit.
The review, which will be conducted by a commission, will work on the basis of evidence from the first three years' operation of the variable fee arrangements. It will report to Parliament and will cover three main areas.
The impact of the new arrangements on higher education institutions (HEIs):
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- Charging policies, and how far HEIs have varied their fees.
- The additional income HEIs have raised and how they have used it.
- The provision of bursaries and other financial support.
- Any effect on the range, mix and take-up of subjects and qualifications offered, including any effect on foundation degrees, courses lasting longer than three years and the regional composition of HEI provision.
- A financial assessment of the relative impact on different parts of the higher education sector, and an analysis of future funding pressures.
The impact of the new arrangements on students and prospective students:
- Overall level of application and participation in higher education.
- Student support arrangements, including those for those from the poorest backgrounds as well as those above the threshold for government support.
- Choice of institution and course, mode of study (full time/part time)
- Quality of teaching received, attainment, and likelihood of completing a course.
- Levels of debt; students' assessment of the value of HE, and rates of return from gaining a degree.
- Patterns in subsequent employment— particularly recruitment to the public services— or decisions to go on to further study.
- Any differential effect on particular groups; for example, lower socioeconomic groups; men and women; different ethnic groups; people with disabilities; people from different regions.
Future policy:
- Whether any improvements should be made to the graduate contribution scheme and the upper limit for tuition fees.
- What changes should be made to the arrangements for student support in order to ensure that students from the poorest family backgrounds on the most expensive courses receive support at a level equivalent to the maximum level of fees.
- I would expect the commission to work with the Office for Fair Access, as well as seeking views from a range of other interests. The Government will consider any report before submitting any recommendation to the House on raising the upper limit of the tuition fee.
- Work to establish baseline data for the review will begin in the 2004–05 academic year.