NUS is a leading campaigning organisation and, as such, we spend time lobbying MPs and keeping an eye on what’s going on in Westminster, Holyrood, the Assembly and Stormont.
Questions asked in parliament 16 March
Willets - Student wastage (higher education)
Mon, 16 March 2009 | House of Commons - Written Answer
Mr. Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what information his Department collects on (a) university completion rates and (b) reasons for non-completion of university courses. [264152]
Mr. Lammy: The latest information from the performance indicators in higher education shows that the percentage of UK domiciled full-time first degree starters at English higher education institutions, who were expected to neither gain an award nor transfer to another institution, was 13.9 per cent. in the 2005/06 academic year. Figures for 2006/07 will be available in June.
We are maintaining very good completion rates for first degrees with the latest statistics from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development showing that the UK ranks third of the 27 countries reporting data in this area. This has been achieved and maintained during a period when higher education has been opened up to both increased numbers and a greater diversity of students.
The full answer to this question, along with the latest available information on reasons for leaving higher education courses can be found on the Hansard website.
Kumar - Higher education (research funding)
Dr. Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how much research funding his Department will provide to university science and technology departments in the next four years. [262916]
Mr. Lammy: The Department provides research funding to universities through the Science and Research Budget and also, for English universities, through the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE).
The CSR07 allocations for the Science and Research Budget are: £3,554 million in 2008-09; £3,715 million in 2009-10; and £3,970 million in 2010-11. Most of this budget is allocated to the research councils which they use to fund research at universities and other research institutes.
Additionally HEFCE provides QR research funding to English universities. The CSR07 allocations are: £1,444 million in 2008-09; £1,509 million in 2009-10; and £1,634 million in 2010-11. HEFCE also provides capital grants to universities to ensure the maintenance of world class research facilities. The allocations are: £291 million in 2008-09; £366 million in 2009-10; and £167 million in 2010-11. The 2010-11 figures are indicative and will be finalised in early 2010.
Willetts - Higher Education Funding Council classification
Mr. Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills which universities have been classified by the Higher Education Funding Council for England as at risk in each of the last 10 years, broken down by level of risk. [259144]
Mr. Lammy: The Higher Education Funding Council is under a legal duty to consider the financial health of those institutions it funds. The Council's board periodically receives papers on the small number of institutions which are considered to be 'at risk'. Following discussion with the Information Commissioner those papers are published after a suitable interval, to both protect the 16 Mar 2009 : Column 905W financial integrity of that institution and ensure the public interest is maintained. This is set as a minimum period of three years. Data on those institutions at risk extracted from the board's papers are now publicly available and the tables have been placed in the House Libraries.
Williams, S - Student loans (repayments)
Stephen Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many live accounts are held by the Student Loans Company in relation to which no repayment is currently being received, broken down by reason for the lack of repayment. [261916]
Mr. Lammy: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the then Minister of State for Lifelong Learning, Further and Higher Education on 10 September 2008, Official Report, columns 1939-41W. The response remains the same because the information published on 10 September 2008, Official Report, column 1938W is based on the Statistical First Release which remains the latest published information available.
It is not currently possible to disclose information for the period after 31 March 2008 because, following National Statistics protocol, the statistics for the period ended 31 March 2009 will be embargoed until their publication in the Statistical First Release due in June/July 2009.
Williams, S - Higher education (admissions)
Stephen Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many and what proportion of young people from each local authority began an undergraduate course at a higher education institution in (a) 1997-98 and (b) 2007-08. [264034]
Mr. Lammy: The number of young undergraduate entrants from each local authority is shown in the accompanying table.
It is not possible to calculate what proportion of young people from each local authority began an undergraduate course at a UK higher education institution in 2007/08. The Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) published "Young participation in higher education" in January 2005, which is available from the HEFCE website.
The HEFCE report shows participation rates for young people who enter higher education aged 18 or 19 disaggregated by local education authority (LEA) for the years 1997 to 2000.
At national level, the Higher Education Initial Participation Rate (HEIPR) covers English-domiciled 17 to 30-year-old first-time entrants to higher education courses, at UK higher education institutions and English, Scottish and Welsh further education colleges, who remain on their course for at least six months. The latest available figure is 39.8 per cent. in 2006/07. For young people (aged 17-20), the figure is 31.6 per cent.
Williams, S - Work Permits (Overseas Students)
Stephen Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether post-study work arrangements for international students will remain unchanged for the next academic year. [264035]
Mr. Woolas: From 31 March the UK Border Agency will no longer award points under the Tier 1 Post Study route for Postgraduate Diplomas or Postgraduate Certificates other than Postgraduate Certificates of Education. These changes were laid before Parliament on 9 March 2009 in Statement of Changes in Immigration Rules HC 314.
Mercer - Higher education (community relations)
Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what projects have been implemented as part of the Prevent strand of Project Contest to combat radicalisation in universities in England and Wales. [263169]
Mr. Lammy: We work with universities and student bodies to support universities in addressing the issues that can drive students into the hands of violent extremist groups.
Specific projects have included:
- The publication of guidance for the higher education sector focussed on promoting shared values, fostering a healthy spirit of debate to engage and challenge those that hold extremist views, breaking down segregation among different communities, supporting students who may be at risk, and ensuring that staff and students are aware of their roles in preventing violent extremism.
- A two-year student leadership pilot, run by Youth at Risk, that aims to improve student leadership skills and develop communities built on trust.
- A project run by the Institute of Community Cohesion that is gathering information on social cohesion through a series of surveys and focus groups.
- Funding for police forces so they can work with local universities to help implement the guidance mentioned above.
- Local authorities and Government offices have been tasked with involving their local education institutions within their own local Prevent implementation arrangements.
Williams, S - Students (mortgage-style loans)
Stephen Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills what amount of mortgage-style student loans taken out before 1998 is yet to be repaid. [261909]
Mr. Lammy: The total amount of mortgage-style student loans taken out before 1998 which has yet to be repaid stood, at 31 March 2008, at £962.3 million. At this date, 56 per cent. of borrowers with mortgage-style loans had fully repaid their loans. These are provisional figures which will be updated in the Statistical First Release due to be published in the summer of 2009.