I propose to take Questions Nos. 82 and 91, together.
The practice of recent years, regarding income criteria, has been to increase the reckonable income limits, for the purpose of the grants schemes, in line with changes in the average industrial wage and to increase third level maintenance grants at least in line with inflation.
I announced late last year that I was setting up a special project team to carry out a comprehensive review of every aspect of the maintenance grants and other student supports to ensure their relevance to the needs of present-day third level students.
This review, which is currently being carried out, is a wide-ranging review covering many topics. These include the level of grants, the methods by which they are paid, eligibility and income limits, accommodation needs, student support services, the most suitable paying agency, the provision of an appeals system, and student loans and taxation.
Some of these topics are, by nature, complex and require detailed research. For example, costings of the effect of changes in the income limits below which applicants become eligible for a grant have been commissioned and carried out for the special review. However, I expect the review will be completed in the near future.
The number of third level grantholders in 1999-2000 was 45,534, which compares favourably with the total in 1995-96, which was 45,460. The cost of the four maintenance grant schemes in 2000 was £90.4 million, inclusive of fees paid under the higher education grants scheme and the VEC scholarships scheme. The estimated cost of the schemes for 2001 is £96.4 million.
In considering the proportion of third level students receiving assistance from my Department, regard must be had both to the significant increase in the total numbers attending third level institutions and to the free tuition fees initiative, which was introduced in 1995-96. In 2000, expenditure on all student support, including free fees, amounted to just under £250 million. The equivalent cost for 2001 is likely to be in the order of £260 million.
Any proposals for increasing expenditure under the maintenance grants schemes will take into account available resources and competing priorities within the education sector. Issues relating to the implementation of the project team's recommendations will, accordingly, be addressed when its report has been completed.
