To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many additional places for first-time students will be funded in 2008-09 as a result of the shift in funding away from students on courses that are equivalent or lower to qualifications they already hold. (187238)

The January 2008 Grant Letter to HEFCE set out our expectations for growth in student numbers. As a result of the 2 per cent. real terms increase in funding for HE we are making available over the next three years, and our decision to redistribute grant away from students doing second degrees or other HE qualifications at an equivalent or lower level (ELQs) in order to fund more first degree students, there is scope overall to fund significant growth. In full-time equivalent terms, we expect a growth in core-fundable students of 20,000 in 2008-09 (on a full-time equivalent basis) either entering higher education for the first time or progressing to higher degrees of which some 5,000 are attributable to our decision to redistribute funding which would otherwise have funded ELQ students.