To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills how many publicly-funded places for first-time undergraduates there were in (a) 2007-08 and (b) 2008-09; and how many there are expected to be in 2009-10. (268642)

In 2007-08 there were 1,143,000 HEFCE-funded student places (in full-time equivalent terms). The mix of students between undergraduate and postgraduate courses is an institutional decision. In 2007-08 around 990,000 of the 1,143,000 places were undergraduate. We do not have information on how many of these were first-time undergraduates.

2007-08 are the latest data we have on HEFCE-funded student numbers. DIUS funded an additional 20,000 places for core students in 2008-09, and a further 10,000 in 2009-10. Further information can be found in the 2009 HEFCE Grant Letter. We will not receive outturn data on the 2008-09 student population until early 2010.