Part-Time Education: Finance

Stephen Williams
To ask the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills if he will estimate the cost to the public purse of making the support available to part-time 19 to 25-year-olds enrolled on their first full level 3 course equivalent to that of full-time, home-based, first degree undergraduates in respect of (a) grants, (b) maintenance loans and (c) fee loans; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell
Our internal modelling estimates for extending the Level 3 entitlement to adults aged 25-29 is around £20 million over the CSR period (i.e. from 2008/09 to 2010/11) in respect of tuition fees. Our estimate of extending it to adults aged 25-34 is around £40 million over the same period. This is probably near the bottom end of likely costs: were participation to increase as a result of the entitlement, costs could be much greater.

We currently have no plans to extend the Level 3 entitlement beyond its current age-range of 19-24.