Written Answers
Student Fees: Eec Exemption
asked Her Majesty's Government:What would be the cost of extending the Community exemption from increased student fees to states in association with the EEC; which countries would be involved in such a concession; and which of them have no universities.
Students from European Corn-'nullity countries are charged the home rate of fee. The cost of extending this concession to states in association with the European Community, on the basis of 1980–81 student numbers and fee levels and at November 1980 prices, is estimated as follows:
Mediterranean Countries In Europe With Association Agreements
| Estimated cost … | £5·7 million per annum |
| Countries involved … | Cyprus, Malta. Turkey |
Mediterranean Countries In Africa And Asia Which Have Agreements With The Community
| Estimated cost | £7·5 million per annum |
| Countries involved… | Algeria, Arab Republic of Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Syria, Tunisia |
African, Caribbean And Pacific Countries (Lomé Convention)
| Estimated cost | £31·8 million per annum |
| Countries involved … | Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Benin, Botswana, Burundi. Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Empire, Chad, Comoros, Congo, Dominica, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Fiji, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Grenada, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Ivory Coast, Jamaica, Kenya, Kiribati, |
| Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Niger, Nigeria, Papua-New Guinea, Rwanda, St. Lucia, Samoa, Sao Tome Principe, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Soloman Islands, Somalia, Sudan, Surinam, St.Vincent, Swaziland, Tanzania, Togo, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tuvalu, Uganda, Upper Volta, Western Samoa, Vanuatu, Zaire, Zambia, Zimbabwe. |
Of the countries listed above, according to the publication, The World of Learning, Cape Verde, Cyprus, Comoros, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Mauritania, Seychelles and Tuvalu have no universities or university institution.
Maternity Grants: Ante-Natal Clinics
asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they will make arrangements for the maternity grant to he paid to expectant mothers by the ante-natal clinic which diagnoses and confirms pregnancy as from the date when this grant becomes non-contributory, thus ensuring that all expectant mothers receive appropriate ante-natal care.
It is unlikely that transferring responsibility for payment of maternity grants to antenatal clinics would ensure that all expectant mothers receive the appropriate care. Under the present arrangements, expectant mothers wishing to claim the grant must obtain a certificate signed by a doctor or midwife. Moreover, the grant is not payable earlier than the eleventh week before the week of expected confinement, whereas it is our policy to encourage women to seek ante-natal care as soon as their pregnancy is confirmed.House adjourned at ten minutes before ten o'clock.