School Fees: VAT
Debate between Lord Aberdare and Lord Livermore(2 months, 2 weeks ago)
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Lord Livermore (Lab)
I do not accept that in any way, shape or form. The whole point is that you should have access to high-quality education whether or not you have the money in the first place.
Lord Aberdare (CB)
My Lords, further to the question from my noble friend Lady Bull, the Government’s dance and drama award scheme enables a small number of specialist providers to offer higher-level qualifications, at levels 5 and 6, to some of the country’s most talented performing arts students, many of whom might otherwise be unable to access such training. What reassurance can the Minister give that these providers will not be affected by the proposed VAT imposition, which might force some of them to swithdraw completely from the scheme? What progress has been made in the discussions on this issue, including with the Treasury, mentioned by the noble Baroness, Lady Smith of Malvern, in the debate on 5 September?
Lord Livermore (Lab)
As I said earlier, we will monitor closely any impact of these policies on the scheme mentioned by the noble Lord. The right time to consider changes to the scheme is at the forthcoming spending review.