Oral Answers to Questions Debate

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Department: Department for Education

Oral Answers to Questions

Diana Johnson Excerpts
Thursday 31st March 2011

(13 years, 1 month ago)

Commons Chamber
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Vince Cable Portrait Vince Cable
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There is a long-term plan for science funding. The hon. Lady obviously has not followed the comments that were made by the Royal Society and many others in the science community welcoming the flat-cash settlement and the ring-fencing of the science budget.

Diana Johnson Portrait Diana Johnson (Kingston upon Hull North) (Lab)
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15. How many universities he expects to charge less than £7,500 in tuition fees from 2012.

Vince Cable Portrait The Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills (Vince Cable)
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No university wishing to charge over £6,000 yet knows for certain how much it will charge, since no university has yet signed an access agreement with the Office for Fair Access. We expect there to be a wide range of charges, and those institutions discussing higher charge levels all look set to include substantial waivers for students from poorer backgrounds.

Diana Johnson Portrait Diana Johnson
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Hull university is reported to be planning to charge up to the £9,000 limit. Combined with this week’s announcement about the slashing by two thirds of the education maintenance allowance support to students, how will this help to attract more students from areas such as Hull to university, bearing in mind the excellent progress that was made under the Labour Government?

Vince Cable Portrait Vince Cable
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As the hon. Lady knows, and as we have discussed many times in this Chamber, the introduction of graduate contributions at the level we have will ensure that universities are indeed properly funded and maintain funding at world-class levels.