Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, how many people were (a) in receipt of the Disabled Students' Allowance (DSA) in 2015-16 and (b) affected by proposed changes to the DSA by constituent region of the UK.

Student support for Higher Education in the UK is a devolved issue.

Statistics showing the number of English applicants awarded Disabled Students’ Allowances (DSAs) are published annually by the Student Loans Company (SLC) in the Statistical First Release ‘Student Support for Higher Education in England’.

http://www.slc.co.uk/official-statistics/financial-support-awarded/england-higher-education.aspx

We are only partway through the academic year 2015/16 and so published figures only provide an early indication of DSA support for the whole academic year.

The changes being introduced in 2016/17 will apply to all students applying for DSAs for the first time from the 2016/17 academic year, and are intended to ensure that Higher Education Institutions are meeting their responsibilities to disabled students under the Equalities Act.