Clause 23 - Condition that may be requried to be imposed by English funding bodies
Higher Education Bill
9:30 am
Mr Graham Allen (Nottingham North, Labour)
My hon. Friend makes a very important point in correcting the hon. Member for Hertsmere (Mr. Clappison). She talked about low-income families, and, as she rightly pointed out, youngsters from those families are put off by the initial charges currently levied before they go to university. Will she underline the other side of the equation, which is that no rich or poor student, or rich or poor parent, will pay fees? The student will pay when they have qualified, after graduation when their income reaches a certain level. At that point, they are no longer either rich or poor; they are a graduate repaying on an income-contingent basis. That is one of the great breakthroughs in the package we are discussing.