Results 1-11 of 11 for ("top up" fees) speaker:Charles Clarke

Budget Resolutions and Economic Situation (18 Mar 2004)

Mr Charles Clarke: ...There has been a to and fro on the serious questions about passporting. On 22 February, the shadow Chancellor stated that the money could be used for "cheap private schools" and that parents could top it up. On 6 March, the Conservative party website confirmed his statement on passporting. On 7 March, it said that the statement on 6 March was an error and that parents could not make up...

Higher Education (Student Support) (8 Jan 2004)

Mr Charles Clarke: ...manifesto was for a Parliament. It is for a Parliament. That is what will be carried through. On the so-called triple whammy, it was almost a triple whammy in the foot, if I may say so, covering up a serious absence of policy on the part of the Opposition. The hon. Gentleman claimed that our policy was bad for students. It is not. It is good for students. Getting rid of up-front fees will...

Public Services, Health and Education (3 Dec 2003)

Mr Charles Clarke: .... Their policies completely ignore current funding problems and deny the existence of a problem. Even more amazingly, they want to remove even the existing money from universities. They want to abolish fees altogether, immediately robbing the sector of up to £430 million. The direct effect of that reduction is that the sector would shrink by, we estimate, about 100,000 places....

Public Services, Health and Education (3 Dec 2003)

Mr Charles Clarke: The difference is clear. As the Prime Minister said, our manifesto position was, in effect, that we would not introduce top-up fees before the next general election. That is what we said, and that is the position. Before top-up fees are introduced, the people will have the chance to vote on the hon. Gentleman's proposals, my proposals and Conservative proposals.

Higher Education (22 Jan 2003)

Mr Charles Clarke: I appreciate the hon. Gentleman referring to the fact that we are trying to reconcile competing priorities. I also appreciate his support for the need to re-engineer higher education and to focus quality research, and I am grateful for what he said about other aspects of further education. I appreciate his considered response. I have discussed with my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State...

Higher Education (22 Jan 2003)

Mr Charles Clarke: ...regulator based in HEFCE to ensure that none can do so. There will be a sanction: if a university does not sort out its access and admissions policy, it will not be allowed to charge a higher fee. That will be an incentive, and it is a potential benefit of the top-up fee regime.

Higher Education (22 Jan 2003)

Mr Charles Clarke: ...£1,000 maintenance grants in 2004 and they will run through the whole period. The money will still be there for whatever system we use, but we are ready to consider for 2006 onwards, when the top-up fees come in, the possibility of using that money to pay for the top-up fee component. There is a real debate about the best way of using that resource to target students from the poorest...

Oral Answers to Questions — Education and Skills: Top-up Fees (28 Nov 2002)

Mr Charles Clarke: ...We must sort out the question of what the precise funding is, and it is important that individuals who pass through higher education make a contribution. The various arguments about a graduate tax, top-up fees, or whatever are very important. I share his concern that any system that we introduce should not have any intended or unintended consequences in terms of reducing access, as my hon....

Oral Answers to Questions — Education and Skills: Top-up Fees (28 Nov 2002)

Mr Charles Clarke: ...of XMr. Tony's Office", whoever he may be, and me. Mr. Adonis is slightly misrepresented in my hon. Friend's question. Neither my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister nor his staff are wedded to top-up fees. They want to solve the problem that my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister and my hon. Friend the Member for Selby (Mr. Grogan) identified—of raising money so that world-class,...

Education, Culture, Media and Sport (15 Nov 2002)

Mr Charles Clarke: ...the hon. Gentleman's allegation is such nonsense. My very good friend who represents Tyneside, North and I have had many conversations over the years, but never once have we discussed university top-up fees. Perhaps we should have, but we have not. My right hon. Friend argues his own policies in his own speeches in his own way and from own his point of view, in what I hope is a national...

Education, Culture, Media and Sport (15 Nov 2002)

Mr Charles Clarke: ...We need, and my hon. Friend's document will offer, a proper discussion of possible approaches to the problem. We made manifesto commitments to XStrengthen research and teaching excellence" and to XSupport world-class research and the development of public-private partnerships." That cannot be done without resource, and there is no doubt that the competitive resource situation of some of...