P-03-081 - Amendment to the Assembly Learning Grants and Loans Regulations: Regulations Relating to Previous Study
Petition Received: 06 November 2007
Lead Petitioner: Mr Deri Burgess
Number of Petitioners: 16
Petition Wording:
Background:Currently, the Student Support Regulations prohibit mature students who already hold an honours degree from applying for a student loan for living expenses. There is, however, and exemption from this rule for students studying for a degree which ultimately leads to qualification as a medical doctor, dentist, veterinary surgeon, architect, landscape architect, landscape designer, landscape manager, town planner or town and country planner.
No facility exists for any mature student for the provision of student loans to pay for fees.
We, the undersigned, call upon the National Assembly for Wales to extend the aforementioned exemption to include any undergraduate degree course which is a mandatory legal prerequisite for qualification and registration in a given profession. Examples of such courses include:
BSc/Op for registration as an Optometrist
MPharmacy for registration as a Pharmacist
We strongly urge the National Assembly for Wales to implement these changes as a matter of priority, retrospectively enacting these changes if permissible.
The motivation for this petition is to ensure that mature students, particularly those from less affluent backgrounds, are not excluded from admittance into professions which are not included in the current regulations, and which have no other route of registration.
In addition, we would ask that the National Assembly for Wales give due consideration to the possibility of the provision of student loans for part-payment of fees for such qualifications.
Petition Status: Closed
Petitions Committee Consideration:
6 December 2007
Link to the transcript of the meeting on 6 December 2007
10 April 2008
Link to the transcript of the meeting on 10 April 2008
22 May 2008
Link to the transcript of the meeting on 22 May 2008
2 October 2008
Link to the transcript of the meeting on 2 October 2008
27 January 2009
Link to the transcript of the meeting on 27 January 2009
31 March 2009
Link to the transcript of the meeting on 31 March 2009
5 May 2009
Link to the transcript of the meeting on 5 May 2009
7 July 2009
Link to the transcript of the meeting on 7 July 2009
27 April 2010
Link to the transcript of the meeting on 27 April 2010
13 July 2010
Link to transcript of the meeting on 13 July 2010
28 September 2010
The committee agreed to:
Revisit the petition after the publication of the Browne Review of funding for higher education
Link to transcript of the meeting on 28 September 2010
16 November 2010
The committee agreed to:
write to the Minister for Children, Education and Lifelong Learning to ask for details of the work planned in relation to student loan regulations in the absence of explicit references in the Browne review.
revisit the petitions once the Welsh Government have published their response to the Brown review
Link to transcript of the meeting on 16 November 2010
11 January 2011
The committee agreed to:
Close the petition and prepare a summary report.
