Queens Speech: Top-Up Fees a Disaster for Univerities and Students

12.00.00am UTC (GMT +0000) Wed 26th Nov 2003

Commenting on today's Queen's Speech, announcing the Government's programme for the forthcoming Session of Parliament, David Rendel MP said:

"The Government's plans to introduce university top-up fees would be a disaster for students and universities.

"Student debt is expected to rise above £30,000 by 2010, putting many people off the idea of going to university in the first place. In fact, graduates earning less than £35,000 will be paying a marginal rate of 42% of their income in tax in order to pay off their debt - more than we charge millionaires!

"Meanwhile universities will not be getting the extra money that they need, and the Government will be imposing yet more bureaucracy on already hard-pressed university teachers.

"I and my Liberal Democrat colleagues will strongly oppose this Bill."