News story

17th July 2003

MP Challenges Minister Over Top-Up Fees

Steve Webb with Northavon students at Westminster

To read a full transcript of the debate, click here.

Northavon MP Steve Webb this week used a Westminster debate which he had initiated to challenge the Government over its plans to introduce “top-up” tuition fees for university courses. In his speech the MP drew heavily on the views of Northavon residents which had been expressed to him in a massive consultation by e-mail, text message and letter.

The balance of opinion locally was 4 to 1 against top-up fees and the MP reflected these
concerns in his contribution. As the issue of top-up fees had already been debated recently in the House of Commons, Steve Webb drew particular attention to issues that his constituents were concerned about that had not had much emphasis in previous debates.

He highlighted the particular effect of top-up fees on women who on average would earn lower salaries after graduation and who would be more likely to take a career break to bring up children. He pointed out that in these circumstances it could easily take over 20 years for a woman graduate to pay off even an average level of student debt, and that this might discourage many young women from applying to university in the first place. The MP also highlighted the opposition of local people to the proposed “access regulator”, a new body designed to check that universities were recruiting students from a broad range of social backgrounds.

A number of other MPs took part in the debate, including the chairman of the Education Select Committee, Barry Sheerman MP, and all praised the Northavon MP for his innovative methods of consulting local people for their views. Steve Webb was described in the debate by one Labour MP as “the sort of MP who gives the Liberal Democrats a good name”.

Responding for the Government, minister Alan Johnson defended the policy of top-up fees but admitted that the effects on women were something that the Government could perhaps look at more carefully. He also praised Steve Webb for the way in which he had brought forward the debate and for the novel approach to consulting local people.

Speaking after the debate, Steve Webb said:

“This was a worthwhile opportunity to keep up the pressure on the Government over their plans for top-up fees which will leave graduates with massive debts. I am particularly grateful to the many hundreds of local residents who took the trouble to let me have their views. This gave me some important insights into the issue that had not occurred to me before and helped me to make the case in Parliament far more
effectively”.