What feedback it has had on the effectiveness of the separation of the Access Fund into four discrete areas.

Since 1990, Access Funds, now known as Hardship Funds, have been allocated to institutions on the basis of the number of students enrolled on further education, higher education and postgraduate courses. The further education allocation is now administered by the Scottish Further Education Funding Council. The funds for higher education students are provided by SAAS. Institutions are no longer allowed to transfer money between their sectoral allocations, to ensure that the Executive's relative priority for support of students in higher and further education is reflected in the actual distribution to students. In addition, from this year, the Mature Students Bursary Fund (MSBF) has been introduced for full-time higher education students. MSBF is separate from Hardship Funds and is targeted, in particular, at students with childcare costs.We have received representations from some institutions seeking greater flexibility in the use of the funds. We are currently considering whether some flexibility should be introduced between MSBF and Hardship Funds for higher educarion students during the period MSBF is being phased in. I have also, in my letter of policy guidance, asked the Scottish Further Education Funding Council this week to consider how the further education student support system might be simplified, to ease administrative burdens, and improved so funds are better targeted to achieve our principal policy objectives of focusing on students in greatest need and aligning as far as appropriate and possible the student support arrangements in further education and higher education.