PARLIAMENTARY WRITTEN QUESTION
Midwives: Students (4 February 2022)

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many student midwives were in receipt of a bursary in the most recent two academic years for which figures are available; what the average bursary paid to a student midwife was in each of those years; and what the total cost of those bursaries was to his Department in each year.

Asked by:
Taiwo Owatemi (Labour)

2016/17 was the final year that students starting undergraduate midwifery courses were eligible for funding under the NHS Bursary system. A small number of these students are still finishing their course and eligible for Bursary payments. These are typically students who had to pause their studies for personal reasons.

NHS BSA Bursary Payments (2020-2021).
2020/21 academic year	2021/22 academic year
Total bursary paid out to midwives	£354,884	£25,932
Midwives in receipt of bursary	113	16
Average bursary paid out per midwife student	£3,141	£1,621

Source: NHS Business Services Authority Data

The average paid out in the 2021/22 academic year will increase because we are only part way through the academic year and eligible students will continue to receive payments as the year progresses.

Answered by:
Edward Argar (Conservative)
14 February 2022