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1484334

registered interest
date	28/06/2022
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Students: Loans
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether it is his policy to increase the size of student loans in line with the rate of inflation.
tabling member constituency	Putney
tabling member printed	Fleur Anderson
uin	26873
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/07/2022 answer text <p>The department is currently reviewing options for uprating maximum grants and loans for the 2023/24 academic year.</p><p>Maximum grants and loans for living costs were increased by 3.1% this academic year, and the department has announced that they will increase by a further 2.3% in the 2022/23 academic year.</p><p>In addition, we are freezing maximum tuition fees for the 2022/23, 2023/24 and 2024/25 academic years. By the 2024/25 academic year, maximum fees will have been frozen for seven years.</p><p>The 2022/23 financial year guidance to the Office for Students (OfS) confirms universities will continue to be able to support students in hardship through the student premium. Ministers’ Strategic Priorities Grant guidance letter to the OfS asks that the OfS looks to protect the student premium in cash terms for the 2022/23 financial year.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency Chippenham answering member printed Michelle Donelan question first answered 04/07/2022 16:55:04 answering member 4530 label Biography information for Michelle Donelan
tabling member	4788 label Biography information for Fleur Anderson

1473244

registered interest
date	24/06/2022
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Universities: Greater London
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment he has made of the potential impact of removing the London weighting element of the Strategic Priorities Grant on London universities in the context of rising inflation.
tabling member constituency	Twickenham
tabling member printed	Munira Wilson
uin	24660
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/07/2022 answer text <p>The Strategic Priorities Grant (SPG) is funding supplied by the government on an annual basis to support teaching and students in higher education (HE), including expensive to deliver subjects, such as science and engineering, students at risk of discontinuing their studies, and world-leading specialist providers.</p><p>We asked the Office for Students (OfS) to reform the SPG in the 2021/22 financial year. The removal of London weighting was required to enable the reprioritisation of this funding towards the provision of high-cost subjects that support the NHS and wider healthcare policy, STEM, and specific labour market needs. The London weighting previously accounted for a small proportion of London providers’ income. For example, £64 million was allocated through the London weighting in the 2020/21 academic year SPG, which was less than 1% of London providers estimated total income.</p><p>As set out in the guidance letter from my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education to the OfS in March we are investing an additional £750 million over the next three years to support high quality teaching and facilities including in science and engineering, subjects that support the NHS, and degree apprenticeships. Further information on this guidance letter can be found here: <a href="https://www.officeforstudents.org.uk/media/bb422aae-54fb-42c8-b5db-26e7ed48df80/strategic-priorities-grant-20220331_amend.pdf" target="_blank">https://www.officeforstudents.org.uk/media/bb422aae-54fb-42c8-b5db-26e7ed48df80/strategic-priorities-grant-20220331_amend.pdf</a>. This includes the largest increase in government funding for the HE sector to support students and teaching in over a decade. The recurrent SPG budget is £1,397 million for the 2022/23 financial year, which is 5% higher than last year.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Chippenham answering member printed Michelle Donelan grouped question UIN 24661 question first answered 04/07/2022 16:31:08 answering member 4530 label Biography information for Michelle Donelan
tabling member	4776 label Biography information for Munira Wilson

1473245

registered interest
date	24/06/2022
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Higher Education: Greater London
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether his Department is taking steps to help support higher education institutions in London affected by the the removal of the London weighting element of the Strategic Priorities Grant in the context of rising inflation.
tabling member constituency	Twickenham
tabling member printed	Munira Wilson
uin	24661
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/07/2022 answer text <p>The Strategic Priorities Grant (SPG) is funding supplied by the government on an annual basis to support teaching and students in higher education (HE), including expensive to deliver subjects, such as science and engineering, students at risk of discontinuing their studies, and world-leading specialist providers.</p><p>We asked the Office for Students (OfS) to reform the SPG in the 2021/22 financial year. The removal of London weighting was required to enable the reprioritisation of this funding towards the provision of high-cost subjects that support the NHS and wider healthcare policy, STEM, and specific labour market needs. The London weighting previously accounted for a small proportion of London providers’ income. For example, £64 million was allocated through the London weighting in the 2020/21 academic year SPG, which was less than 1% of London providers estimated total income.</p><p>As set out in the guidance letter from my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education to the OfS in March we are investing an additional £750 million over the next three years to support high quality teaching and facilities including in science and engineering, subjects that support the NHS, and degree apprenticeships. Further information on this guidance letter can be found here: <a href="https://www.officeforstudents.org.uk/media/bb422aae-54fb-42c8-b5db-26e7ed48df80/strategic-priorities-grant-20220331_amend.pdf" target="_blank">https://www.officeforstudents.org.uk/media/bb422aae-54fb-42c8-b5db-26e7ed48df80/strategic-priorities-grant-20220331_amend.pdf</a>. This includes the largest increase in government funding for the HE sector to support students and teaching in over a decade. The recurrent SPG budget is £1,397 million for the 2022/23 financial year, which is 5% higher than last year.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Chippenham answering member printed Michelle Donelan grouped question UIN 24660 question first answered 04/07/2022 16:31:08 answering member 4530 label Biography information for Michelle Donelan
tabling member	4776 label Biography information for Munira Wilson

1472550

registered interest
date	22/06/2022
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Freedom of Expression: Public Appointments
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether the process of appointing the Director of Freedom of Speech and Academic Freedom will be anonymised.
tabling member constituency	Warwick and Leamington
tabling member printed	Matt Western
uin	23373
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/07/2022 answer text <p>The Director of Freedom of Speech and Academic Freedom is not a post listed in the Public Appointments Order in Council, but we have committed that the recruitment process will be done in accordance with the public appointments process.</p><p> </p><p>The Governance Code on Public Appointments does not require data to be anonymised at any stage of the appointments process. It does require the process to be open, transparent and conducted with integrity. It also requires that public appointments should reflect the diversity of the society in which we live.</p><p>The scrutiny of candidates’ CVs allows for the completion of due diligence and supports a robust process. Therefore, the process of making this appointment will not be anonymised.</p> answering member constituency Chippenham answering member printed Michelle Donelan question first answered 01/07/2022 13:39:19 answering member 4530 label Biography information for Michelle Donelan
tabling member	4617 label Biography information for Matt Western

1472554

registered interest
date	22/06/2022
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Universities: Admissions
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether his Department is taking steps to provide additional support to universities in preparation for A-Level results day in 2022.
tabling member constituency	Warwick and Leamington
tabling member printed	Matt Western
uin	23375
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/07/2022 answer text <p>I will continue to work closely with the higher education (HE) sector to support the 2022 intake of students to ensure they can go on to their next step in life following A level and T Level Results day on 18 August, whether that’s university, on-the-job training, moving into employment or continuing to study elsewhere.</p><p> </p><p>In November 2021 I wrote to Vice Chancellors to recognise the hard work and dedication that the sector has shown to students throughout the last 2 admissions cycles, and to ask that they build additional resilience into their offer making strategies for the 2022 HE admissions cycle. I have also engaged HE sector bodies through the HE Taskforce to commend them on their efforts to date and to ask that they continue to put students first through the 2022 admissions cycle.</p><p>Furthermore, the department, in collaboration with Ofqual, has actively engaged with and sought the views of the HE sector in shaping the decisions for the 2022 exam series for AS and A levels and vocational and technical qualifications. We have put a package of measures in place to ensure that students can take their exams fairly to recognise the disruption that this year’s students have faced.</p><p> </p><p>In addition, this summer Ofqual will ask exam boards to set grade boundaries in a way that avoids disadvantaging some students who might otherwise have just missed out on a higher grade. This means that overall 2022 results are very likely to be stronger than in 2019, but lower than we saw in 2021. This package of adaptations, combined with Ofqual’s approach to grading, provides unprecedented support to maximise fairness and help students reach their potential.</p> answering member constituency Chippenham answering member printed Michelle Donelan question first answered 01/07/2022 13:48:35 answering member 4530 label Biography information for Michelle Donelan
tabling member	4617 label Biography information for Matt Western

1472555

registered interest
date	22/06/2022
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Medicine: Higher Education
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether his Department plans to lift the cap on (a) medicine and (b) dentistry course places for the academic year 2022-2023.
tabling member constituency	Warwick and Leamington
tabling member printed	Matt Western
uin	23376
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/07/2022 answer text <p>It is important to carefully manage dental and medical places to ensure a sustainable pipeline of practitioners to the NHS across all regions of the UK. The department will continue to monitor current arrangements to ensure student intakes are in line with workforce requirements. However, we have no immediate plans to increase the number of medical and dental school places.</p><p>The number of places available to study medicine and dentistry is regulated by the government and controlled through intake targets operated by the Office for Students. These places are quality assured by the General Medical Council to ensure the availability of sufficient provision of high-quality education, training and clinical placements and therefore have all been allocated for this coming academic year.</p><p>The department funded an additional 1,500 undergraduate medical school places each year for domestic students in England, a 25% increase over three years. This expansion was completed in September 2020 and has delivered five new medical schools in England. In addition, we temporarily lifted the cap on medical and dental school places for students who completed A levels in 2020 and 2021, and who had an offer from a university in England to study medicine or dentistry, subject to their grades.</p><p>The department is working with the British Dental Association to reform the NHS dental contract to make it more attractive to the profession. Health Education England set out a range of recommendations in their Advancing Dental Care Review, which will improve recruitment and retention of dentists and other professionals. Action is being taken to implement these through their Dental Education Reform Programme. We are also working to allow greater flexibility to expand on the registration options open to international dentistry applicants.</p><p>My hon. Friend, the Minister for Health and I have made clear to all medicine and dental schools, through joint letters sent in October and March, that there is no room for flexibility this year, and it is the department’s firm expectation that all schools will only recruit up to the maximum number of students as set in the Office for Students’ intake targets. Students recruited above these numbers would need to be fully funded by the institutions and relevant clinical placements secured without department support.</p> answering member constituency Chippenham answering member printed Michelle Donelan question first answered 01/07/2022 13:47:43 answering member 4530 label Biography information for Michelle Donelan
tabling member	4617 label Biography information for Matt Western

1472557

registered interest
date	22/06/2022
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Electronic Publishing: Competition
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will instruct the Competition and Markets Authority to conduct a market review of the academic e-book market.
tabling member constituency	Warwick and Leamington
tabling member printed	Matt Western
uin	23378
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/07/2022 answer text <p>The department is aware of the concerns about pricing and licensing of e-books, which are at the heart of the campaign led by a group of UK-based academic librarians seeking an investigation into the academic publishing industry by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA).</p><p> </p><p>There are different views across the publishing and higher education (HE) sectors, as these concerns engage wide-ranging issues, including consumer protection.</p><p> </p><p>I will be hosting a discussion shortly with representatives of the publishing sector, government and HE bodies, including the body for university libraries. Any moves to request a market study or challenge practice on confidentiality agreements will be decided after this discussion.</p><p> </p><p>While it is possible for my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education to ask the CMA to look into issues in markets, the CMA is independent of government and makes its own decisions about its work according to published prioritisation principles. Under statute, it is the CMA Board who decides whether to publish a market study notice, and thereby launch a market study.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Chippenham answering member printed Michelle Donelan grouped question UIN 23379 question first answered 01/07/2022 13:38:32 answering member 4530 label Biography information for Michelle Donelan
tabling member	4617 label Biography information for Matt Western

1472558

registered interest
date	22/06/2022
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Electronic Publishing: Disclosure of Information
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether he is taking steps to regulate the use of non-disclosure agreements concerning the pricing and licensing arrangements of academic e-book agreements between universities and providers.
tabling member constituency	Warwick and Leamington
tabling member printed	Matt Western
uin	23379
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/07/2022 answer text <p>The department is aware of the concerns about pricing and licensing of e-books, which are at the heart of the campaign led by a group of UK-based academic librarians seeking an investigation into the academic publishing industry by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA).</p><p> </p><p>There are different views across the publishing and higher education (HE) sectors, as these concerns engage wide-ranging issues, including consumer protection.</p><p> </p><p>I will be hosting a discussion shortly with representatives of the publishing sector, government and HE bodies, including the body for university libraries. Any moves to request a market study or challenge practice on confidentiality agreements will be decided after this discussion.</p><p> </p><p>While it is possible for my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education to ask the CMA to look into issues in markets, the CMA is independent of government and makes its own decisions about its work according to published prioritisation principles. Under statute, it is the CMA Board who decides whether to publish a market study notice, and thereby launch a market study.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Chippenham answering member printed Michelle Donelan grouped question UIN 23378 question first answered 01/07/2022 13:38:32 answering member 4530 label Biography information for Michelle Donelan
tabling member	4617 label Biography information for Matt Western

1472559

registered interest
date	22/06/2022
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	University of Gibraltar: British Students Abroad
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to ensure English students wishing to attend the University of Gibraltar are able to apply for funding under Student Finance England.
tabling member constituency	Warwick and Leamington
tabling member printed	Matt Western
uin	23380
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/07/2022 answer text <p>The department is exploring options to finance English students to study in Gibraltar, whilst ensuring that these students receive an education and benefit from safeguards broadly comparable with those in England.</p> answering member constituency Chippenham answering member printed Michelle Donelan question first answered 01/07/2022 13:40:34 answering member 4530 label Biography information for Michelle Donelan
tabling member	4617 label Biography information for Matt Western

1471999

registered interest
date	21/06/2022
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Overseas Students: Refugees
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to help support Ukrainian refugees who started a university course in Ukraine to complete their studies in the UK.
tabling member constituency	York Central
tabling member printed	Rachael Maskell
uin	22473
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/07/2022 answer text <p>The department is continuing to work closely with the education sector and across government to ensure that students are supported and have a range of options available to them during this difficult time.</p><p>We know that universities in Ukraine are striving to maintain the education of their students under extremely challenging conditions. We are therefore encouraging them to contact their education provider in Ukraine, to understand what support is available to them to study remotely. This may be particularly beneficial to students nearing the end of their course.</p><p>Students may also wish to explore their options with higher education (HE) providers in England. The department encourages them to engage in conversations with their preferred provider to understand the full range of options available specifically to them. I have urged institutions in England to consider students' circumstances sensitively and to show as much flexibility as possible when considering students' applications.</p><p>To support those who are granted leave under the Homes for Ukraine scheme, the Ukraine Family Scheme or the Ukraine Extension Scheme, introduced by the Home Office, we have extended access to HE student support, home fee status, tuition fee caps, advanced learner loans and 19+ funding allocations. This ensures Ukrainians who have been affected by the war in Ukraine can access support on the same basis as those within other protection-based categories, such as refugees.</p><p>The Student Loans Company will also treat students who were living in England before leaving to study in Ukraine, and who join a course on return to the UK, as being temporary absent when assessing the requirement for three years’ ordinary residence in the UK or Crown Dependencies prior to study. Students should contact Student Finance England, or other relevant funding bodies if individuals lived in one of the devolved administrations prior to study in Ukraine, for further details.</p><p>Additionally, the department is working closely with the Ukrainian Government and UK HE Sector to help facilitate Ukrainian HE entrance exams this summer for students from Ukraine.</p><p>The Office for Students has been delivering up to £4million of additional support to students from Ukraine whose financial means have been impacted by events in Ukraine.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Chippenham answering member printed Michelle Donelan question first answered 04/07/2022 11:30:36 answering member 4530 label Biography information for Michelle Donelan
tabling member	4471 label Biography information for Rachael Maskell