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<p>My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education and hon. Friend, the
Minister of State for Universities, have regular meetings with Welsh ministers, and
ministers from all of the devolved administrations, about higher education issues.
These discussions have included the development of student number controls policy.
The department’s officials also have regular meetings and discussions with their counterparts.</p><p>
</p><p>Student number controls are a direct response to the COVID-19 outbreak. They
are designed to minimise the impact of the financial threat to higher education institutions
that is posed by the COVID-19 outbreak. They also form a key part of the package of
measures to stabilise the higher education admissions system.</p><p> </p><p>These
controls are a temporary measure and will be in place for one academic year only.
Student number controls for higher education institutions in the devolved administrations
only apply to the number of English-domiciled entrants who will be supported with
their tuition fees through the Student Loans Company, and these controls are set at
a level which will allow every institution to take more first year English students
than they took last year. The funding of English-domiciled students is not a devolved
matter, and it is right and fair that this policy should apply as consistently as
possible wherever they are studying in the UK.</p><p> </p><p>Ministers will continue
to work closely with the devolved administrations on strengthening and stabilising
the higher education system following the COVID-19 outbreak.</p>
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