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1202270

registered interest
date	10/06/2020
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Universities: Coronavirus
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that universities have adequate short-term liquidity during the covid-19 pandemic; and whether he plans to allocate additional funding to that sector.
tabling member constituency	Rutland and Melton
tabling member printed	Alicia Kearns
uin	58104
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/06/2020 answer text <p>The government recognises that the COVID-19 outbreak is bringing significant financial challenges to the higher education (HE) sector, and we have been working closely with the sector to monitor the likely impacts including on short-term liquidity.</p><p>On 4 May 2020, my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, announced a package of measures to ensure sustainability in HE at a time of unprecedented uncertainty.</p><p>We have stabilised the admissions system and will pull forward tuition fee payments, expected to be worth £2.6 billion, for providers so that they receive more cash in the first term of the 2020/21 academic year. This will have no impact on students but will allow providers to better manage financial risks over the autumn. This will be available to all providers across the UK. In reprofiling these payments, we are clear in our expectation that providers should use the cashflow benefits appropriately, taking significant steps to improve efficiencies and manage their finances in order to avoid cashflow problems in the future. Reprofiling in this way is a one-off intervention for the autumn term only, to help providers take all necessary steps now to prepare for the future.</p><p>In England, we will also be bringing forward £100 million of quality-related research funding for providers to the current academic year to help to address some of the immediate pressures faced by university research activities.</p><p>The department will consider purchasing land and buildings where they can be used for new or expanding schools and colleges in England. This will take place as part of existing programmes and using established procedures. This financial year (across purchases from all suitable vendors, including but not limited to HE providers), we have budgeted up to £100 million to acquire sites for planned projects in England. Details are available on GOV.UK at: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-support-package-for-universities-and-students" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/news/government-support-package-for-universities-and-students</a>.</p><p>The government has also confirmed that providers are eligible to apply for its support packages, including business loan support schemes. The Office for Students (OfS), the regulator in England, estimates that this could be worth at least £700 million to the sector. We will only intervene further where we believe there is a case to do so and where we believe intervention is possible and appropriate and as a last resort.</p><p>In such instances, we will work with providers to review their circumstances and assess the need for restructuring and any attached conditions. The department will be working with HM Treasury and other government departments to develop this restructuring regime, as well as with the devolved administrations.</p> answering member constituency Chippenham answering member printed Michelle Donelan question first answered 16/06/2020 16:06:05 answering member 4530 label Biography information for Michelle Donelan
tabling member	4805 label Biography information for Alicia Kearns

1201811

registered interest
date	09/06/2020
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Students: Coronavirus
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether his Department has plans to reimburse students that have paid deposits on (a) private and (b) university housing for the 2020-21 academic year and whose education may be disrupted as a result of the covid-19 outbreak.
tabling member constituency	Wolverhampton South West
tabling member printed	Stuart Anderson
uin	57372
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/06/2020 answer text <p>As both my right hon. Friends, the Prime Minister and Chancellor of the Exchequer have made clear, the government will do whatever it takes to support people affected by COVID-19.</p><p>The government encourages universities and private hall providers to be fair in their decisions about accommodation charges for this period.</p><p> </p><p>Information published by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) gives guidance (<a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cma-to-investigate-concerns-about-cancellation-policies-during-the-coronavirus-covid-19-pandemic/the-coronavirus-covid-19-pandemic-consumer-contracts-cancellation-and-refunds" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cma-to-investigate-concerns-about-cancellation-policies-during-the-coronavirus-covid-19-pandemic/the-coronavirus-covid-19-pandemic-consumer-contracts-cancellation-and-refunds</a>) on the COVID-19 outbreak’s effects on consumer contracts and may be helpful to students, including those who have already paid deposits for accommodation.</p><p>The guidance sets out the CMA’s view on how the law operates to help consumers understand their rights and to help businesses treat their customers fairly. Students may be entitled to refunds from certain accommodation providers depending on the terms of their contract and their particular circumstances. If students need help, organisations such as Citizens Advice offer a free service, providing information and support.</p><p>Students who have already signed an accommodation contract for next year and, because of COVID-19, think it may no longer fit their requirements, should talk directly to their housing provider.</p><p> </p><p>If a student thinks that their accommodation provider is treating them unfairly, they can raise a complaint under the accommodation codes of practice as long as their provider is a code member. The codes can be found at: <a href="https://www.thesac.org.uk/" target="_blank">https://www.thesac.org.uk/</a>; <a href="https://www.unipol.org.uk/the-code/how-to-complain" target="_blank">https://www.unipol.org.uk/the-code/how-to-complain</a> and: <a href="https://www.rla.org.uk/about/nrla-code-of-practice.shtml" target="_blank">https://www.rla.org.uk/about/nrla-code-of-practice.shtml</a>.</p><p> </p><p>We have worked closely with the Office for Students to enable higher education (HE) providers to draw on existing funding to increase hardship funds and support disadvantaged students impacted by COVID-19. As a result, providers will be able to use the funding worth around £23 million per month for June and July, towards student hardship funds.</p><p><br> We have also asked that HE providers pay particular attention to the additional financial hardships that are being faced by student staff who have been reliant on income from campus-based jobs at this time.</p> answering member constituency Chippenham answering member printed Michelle Donelan question first answered 17/06/2020 15:43:57 answering member 4530 label Biography information for Michelle Donelan
tabling member	4742 label Biography information for Stuart Anderson

1201827

registered interest
date	09/06/2020
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Children: Social Services
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the findings of the report published by Barnardo's, the Children's Society, Action for Children, the NSPCC and the National Children's Bureau entitled Children and young people’s services: Funding and spending 2010-11 to 2017-18, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of funding for children's services.
tabling member constituency	Rother Valley
tabling member printed	Alexander Stafford
uin	57408
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/06/2020 answer text <p>The government announced at the Local Government Finance Settlement that English councils' core spending power is rising by over £2.9 billion this financial year. This includes £1 billion of new grant funding that can be used flexibly by local authorities to deliver adult and children’s social care services.</p><p>Further to this, the government has provided over £3.2 billion of additional funding to support local authorities in meeting COVID-19 related pressures, including within children’s services. We will keep this under review over the coming weeks and months.</p><p>Longer term funding considerations are a matter for the next Spending Review.</p> answering member constituency Chelmsford answering member printed Vicky Ford question first answered 17/06/2020 15:45:18 answering member 4674 label Biography information for Vicky Ford
tabling member	4866 label Biography information for Alexander Stafford

1201857

registered interest
date	09/06/2020
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Further Education: Shipping
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what funding his Department has allocated to maritime training colleges in England in each of the last five years for which figures are available.
tabling member constituency	Kingston upon Hull West and Hessle
tabling member printed	Emma Hardy
uin	57337
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/06/2020 answer text <p>The government funds a range of study programmes for 16 to 19 year olds, and via the Adult Education Budget (AEB), to help learners gain the skills they need to get into and progress in work, an apprenticeship or further learning. Additional funding is available to support apprenticeships.</p><p>Within this, funding is available for particular qualifications related to maritime studies, but in general the government does not separately allocate funding to maritime training colleges as they are a part of different institutions.</p><p>Education and Skills Funding Agency funding allocations, for each institution, are published on GOV.UK for 16 to 19 (<a href="https://www.gov.uk/guidance/16-to-19-education-funding-allocations?mxmroi=2305-8593-35041-0#published-allocations" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/guidance/16-to-19-education-funding-allocations?mxmroi=2305-8593-35041-0#published-allocations</a>) and AEB (<a href="https://www.gov.uk/guidance/19-funding-allocations" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/guidance/19-funding-allocations</a>).</p> answering member constituency Chichester answering member printed Gillian Keegan grouped question UIN 57336 question first answered 15/06/2020 16:21:39 answering member 4680 label Biography information for Gillian Keegan
tabling member	4645 label Biography information for Emma Hardy

1201865

registered interest
date	09/06/2020
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Private Education: Coronavirus
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 4 June 2020 to Question 51707 on Private Education: Coronavirus, whether independent schools are permitted to reopen for year 8 pupils when that is their final year before moving on to secondary education.
tabling member constituency	Hemel Hempstead
tabling member printed	Sir Mike Penning
uin	57102
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/06/2020 answer text <p>The Department has asked primary schools to welcome back children in nursery, Reception, year 1 and year 6, alongside priority groups. Where primary and middle schools have already made provision for these children and where they have capacity, they may choose to welcome back additional pupils, in line with wider protective measures. It is up to schools to decide which pupils to prioritise, based on their knowledge of their children and communities.</p><p>Where middle schools choose to invite year 8 pupils back, they should be confident they can manage this within the strict measures the Department has asked primary schools to adopt. This includes having no more than 15 pupils in a class, and maintaining consistency of these groups. This guidance covers independent schools where year 8 pupils are in their final year before moving on to another school.</p> answering member constituency Bognor Regis and Littlehampton answering member printed Nick Gibb question first answered 17/06/2020 16:00:37 answering member 111 label Biography information for Nick Gibb
tabling member	1528 label Biography information for Sir Mike Penning

1201917

registered interest
date	09/06/2020
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Schools: Closures
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the effect of the devolved response on school closures on the effectiveness of communications issued to the public.
tabling member constituency	Shrewsbury and Atcham
tabling member printed	Daniel Kawczynski
uin	57140
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/06/2020 answer text <p>The Government’s COVID-19 recovery strategy makes clear that part of that UK wide approach will be acknowledging that the virus may be spreading at different speeds in different parts of the UK. Measures may need to change in different ways and at different times.</p><p>Education is a devolved matter and it is right that individual jurisdictions take decisions in line with their local circumstances.</p><p>There are various factors including different school term dates and concerns about rates of infection that mean governments in the devolved administrations need to take the decisions that are right for them.</p><p>The Department engages regularly and positively with our counterparts in the devolved administrations to collaborate on our shared education challenges, including on the wider opening of schools.</p> answering member constituency Bognor Regis and Littlehampton answering member printed Nick Gibb question first answered 17/06/2020 15:52:02 answering member 111 label Biography information for Nick Gibb
tabling member	1566 label Biography information for Daniel Kawczynski

1201950

registered interest
date	09/06/2020
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Students: Finance
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether he plans to make an assessment of the effect on BAME communities of the requirement that non-EU nationals must in general have indefinite leave to remain in order to apply for student finance.
tabling member constituency	Leeds Central
tabling member printed	Hilary Benn
uin	57094
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/06/2020 answer text <p>Student finance is generally available to those who have no restrictions on their ability to live and work in the United Kingdom, so that they are likely to be able stay in the UK to complete their education and contribute to the UK economy afterwards.</p><p> </p><p>In 2016, the regulations governing student support were amended to introduce a new eligibility category for those who do not have settled status but who have resided in the UK for an extended period. The amendment extended access to support to students who have spent half their life or at least 20 years in the UK preceding the first day of the first academic year of their course, or 7 years for those under 18 years old. Like most other students, they must be ordinarily resident in England and have been ordinarily resident in the UK and Islands (Channel Islands and Isle of Man) for the 3 years preceding the first day of the first academic year of their course to qualify for support.</p><p> </p><p>An equality impact assessment was carried out on this change before it was introduced. This can be found at: <a href="https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/517514/bis-16-200-new-eligibility-category-for-higher-education-student-support-equality-impact-analysis.pdf" target="_blank">https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/517514/bis-16-200-new-eligibility-category-for-higher-education-student-support-equality-impact-analysis.pdf</a>. This assessment concluded that the policy could particularly benefit people from the Sub-Saharan Africa, Asia Central, Europe Other or Middle East regions.</p> answering member constituency Chippenham answering member printed Michelle Donelan question first answered 17/06/2020 12:11:51 answering member 4530 label Biography information for Michelle Donelan attachment 1 file name 57094-new-eligibility-category-for-higher-education-student-support-equality-impact-analysis.pdf title 57094_PDF
tabling member	413 label Biography information for Hilary Benn

1201960

registered interest
date	09/06/2020
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Children: Day Care
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether parents unable to utilise their 30 hours free childcare entitlement during the covid-19 lockdown will be able to carry those unused hours over for use during the summer holidays 2020.
tabling member constituency	Elmet and Rothwell
tabling member printed	Alec Shelbrooke
uin	57179
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/06/2020 answer text <p>We want parents to have access to a range of affordable childcare, giving them increased flexibility in their working hours and helping children thrive in the crucial early years. The government-funded early years entitlements deliver 15 or 30 hours a week of free, high quality, flexible childcare for eligible two, three and four-year-olds for 38 weeks a year.</p><p>The government wants to support nurseries, pre-schools and childminders during what must be a worrying and uncertain time. On 17 March, my right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, confirmed the government would continue to pay funding to local authorities for the free entitlements for two, three and four-year-olds during the period of closures, providing reassurance for early years settings in light of the COVID-19 outbreak. This entitlement funding has continued to be paid to providers to try and ensure that once the lockdown measures are eased and people return to work, there remains sufficient childcare for all those who need it.</p><p>These entitlements, therefore, cannot be accrued for time not spent in the setting and so parents will not be able to carry over unused hours for use in the summer holidays.</p><p>From 1 June, childcare settings have been able to reopen for children of all ages.</p> answering member constituency Chelmsford answering member printed Vicky Ford question first answered 17/06/2020 15:50:21 answering member 4674 label Biography information for Vicky Ford
tabling member	3997 label Biography information for Sir Alec Shelbrooke

1202011

registered interest
date	09/06/2020
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Department for Education: Carers
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many staff in his Department had caring responsibilities in each of the last five years.
tabling member constituency	Kingston and Surbiton
tabling member printed	Sir Edward Davey
uin	57065
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/06/2020 answer text <p>The information requested is not held centrally. The Department does not collect information about how many of its staff have caring responsibilities. The Department for Education is committed to supporting its employees with caring responsibilities. It has an active carers network which has recently achieved 'Carer Confident' accreditation, one of 10 Civil Service organisations to have done so.</p> answering member constituency Bognor Regis and Littlehampton answering member printed Nick Gibb question first answered 17/06/2020 15:32:37 answering member 111 label Biography information for Nick Gibb
tabling member	188 label Biography information for Ed Davey

1201130

registered interest
date	08/06/2020
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Universities: Coronavirus
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate the Government has made of the number of universities that have charged (a) full or (b) partial tuition fees during the covid-19 outbreak.
tabling member constituency	North Durham
tabling member printed	Mr Kevan Jones
uin	55889
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/06/2020 answer text <p>Higher education providers are autonomous institutions and responsible for setting their own fees. Higher education providers will of course want to ensure that they can continue to deliver courses that are fit for purpose and that help students progress their qualifications.</p><p> </p><p>As of 11 June, no university had made a submission of changes in the level of chargeable fees for courses during the COVID-19 outbreak for the academic year 2019/20. It is possible that a higher education provider has submitted adjustments for an individual or sub-set of students on a course. However, these adjustments would have been processed on a student-by-student basis, and no information is recorded on the reason for a fee reduction being recorded.</p> answering member constituency Chippenham answering member printed Michelle Donelan question first answered 16/06/2020 10:11:00 answering member 4530 label Biography information for Michelle Donelan
tabling member	1438 label Biography information for Mr Kevan Jones