The government pays universities directly in respect of the tuition fee loans which are approved for eligible students each year. Students are then legally obliged to repay any tuition fee loans in accordance with the contract they sign when taking out the loan. The Office for National Statistics classifies the money provided by the government to cover tuition fees as a debt for the purposes of the public finances. The government does not ordinarily disclose its legal advice as that is protected by legal professional privilege.<\/p>
<\/p>"} , "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4169", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Viscount Younger of Leckie"} } , "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Viscount Younger of Leckie"} , "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2019-04-05", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2019-04-05T12:00:21.66Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} ]} , "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "60"} , "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Education"} , "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Education"} , "date" : {"_value" : "2019-03-28", "_datatype" : "dateTime"} , "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Students: Loans"} , "houseId" : {"_value" : "2"} , "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25277", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Lords"} } ], "questionText" : "To ask Her Majesty's Government whether university income from student tuition fee loans is classed as public or private funds; what legal advice, if any, they have received to this effect; and whether they will publish any such advice.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"} , "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4286", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Lord Mendelsohn"} } , "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Lord Mendelsohn"} ], "uin" : "HL14912"} , {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1105656", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department for Education"} ], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1105656/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : "
The Department for Education (DfE) deals with numerous stakeholders in the higher education (HE) sector. The bodies representing HE providers are set out below.<\/p>
<\/p>
Universities UK is a membership body that includes the vice chancellors of most UK universities. Its membership can be found at: https://www.universitiesuk.ac.uk/about/Pages/member-institutions.aspx<\/a>;<\/p> <\/p> GuildHE represents a number of smaller and specialist HE providers. Its membership can be found at: https://guildhe.ac.uk/our-members/<\/a>; and<\/p> <\/p> Independent HE (formerly Study UK) <\/strong>is a UK membership organisation and national representative body for independent providers of HE (alternative providers) and professional training and pathway providers. Its membership can be found at: http://independenthe.com/members<\/a>.<\/p> <\/p> <\/p> The DfE also deal with the following self-organised mission groups:<\/p> <\/p> The Russell Group is an association of 24 long-established universities. Its membership can be found at: https://russellgroup.ac.uk/about/our-universities/<\/a>;<\/p> <\/p> Million+ describes itself as a university think-tank, whose members are mainly more recently established universities. Its membership can be found at: http://www.millionplus.ac.uk/who-we-are/members<\/a>; and<\/p> <\/p> University Alliance represents a number of post92 universities. Its membership can be found at: https://www.unialliance.ac.uk/alliance-universities/<\/a>.<\/p>"}
, "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4169", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Viscount Younger of Leckie"}
}
, "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Viscount Younger of Leckie"}
, "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2019-04-03", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2019-04-03T15:26:44.217Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
]}
, "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "60"}
, "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Education"}
, "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Education"}
, "date" : {"_value" : "2019-03-27", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Universities"}
, "houseId" : {"_value" : "2"}
, "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25277", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Lords"}
}
], "questionText" : "To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the reply by Viscount Younger of Leckie on 7 March (HL Deb, col 717), whether they will set out the bodies representing different groups of universities with which they have dealings; and whether they will indicate in each case the membership of the group.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/276", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Lord Grocott"}
}
, "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Lord Grocott"}
], "uin" : "HL14848"}
, {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1105689", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department for Education"}
], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1105689/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : " The Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) collects and publishes data on UK higher education (HE).<\/p> Analysis of HESA\u2019s \u2018Student Record 2017/18\u2019 shows that there were 2 HE institutions in England with one or more participants in agroecology[1] modules in the academic year 2017/18. These agroecology modules were all at postgraduate level at either Harper Adams University or Coventry University.<\/p> Module data for HE provided by further education colleges and alternative providers is not held centrally.<\/p> <\/p> <\/p> [1] Relevant module titles identified in the HESA Student Record were \u2018Fundamentals of Agroecology\u2019, \u2018Agroecological Techniques and Practices\u2019 and \u2018Agroecological Production Systems\u2019.<\/p>"}
, "answeringMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/4169", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Viscount Younger of Leckie"}
}
, "answeringMemberPrinted" : {"_value" : "Viscount Younger of Leckie"}
, "dateOfAnswer" : {"_value" : "2019-04-05", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "isMinisterialCorrection" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "questionFirstAnswered" : [{"_value" : "2019-04-05T10:40:18.24Z", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
]}
, "answeringDeptId" : {"_value" : "60"}
, "answeringDeptShortName" : {"_value" : "Education"}
, "answeringDeptSortName" : {"_value" : "Education"}
, "date" : {"_value" : "2019-03-27", "_datatype" : "dateTime"}
, "hansardHeading" : {"_value" : "Agriculture: Degrees"}
, "houseId" : {"_value" : "2"}
, "legislature" : [{"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/terms/25277", "prefLabel" : {"_value" : "House of Lords"}
}
], "questionText" : "To ask Her Majesty's Government how many agriculture degrees in England offer modules on agroecology.", "registeredInterest" : {"_value" : "false", "_datatype" : "boolean"}
, "tablingMember" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/members/1934", "label" : {"_value" : "Biography information for Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer"}
}
, "tablingMemberPrinted" : [{"_value" : "Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer"}
], "uin" : "HL14869"}
, {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1105691", "AnsweringBody" : [{"_value" : "Department for Education"}
], "answer" : {"_about" : "http://data.parliament.uk/resources/1105691/answer", "answerText" : {"_value" : " The Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) collects and publishes statistics on staff at UK Higher Education Institutions (HEIs). Latest statistics refer to the academic year 2017/18.<\/p> <\/p> Each staff member can be recorded as teaching and/or researching up to 3 academic disciplines[1]. Counts of the number of academic staff and professors involved in the most closely related academic disciplines to those requested have been provided in the table:<\/p> <\/p> Full-person-equivalent[2]<\/strong> academic staff by current academic discipline at English HEIs for <\/strong><\/p> Academic Year 2017/18<\/strong><\/p> <\/p> <\/p> Academic discipline<\/strong><\/p><\/td> Professors<\/strong><\/p><\/td> All academic staff<\/strong><\/p><\/td><\/tr> C340 Entomology<\/p><\/td> 5<\/p><\/td> 65<\/p><\/td><\/tr> F770 Soil Science<\/p><\/td> 5<\/p><\/td> 25<\/p><\/td><\/tr> C500 Microbiology<\/p><\/td> 55<\/p><\/td> 445<\/p><\/td><\/tr> C510 Applied Microbiology<\/p><\/td> 5<\/p><\/td> 55<\/p><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table> <\/p> Source: Department for Education analysis of the HESA Staff Record<\/p> <\/p> Notes:<\/p> Figures are rounded to the nearest 5 in line with HESA\u2019s rounding strategy.<\/p> <\/p> Staff can be recorded across more than one academic discipline, so rows in the table ought not to be summed together.<\/p> <\/p> \u2018Professor\u2019 indicates a member of staff holding a contract which aligns with the Universities and Colleges Employers Association contract level 5A 'Professor'. This may undercount professors because many will fall into more senior levels, e.g. Heads of department.<\/p> <\/p> <\/p> [1] Academic disciplines are categorised using the Joint Academic Coding System: https://www.hesa.ac.uk/collection/c17025/a/curaccdis<\/a>.<\/p> <\/p> [2] The definition for full-person-equivalent is available from the HESA website:<\/p>