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>