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<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>Statistics on the numbers of further and higher education (HE)
students resident in on-campus accommodation following 23 March’s lockdown are not
held centrally.</p><p>However, Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) data show
that approximately 360,000 students at UK higher education institutions in 2018/19
were resident in provider-maintained property, including some 117,000 international
students, of which 31,000 were from the EU.</p><p>Levels of current occupancy of accommodation
vary widely between different institutions with those students still resident likely
to include care leavers, students estranged from their families and international
students for whom there is no alternative accommodation easily available or who are
not able to get home because of travel restrictions.</p><p>HE providers have been
asked to aim to ensure staff (catering, cleaning and laundry staff, for instance)
are available to support on halls management. Counselling staff should also be available
to support on isolating students’ mental health. This support could be provided virtually.</p><p>We
have worked to improve joint continuity planning between HE providers and Local Resilience
Forums to consider how to ensure availability of supply of food and medicines.</p><p>College
campus accommodation where children are resident is inspected by Ofsted against national
minimum standards. The inspections are conducted on an age basis and include international
students.</p><p>Ofsted holds a record of ratings for further education accommodation.</p><p>
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