Show Search Form

Search Results

registered interest	true false
date	exactly: or between: and
answering body
answering dept id
answering dept short name
answering dept sort name
hansard heading
house id
legislature	pref label
question text
tabling member constituency
tabling member printed
uin
answer	is ministerial correction true false date of answer exactly: or between: and answer text answering member constituency answering member printed grouped question UIN question first answered answering member label
tabling member	label

Search

1715991

registered interest
date	07/05/2024
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Universities: Finance
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of reforming university funding models to reduce dependence on the income of international students.
tabling member constituency	Strangford
tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
uin	24915
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/05/2024 answer text <p>It is important that there is a sustainable system to support students and support higher education (HE) that is responsive to the needs of the labour market and the wider economy, and that is fair to students and fair to taxpayers. The government keeps the higher education (HE) funding system under continuous review to ensure that it remains sustainable and provides many different opportunities for learners to acquire vital skills. Longer-term funding plans for the HE sector will be set out at the next multi-year Spending Review, in line with the approach to long-term public spending commitments across government.</p><p> </p><p>In 2021/22, the total income of the HE sector in England was £40.8 billion, up from £28 billion in 2014/15, including £8.8 billion income from international student fees. Of the £40.8 billion, approximately £16 billion was provided by the government. Over the current spending review period, both the Department for Education and the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology are investing £1.3 billion in capital funding to support teaching and research.</p><p> </p><p>The department is proud that the UK is home to some of the world’s top universities who benefit from strong international ties, so much so that the UK HE system has educated 58 of current and recent world leaders and has 4 out of the top 10 globally ranked universities. Attracting the brightest students internationally is good for the UK’s universities and delivers growth at home.</p><p> </p><p>Education policy is a devolved matter, and different HE funding arrangements apply in the devolved administrations.</p> answering member constituency Thornbury and Yate answering member printed Luke Hall question first answered 15/05/2024 12:20:02 answering member 4450 label Biography information for Luke Hall
tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

1700083

registered interest
date	12/04/2024
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Universities: Finance
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to ensure that funding allocated to universities enables institutions to mitigate losses incurred from the decline in international student recruitment.
tabling member constituency	Brighton, Pavilion
tabling member printed	Caroline Lucas
uin	20960
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/04/2024 answer text <p>The department considers it important that it has a sustainable system to support students and support higher education (HE), that is responsive to the needs of labour markets and the wider economy and is fair to students and fair to taxpayers. In 2021/22, the total income of the HE sector in England was £40.8 billion, which was up from £28 billion in 2014/15. Of the £40.8 billion, approximately £16 billion was provided by government. This is on top of the department’s £1.3 billion capital investment for teaching and research over the current Spending Review period.</p><p>Through the Strategic Priorities Grant, the department is investing hundreds of millions of pounds in additional funding over the three-year period from the 2022/23 to 2024/25 financial years to support high-quality teaching and facilities. This includes the largest increase in government funding for the HE sector to support students and teaching in over a decade. In addition, the department has provided £450 million of capital funding across the 2022/23 to 2024/25 financial years to allow HE providers to invest in a greater range of projects that will deliver better facilities for students.</p><p>With our world-class universities, the government fully expects the UK to continue to be a major destination of choice for international students. The department will continue to work closely with the Home Office on the student visa system and on how it impacts international students.</p><p>Longer-term funding plans for the HE sector will be set out at the next multi-year Spending Review, in line with the approach to long-term public spending commitments across government.</p> answering member constituency Thornbury and Yate answering member printed Luke Hall question first answered 22/04/2024 16:10:05 answering member 4450 label Biography information for Luke Hall
tabling member	3930 label Biography information for Caroline Lucas

1689954

registered interest
date	19/02/2024
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Universities: Finance
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the financial sustainability of the university sector.
tabling member constituency	Hendon
tabling member printed	Dr Matthew Offord
uin	14540
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/02/2024 answer text <p>The Office for Students (OfS), as the independent regulator of higher education (HE) in England, collects and analyses financial data from HE providers, as well as other intelligence, to ensure they have an up to date understanding of the sustainability of the sector.  In their most recent report on the financial health of the HE sector, which was published in May 2023, the OfS stated that the overall aggregate financial position of the sector is sound.</p><p>The full report can be found here: <a href="https://www.officeforstudents.org.uk/media/0b7d9daa-d6c7-477e-a0b2-b90985d0f935/financial-sustainability-report-2023-updated-june-2023.pdf" target="_blank">https://www.officeforstudents.org.uk/media/0b7d9daa-d6c7-477e-a0b2-b90985d0f935/financial-sustainability-report-2023-updated-june-2023.pdf</a>.</p><p>The department continues to work closely with the OfS, HE representative bodies, as well as other government departments, where appropriate, to understand the ongoing financial sustainability in the sector.</p><p>Middlesex University’s most recent financial statement can be found here: <a href="https://www.mdx.ac.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0017/770102/MDX_Financial_Statements_2022-2023.pdf" target="_blank">https://www.mdx.ac.uk/__data/assets/pdf_file/0017/770102/MDX_Financial_Statements_2022-2023.pdf</a>.</p> answering member constituency Harlow answering member printed Robert Halfon grouped question UIN 14541 question first answered 27/02/2024 15:42:22 answering member 3985 label Biography information for Robert Halfon
tabling member	4006 label Biography information for Dr Matthew Offord

1689343

registered interest
date	16/02/2024
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Universities: Finance
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of the withdrawal of CPLA-linked funding in British universities on local economies.
tabling member constituency	South Swindon
tabling member printed	Sir Robert Buckland
uin	14062
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/02/2024 answer text <p>Higher education (HE) providers are autonomous and therefore responsible for ensuring they have adequate governance and risk management procedures in place. The department expects the HE sector to be alert to risks when collaborating with any international partners.</p><p>The government’s International Education Strategy makes clear that the internationalisation of the HE sector cannot come at any cost. A key element of that strategy is diversification. Universities must ensure they have appropriate processes in place to manage risks associated with dependence on a single source of funding, whether that is from a single organisation or a single country.</p><p>The Office for Students (OfS), the regulator of HE in England, monitors the risk of over-reliance on overseas income at a sector level. The role of the OfS is not to direct how HE providers manage themselves or to limit their recruitment from a particular country of origin, but to ensure they understand where there is greater reliance and how any risks are being managed, and to take action to protect students from the consequences of unmanaged financial risk, if necessary.</p> answering member constituency Harlow answering member printed Robert Halfon question first answered 26/02/2024 16:11:20 answering member 3985 label Biography information for Robert Halfon
tabling member	4106 label Biography information for Sir Robert Buckland

1688185

registered interest
date	07/02/2024
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Universities: Finance
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to ensure that funding allocated to universities for teaching for 2024-25 sufficiently enables institutions to support their students.
tabling member constituency	Sheffield Central
tabling member printed	Paul Blomfield
uin	13574
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/02/2024 answer text <p>The Strategic Priorities Grant (SPG) is funding which is supplied by the government on an annual basis to support teaching and students in higher education (HE). This funding also includes subjects that are expensive to deliver, such as science and engineering, students who are at risk of discontinuing their studies, and world-leading specialist providers.</p><p> </p><p>​The department is investing hundreds of millions of pounds in additional funding over the three-year period from 2022/23 to 2024/25. This is to support high-quality teaching and facilities including funding for science and engineering, subjects that support the NHS, and degree apprenticeships. This includes the largest increase in government funding for the HE sector to support students and teaching in over a decade.</p><p> </p><p>In the 2023/24 financial year, over half of the total £1,454 million SPG recurrent funding budget is being directed towards the provision of high-cost subjects that support the NHS and wider healthcare policy (for example, medicine and dentistry), science, engineering, and technology subjects, and specific labour market needs.</p><p> </p><p>There is also £276 million of Student Premium and mental health funding available this academic year, 2023/24, to support students who need additional help, including disadvantaged students. This funding complements the help universities are providing through their own bursary, scholarship and hardship support schemes. The department is now making a further £10 million of one-off support available to support student mental health and hardship funding. It will continue to liaise with the Office for Students on the impacts of cost-of-living pressures.</p><p> </p><p>Over the three-year period from 2022/23 to 2024/25, the department is also providing £450 million in capital funding to invest in teaching and learning facilities which meet the government’s strategic priorities.</p><p> </p><p>The next SPG allocations will be announced ahead of the 2024/25 academic year.</p> answering member constituency Harlow answering member printed Robert Halfon grouped question UIN 13575 question first answered 19/02/2024 16:59:08 answering member 3985 label Biography information for Robert Halfon
tabling member	4058 label Biography information for Paul Blomfield

1688186

registered interest
date	07/02/2024
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Universities: Finance
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she is taking to ensure that funding allocated to universities for teaching for 2024-25 enables institutions to provide high quality education that meets national skills needs.
tabling member constituency	Sheffield Central
tabling member printed	Paul Blomfield
uin	13575
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/02/2024 answer text <p>The Strategic Priorities Grant (SPG) is funding which is supplied by the government on an annual basis to support teaching and students in higher education (HE). This funding also includes subjects that are expensive to deliver, such as science and engineering, students who are at risk of discontinuing their studies, and world-leading specialist providers.</p><p> </p><p>​The department is investing hundreds of millions of pounds in additional funding over the three-year period from 2022/23 to 2024/25. This is to support high-quality teaching and facilities including funding for science and engineering, subjects that support the NHS, and degree apprenticeships. This includes the largest increase in government funding for the HE sector to support students and teaching in over a decade.</p><p> </p><p>In the 2023/24 financial year, over half of the total £1,454 million SPG recurrent funding budget is being directed towards the provision of high-cost subjects that support the NHS and wider healthcare policy (for example, medicine and dentistry), science, engineering, and technology subjects, and specific labour market needs.</p><p> </p><p>There is also £276 million of Student Premium and mental health funding available this academic year, 2023/24, to support students who need additional help, including disadvantaged students. This funding complements the help universities are providing through their own bursary, scholarship and hardship support schemes. The department is now making a further £10 million of one-off support available to support student mental health and hardship funding. It will continue to liaise with the Office for Students on the impacts of cost-of-living pressures.</p><p> </p><p>Over the three-year period from 2022/23 to 2024/25, the department is also providing £450 million in capital funding to invest in teaching and learning facilities which meet the government’s strategic priorities.</p><p> </p><p>The next SPG allocations will be announced ahead of the 2024/25 academic year.</p> answering member constituency Harlow answering member printed Robert Halfon grouped question UIN 13574 question first answered 19/02/2024 16:59:08 answering member 3985 label Biography information for Robert Halfon
tabling member	4058 label Biography information for Paul Blomfield

1683409

registered interest
date	18/01/2024
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Universities: Finance
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she is taking steps to (a) monitor and (b) assess the financial health of universities.
tabling member constituency	York Central
tabling member printed	Rachael Maskell
uin	10479
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/01/2024 answer text <p>The Office for Students (OfS), as the independent regulator of higher education (HE) in England, collects and analyses financial data from HE providers, as well as other intelligence, to ensure they have an up to date understanding of the sustainability of the sector.  In their most recent report on the financial health of the HE sector, which was published in May 2023, the OfS stated that the overall aggregate financial position of the sector is sound.</p><p>The full report is available at: <a href="https://www.officeforstudents.org.uk/media/0b7d9daa-d6c7-477e-a0b2-b90985d0f935/financial-sustainability-report-2023-updated-june-2023.pdf" target="_blank">https://www.officeforstudents.org.uk/media/0b7d9daa-d6c7-477e-a0b2-b90985d0f935/financial-sustainability-report-2023-updated-june-2023.pdf</a>.</p><p>The department continues to work closely with the OfS, HE representative bodies and other government departments, as appropriate, to understand the ongoing financial sustainability in the sector.</p> answering member constituency Harlow answering member printed Robert Halfon grouped question UIN 10480 question first answered 23/01/2024 17:09:20 answering member 3985 label Biography information for Robert Halfon
tabling member	4471 label Biography information for Rachael Maskell

1683410

registered interest
date	18/01/2024
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Universities: Finance
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has made a recent assessment of the most significant challenge to the financial health of universities.
tabling member constituency	York Central
tabling member printed	Rachael Maskell
uin	10480
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/01/2024 answer text <p>The Office for Students (OfS), as the independent regulator of higher education (HE) in England, collects and analyses financial data from HE providers, as well as other intelligence, to ensure they have an up to date understanding of the sustainability of the sector.  In their most recent report on the financial health of the HE sector, which was published in May 2023, the OfS stated that the overall aggregate financial position of the sector is sound.</p><p>The full report is available at: <a href="https://www.officeforstudents.org.uk/media/0b7d9daa-d6c7-477e-a0b2-b90985d0f935/financial-sustainability-report-2023-updated-june-2023.pdf" target="_blank">https://www.officeforstudents.org.uk/media/0b7d9daa-d6c7-477e-a0b2-b90985d0f935/financial-sustainability-report-2023-updated-june-2023.pdf</a>.</p><p>The department continues to work closely with the OfS, HE representative bodies and other government departments, as appropriate, to understand the ongoing financial sustainability in the sector.</p> answering member constituency Harlow answering member printed Robert Halfon grouped question UIN 10479 question first answered 23/01/2024 17:09:20 answering member 3985 label Biography information for Robert Halfon
tabling member	4471 label Biography information for Rachael Maskell

1653664

registered interest
date	17/07/2023
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Universities: Finance
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many universities she has assessed as carrying a financial risk over their future viability.
tabling member constituency	York Central
tabling member printed	Rachael Maskell
uin	194540
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/07/2023 answer text <p>The Office for Students (OfS) is the independent regulator of higher education (HE) in England. The OfS monitors the financial viability and sustainability of providers registered with them.</p><p>In May 2023, the OfS published a report stating that the overall aggregate financial position of universities is sound. However, there continue to be significant differences between individual providers, both across the sector and within peer groups. The OfS also assessed the key risks facing the financial sustainability of the HE sector. The report sets out the main risks of those within different peer groups.</p><p>The OfS expects that any provider relying on overseas fees and growth in overseas students has contingency plans to protect its financial sustainability. The OfS has written to providers that are particularly exposed to this risk to ask them to share these contingency plans.</p><p>The government’s International Education Strategy and its recent update make clear that the internationalisation of the HE sector cannot come at any cost. Universities must ensure they have appropriate processes in place to manage risks associated with dependence on a single source of funding, whether that is from a single organisation, or a single nation.</p><p>The department continues to work closely with the OfS and other stakeholders to keep abreast of the financial health of the sector. It is important to note that HE providers are autonomous and continue to remain responsible for the decisions they make regarding their business model and financial viability.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Harlow answering member printed Robert Halfon grouped question UIN 194541 194542 question first answered 25/07/2023 16:02:17 answering member 3985 label Biography information for Robert Halfon
tabling member	4471 label Biography information for Rachael Maskell

1653665

registered interest
date	17/07/2023
answering body	Department for Education
answering dept id	60
answering dept short name	Education
answering dept sort name	Education
hansard heading	Universities: Finance
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has made an assessment of the potential differences in financial risk affecting (a) pre and (b) post 1992 universities.
tabling member constituency	York Central
tabling member printed	Rachael Maskell
uin	194541
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/07/2023 answer text <p>The Office for Students (OfS) is the independent regulator of higher education (HE) in England. The OfS monitors the financial viability and sustainability of providers registered with them.</p><p>In May 2023, the OfS published a report stating that the overall aggregate financial position of universities is sound. However, there continue to be significant differences between individual providers, both across the sector and within peer groups. The OfS also assessed the key risks facing the financial sustainability of the HE sector. The report sets out the main risks of those within different peer groups.</p><p>The OfS expects that any provider relying on overseas fees and growth in overseas students has contingency plans to protect its financial sustainability. The OfS has written to providers that are particularly exposed to this risk to ask them to share these contingency plans.</p><p>The government’s International Education Strategy and its recent update make clear that the internationalisation of the HE sector cannot come at any cost. Universities must ensure they have appropriate processes in place to manage risks associated with dependence on a single source of funding, whether that is from a single organisation, or a single nation.</p><p>The department continues to work closely with the OfS and other stakeholders to keep abreast of the financial health of the sector. It is important to note that HE providers are autonomous and continue to remain responsible for the decisions they make regarding their business model and financial viability.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Harlow answering member printed Robert Halfon grouped question UIN 194540 194542 question first answered 25/07/2023 16:02:17 answering member 3985 label Biography information for Robert Halfon
tabling member	4471 label Biography information for Rachael Maskell