Asked by: Matt Western (Labour - Warwick and Leamington)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many international students withdrew their application to study at universities before enrolment in 2023.
Answered by Robert Halfon
The department does not hold data on the number of international students who withdrew their application to study at universities in 2023.
Asked by: Matt Western (Labour - Warwick and Leamington)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an estimate of the average number of hours worked by students who have jobs.
Answered by Robert Halfon
The Student Income and Expenditure Survey publishes data on students’ working patterns. The survey for the 2021/22 academic year asked students who were in work to state how many hours they had worked in the week prior to completing the survey. The average (mean) number of hours worked in this reference week by full-time students was 12, while the median was lower, at 8. The average (mean) number of hours worked in the previous week by part-time students was 32 while the median was higher, at 37 hours.
This published data also showed that full-time students who are in employment tend to work tend to work more hours during the summer vacation compared to term time.
The Student Income and Expenditure Survey for the 2021/22 academic year can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/student-income-and-expenditure-survey-2021-to-2022.
Asked by: Matt Western (Labour - Warwick and Leamington)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many times she has met the Office of the Independent Adjudicator for Higher Education in 2023.
Answered by Robert Halfon
My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, has not met the Office of the Independent Adjudicator for Higher Education (OIA) in 2023. However, departmental officials meet staff from the OIA on a regular basis.
Asked by: Matt Western (Labour - Warwick and Leamington)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an estimate of how many students work more than one job.
Answered by Robert Halfon
The Student Income and Expenditure Survey for the 2021/22 academic year provides data on students’ working patterns, including, for example, average hours worked and average hours worked during term time and vacations. However, the survey report does not cover the number of jobs students may have. The 2021/22 Student Income and Expenditure Survey can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/student-income-and-expenditure-survey-2021-to-2022.
Asked by: Matt Western (Labour - Warwick and Leamington)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to help reduce levels of sexual assault on campuses.
Answered by Robert Halfon
University campuses should be safe and welcoming places for all students and staff. The government is committed to working with and through the regulator to encourage and support universities to take action to prevent sexual assault, and to ensure they have robust procedures in place to make the reporting and investigation of incidents as straightforward as possible.
To that end, the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act 2023 will ban the use of non-disclosure agreements in cases of sexual harassment and misconduct, and other forms of bullying and harassment. This provision will come into force in 2024.
Earlier this year, the Office for Students conducted a consultation to make mandatory measures that will, for the first time, require providers to address misconduct on campus. The results are expected this winter with new measures due in 2024.
The department was also proud to support the work, led by Universities UK, to develop and publish guidance for universities on how to prevent and tackle incidents of spiking.
Asked by: Matt Western (Labour - Warwick and Leamington)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many Higher Education providers she has visited in 2023.
Answered by Robert Halfon
My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, the departmental ministerial team, and a range of officials routinely engage the sector, including universities, representative bodies and mission groups. In 2023, my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, alongside meetings and attendance at sector events, has visited Northumbria University, Exeter University, Queen Mary University and the following colleges with higher education provision: Mid Kent College, City of Liverpool College, Stafford College and Darlington College.
The government highly values our world class higher education system, recognising its role as a catalyst for economic growth and innovation, and as a crucial foundation for fostering social mobility by empowering individuals with the essential skills for success.
Asked by: Matt Western (Labour - Warwick and Leamington)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to support students commuting to and from university.
Answered by Robert Halfon
Where students choose to commute to university, it is important that universities, as independent and autonomous institutions, take their needs into account and ensure that students are properly supported during their studies.
This government recognises the cost-of-living pressures that have impacted students. That is why we have made £276 million of student premium and mental health funding available this academic year to support disadvantaged students who need additional help. This extra funding will complement the help universities are providing through their own bursary, scholarship and hardship support schemes.
Asked by: Matt Western (Labour - Warwick and Leamington)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to support higher education providers facing financial challenges.
Answered by Robert Halfon
Our universities are autonomous, vibrant, and independent. The department values this, as does the sector. This means that, ultimately, it is for providers, as part of an autonomous and independent sector, to decide on effective business models.
The Office for Students (OfS), as the independent regulator of higher education (HE) in England, is responsible for monitoring and reporting on the financial sustainability of the sector. The department’s priority is to ensure that students’ best interests are protected. If a provider was at risk of an unplanned closure, the department would work with the OfS, and others where appropriate, to ensure the best outcomes for those students.
We are investing hundreds of millions of pounds in additional funding over the three-year period from 2022/23 to 2024/25 to support high-quality teaching and facilities including in 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.
My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, departmental officials and I continue to work closely with the OfS and various parties including mission groups, providers, and other government departments as appropriate, to understand the ongoing impacts and changing landscape of financial sustainability in the sector.
Asked by: Matt Western (Labour - Warwick and Leamington)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when her most recent meeting with the Office for Students was.
Answered by Robert Halfon
The Secretary of State met with Susan Lapworth, CEO of the Office for Students (OfS), and Lord Wharton, Chair of the OfS on 25 January 2023.
In my capacity as the Minister for Skills, Apprenticeships and Higher Education, I have also met with the CEO once, and Chair of the OfS twice, in 2023. My noble friend Baroness Barran has also met with the CEO once.
My Right hon. Friend, The Secretary of State for Education has not met with Arif Ahmed, Director of Free Speech and Academic Freedom of the OfS, since his appointment in June 2023. The Rt Hon Claire Coutinho MP, the previous Minister responsible for freedom of speech in the department, met with Arif Ahmed once in 2023 following his appointment.
Asked by: Matt Western (Labour - Warwick and Leamington)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many times she has met the Office for Students in 2023.
Answered by Robert Halfon
The Secretary of State met with Susan Lapworth, CEO of the Office for Students (OfS), and Lord Wharton, Chair of the OfS on 25 January 2023.
In my capacity as the Minister for Skills, Apprenticeships and Higher Education, I have also met with the CEO once, and Chair of the OfS twice, in 2023. My noble friend Baroness Barran has also met with the CEO once.
My Right hon. Friend, The Secretary of State for Education has not met with Arif Ahmed, Director of Free Speech and Academic Freedom of the OfS, since his appointment in June 2023. The Rt Hon Claire Coutinho MP, the previous Minister responsible for freedom of speech in the department, met with Arif Ahmed once in 2023 following his appointment.