Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of the proportion of the total value of Plan 2 student loans issued since 2012 that will be written off.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department does not hold an estimate of the proportion of total Plan 2 outlay since 2012 that will be written off. We forecast subsidy portions for outlay for current and future financial years.
We estimate a resource accounting and budget (RAB) charge of 34% for Plan 2 loan outlay issued in the 2025/26 academic year to English domiciled borrowers. The RAB charge represents the subsidy portion of loan outlay as recorded in departmental accounts.
Outstanding debt, including interest accrued, is cancelled at the end of the loan term with no detriment to the borrower, and debt is never passed on to family members or descendants. There are no commercial loans that offer this level of borrower protection. This cancellation/subsidy is a conscious investment in our young people and the skills capacity, people and economy of this country.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, with reference to his Department’s press release entitled Clean energy funding to be tied to stronger workers’ rights, published on 4 February 2026, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the introduction of new employment practices linked to clean energy funding on levels of employment.
Answered by Chris McDonald - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Clean Industry Bonus will ensure public funding supports high quality jobs in offshore wind by requiring firms to sign a Fair Work Charter. The Fair Work Charter commits signatories to provide access to trade unions and to strive for best practice Health and Safety. The associated Impact Assessment , published on GOV.UK, highlights that the overall impact of changes to the Clean Industry Bonus scheme are expected to be positive. The Government estimates that the offshore wind sector will support up to 100,000 jobs by 2030.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the long-term career progression of graduates who are not in high-skilled employment 15 months after graduation.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The latest higher education (HE) Statistics Agency data shows that 71.4% of UK-domiciled graduates from 2022/23 in employment were in high-skilled roles 15 months after graduation.
Latest ‘Graduate Labour Market Statistics’ data show that in 2024, 79.0% of working age postgraduates and 67.9% of graduates were in high-skilled employment, an increase compared to 2023.
Further, research suggests that the majority of graduates are expected to earn a positive financial return from HE over their lifetime. Whilst employment rates for graduates remain higher than for non-graduates, we recognise that those leaving HE face challenges and are taking steps to ensure graduates are ready for work.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, with reference to his Department’s press release entitled Clean energy funding to be tied to stronger workers’ rights, published on 4 February 2026, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of requiring offshore wind developers to sign up to the Fair Work Charter on workers’ rights.
Answered by Chris McDonald - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Clean Industry Bonus will ensure public funding supports high quality jobs in offshore wind by requiring firms to sign a Fair Work Charter. The Fair Work Charter commits signatories to provide access to trade unions and to strive for best practice Health and Safety. The associated Impact Assessment , published on GOV.UK, highlights that the overall impact of changes to the Clean Industry Bonus scheme are expected to be positive. The Government estimates that the offshore wind sector will support up to 100,000 jobs by 2030.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to Answer of 2 February 2026 to Question 108145 on Graduates: Employment, how many higher education providers are currently at risk of regulatory intervention.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
As the independent regulator of higher education, the Office for Students makes independent decisions about regulatory interventions.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the student loan interest rate on costs to the public purse.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Applying interest to the loans ensures that those who benefit financially from higher education (HE) contribute towards the cost of that HE. To ensure the real value of the loans over the repayment term, interest is linked to inflation. Interest increases the face value of the student loan book, but the impact on the fair value depends on complex assumptions about lifetime repayments.
In cashflow terms, neither outlay nor repayments are affected by a higher interest rate in the short term. Only when borrowers approach the end of their repayments would there be an increase in repayments through additional interest leading to extended repayment periods up to the maximum of 30 years for Plan 2 and 40 years for Plan 5 loans.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the Competition and Market Authority’s report entitled The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is conducting a market investigation into veterinary services for household pets, published 7 September 2023.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Competition issues and pricing practices in the veterinary services market are currently being examined by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) as part of its market investigation into veterinary services for household pets. The CMA is expected to publish its final report by March. The Government will consider the CMA’s final findings and respond to the report within 90 days of its publication.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps is he taking to help improve price transparency for veterinary services.
Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
Competition issues and pricing practices in the veterinary services market are currently being examined by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) as part of its market investigation into veterinary services for household pets. The CMA is expected to publish its final report by March. The Government will consider the CMA’s final findings and respond to the report within 90 days of its publication.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many undergraduate courses eligible for student loans have median graduate earnings below the repayment threshold five years after graduation.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Under the current Plan 5 student loan system, the repayment threshold is £25,000. Nationally, graduates across all subject areas have median earnings above this, five years after graduation, with the exception of Performing Arts graduates whose median earnings are £24,500.
More detail on courses at specific providers can be found in the department‘s published LEO provider level dashboard, which contains earnings outcomes at five years after graduation for each ‘provider x subject’ combination. This is available here: https://department-for-education.shinyapps.io/leo-provider-dashboard/
It should be noted that many of these combinations have outcomes suppressed due to low sample sizes, meaning it is not possible to produce a robust count of the total number of such courses.
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:
To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether he has had discussions with Ofcom on improving media literacy among parents and children.
Answered by Kanishka Narayan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)
The Online Safety Act updated Ofcom’s statutory duty to promote media literacy, including by raising awareness and understanding of misinformation and harmful content, especially where it affects vulnerable groups. The Secretary of State maintains regular, constructive engagement with Ofcom on delivery of its obligations.
Both Ofcom and DSIT are taking steps to improve media literacy among parents and carers and are working closely to ensure our approaches are complementary.