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.
Asked by: Matt Western (Labour - Warwick and Leamington)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what estimate she has made of the number of (a) people and (b) households in Warwick and Leamington constituency living in fuel poverty in (i) 2010, (ii) 2013, (iii) 2018 and (iv) 2023.
Answered by Amanda Solloway - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The latest statistics for the number of households in fuel poverty in parliamentary constituencies in England, can be found in the published sub-regional fuel poverty Official Statistics, in Table 4: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/fuel-poverty-statistics
The estimates covering 2019 to 2021 are published using the current fuel poverty metric and 2010 to 2018 using the previous metric. Information on the number of people in fuel poverty is not held at local area level.
Asked by: Matt Western (Labour - Warwick and Leamington)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much funding per adult was provided for mental health services in Warwick and Leamington constituency in (a) 2019 and (b) 2022.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
The information requested is not collected centrally.
Asked by: Matt Western (Labour - Warwick and Leamington)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much funding per child and adolescent was provided for CAMHS mental health services in Warwick and Leamington constituency in (a) 2019 and (b) 2022.
Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)
The information requested is not collected centrally.
Asked by: Matt Western (Labour - Warwick and Leamington)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people in Warwick and Leamington constituency used a foodbank in October (a) 2022 and (b) 2023.
Answered by Mims Davies - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
This government takes the issue of food security very seriously and is committed to understanding and addressing food poverty which is why we have published official estimates of foodbank use for the first time in March 2023. The latest available National statistics on both food security and food bank use covering 2021/22 are available here. Statistics are not available at the constituency level.
Foodbanks are independent, charitable organisations and HM Government does not have any role in their operation. As such, data on trends in the distribution of food parcels in the Warwick and Leamington constituency is not available.
Asked by: Matt Western (Labour - Warwick and Leamington)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will make an estimate of the number of people in work in Warwick and Leamington constituency who use a foodbank once a month or more.
Answered by Mims Davies - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
This government takes the issue of food security very seriously and is committed to understanding and addressing food poverty which is why we have published official estimates of foodbank use for the first time in March 2023. The latest available National statistics on both food security and food bank use covering 2021/22 are available here. Statistics are not available at the constituency level.
Foodbanks are independent, charitable organisations and HM Government does not have any role in their operation. As such, data on trends in the distribution of food parcels in the Warwick and Leamington constituency is not available.
Asked by: Matt Western (Labour - Warwick and Leamington)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of trends in the number of international academics and students coming to the UK; and what assessment she has made of the impact of those trends on university funding in the (a) 2023-24 and (b) 2024-25 academic year.
Answered by Robert Halfon
The UK is home to some of the world’s top universities, who benefit from strong international ties, so much so that 55 current and recent world leaders have received their education from the UK and four out of the top 10 universities globally are in the UK.
The government recognises the significant economic and cultural contribution that international students make to the UK’s higher education (HE) sector and their positive impact on our society as a whole.
The government has been successful in delivering the International Education Strategy ambition of hosting at least 600,000 students per year by 2030 for the last two years. The department aims to continue to attract students from around the world to benefit from British HE.
The changes to student visas announced on 23 May 2023 strike the right balance between acting decisively on migration while protecting the UK’s position as a world-leader in higher education. The changes are available at: https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-statements/detail/2023-05-23/HCWS800. The offer to international students remains very competitive and the department is committed to ensuring the UK remains a destination of choice for international students from across the globe. That is why, on 23 May 2023, the department reaffirmed its commitment to the International Education Strategy, which is vital for ensuring that the UK remains competitive in the global HE market.
The UK is expected to remain an attractive destination for students and academics from overseas in the future.
Asked by: Matt Western (Labour - Warwick and Leamington)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she made of the impact of changes to student visas on international students coming to the UK.
Answered by Robert Halfon
The UK is home to some of the world’s top universities, who benefit from strong international ties, so much so that 55 current and recent world leaders have received their education from the UK and four out of the top 10 universities globally are in the UK.
The government recognises the significant economic and cultural contribution that international students make to the UK’s higher education (HE) sector and their positive impact on our society as a whole.
The government has been successful in delivering the International Education Strategy ambition of hosting at least 600,000 students per year by 2030 for the last two years. The department aims to continue to attract students from around the world to benefit from British HE.
The changes to student visas announced on 23 May 2023 strike the right balance between acting decisively on migration while protecting the UK’s position as a world-leader in higher education. The changes are available at: https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-statements/detail/2023-05-23/HCWS800. The offer to international students remains very competitive and the department is committed to ensuring the UK remains a destination of choice for international students from across the globe. That is why, on 23 May 2023, the department reaffirmed its commitment to the International Education Strategy, which is vital for ensuring that the UK remains competitive in the global HE market.
The UK is expected to remain an attractive destination for students and academics from overseas in the future.