Question to the Department for International Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what assessment he has been made of the role of higher education exports in future free trade deals.

This Government recognises the valuable contribution made by Higher Education (HE) exports to the UK economy and we shall be engaging with the HE sector as we develop future trading arrangements. Ministers and officials in the Department for International Trade are working closely with counterparts across a wide range of markets in order to promote the UK as a great place to do business and with which to trade.

In 2014 (the latest figures), the total value of UK education-related exports and Transnational Education (TNE) activity was estimated to be £18.76 billion, an increase of 18 per cent over 2010 in current prices.

HE exports were estimated at £12.43 billion in 2014, an increase of around 30% over 2010 in current prices. This figure rises to an estimated £12.98 billion if HE related TNE activity, valued at around £550 million, is included.