Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Oral Answer of the Minister for Universities, Science, Research and Innovation to the hon. Member for Battersea of 14 May 2018, Official Report, column 15, what the evidential basis is for his statement that students spend on average £250 on computers.

This figure comes from the most recent student income and expenditure survey ('Student income and expenditure survey 2014 to 2015’). This is a study on the income and expenditure of higher education students studying in England.

This shows that the average spend on computers by full-time students across the academic year was £253. The average spend on computers by part-time students across the academic year was £243.

The study’s findings are available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/student-income-and-expenditure-survey-2014-to-2015.