Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether it is his policy to increase the funding available for students taking pure mathematics at university.

In January 2021, my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, asked the Office for Students (OfS) to reform the Strategic Priorities Grant for academic year 2021/22. The OfS consulted on the Secretary of State for Education’s proposals and has recently published its conclusions. The consultation responses were carefully analysed, and the issues raised were considered by both the OfS and the Secretary of State for Education in reaching their respective decisions about the allocation of the Strategic Priorities Grant in 2021/22.

Mathematics is in price group C2 of the Strategic Priorities Grant and therefore does not receive a high-cost subject funding top-up.

Funding for future years will be subject to the Spending Review.