Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to provide additional funding for any additional transport required by Further Education Colleges due to the covid-19 outbreak.

The department provides a range of financial support for students, including a bursary fund for 16 to 19 year-olds and learner support funds for students aged 19 and over, to help disadvantaged and vulnerable people pay for things necessary for education which they could not otherwise afford, including amongst other things, the cost of travel. We are also working with stakeholders to identify and evidence additional costs that might arise as a result of COVID-19.

We do recognise the costs as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak may have put some further education providers under pressure, and we are working to understand this further as we look at the overall support the sector requires.