Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to help increase transport choices to further and higher education for young people aged between 16 and 24 in Newcastle.

Students will benefit from the near £600 million invested into the £2 Bus Fare Cap scheme introduced by the Department for Transport, and now extended until 31 December 2024. This provides affordable transport links across England, including the North East.

The government recognises the wider cost of living pressures that have impacted students. The department has made available £276 million of Student Premium and Mental Health funding for the 2023/24 academic year, to support students who need additional help, including disadvantaged students. This funding will complement the help universities are providing through their own bursary, scholarship and hardship support schemes.

In the 2023/24 academic year, the department has also allocated £160 million to further education institutions for discretionary bursaries to help disadvantaged students with costs such as travel.

The government has continued to increase living costs support each year with a 2.8% increase for the 2023/24 academic year. The department is considering options for loans and grants for living and other costs for the 2024/25 academic year and will be making an announcement in due course.