Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of the removal of the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education designation to perform assessment functions in England after the end of March 2023 on the Office for Students.

The Office for Students (OfS) has imposed rigorous requirements for quality for all universities and colleges, and is investigating where it has information suggesting there may be cause for concern. The OfS will continue with this important work beyond 31 March 2023.

On the 14 October 2022, the OfS published an update on arrangements for assessing quality and standards from 1 April 2023. This sets out how the OfS will take on the activities currently delivered by the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education for new providers seeking registration or degree awarding powers. The update from the OfS is available here: https://www.officeforstudents.org.uk/news-blog-and-events/press-and-media/ofs-sets-out-arrangements-for-assessing-quality-and-standards-from-april-2023/.

The department will continue to receive advice from officials and the OfS on the effective assessment of quality and standards.