Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what representations they have received about the impact on the UK's creative economy of the proposal to introduce a levy on fees that higher education institutions charge overseas students, set out in the White Paper Restoring Control over the Immigration System, published on 12 May (CP 1326).

The international student levy will fund the reintroduction of targeted maintenance grants for disadvantaged students to break down the barriers to opportunity through the department’s Plan for Change.

We will set out further details on the international student levy and targeted means-tested maintenance grants at the Autumn Budget.

We are committed to engaging the sector on the design of the international student levy and want to understand specific concerns providers have as early as possible.

We have received representations from a group of specialist institutions regarding the impact of the levy on the creative industry, to which the government replied on 13 October.