Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether the Office for Students has opened, or intends to open, regulatory engagement with the University of Cambridge under its conditions of registration relating to governance, management, and accountability in connection with its Faculty of Education.

The University of Cambridge is an autonomous institution that is rightly establishing an independent investigation. The university published further details about this on 4 September, which are available at their website.

It is not for the government to dictate the terms of the university’s investigation. My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, and I have both met with the vice chancellor of the university and other senior leaders to seek assurance that their investigation will be rigorous and conducted with urgency.

The Office for Students (OfS) is the independent regulator of higher education in England. The OfS has an independent board, which makes its own decisions about how to use its regulatory powers, including when and how to engage with registered providers regarding their compliance with the conditions of registration. The statutory basis for the OfS’ regulatory powers is set out in the Higher Education and Research Act 2017.

The department awaits the outcomes of the investigation, and I understand that the OfS currently has no plans to open regulatory action on this issue.