Question to the Department for Education:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, in the event of a no-deal Brexit, to guarantee funding for student exchanges for the 2020/21 academic year to bring it in line with the funding that would have been provided by the Erasmus+ scheme.

The government places great value upon international exchange and collaboration in education and training. This will continue to be the case after we leave the EU and establish new relationships with academic institutions across Europe and the rest of the world.

If it is in the UK’s interests, we will seek to participate in specific EU programmes as a third country. While the regulations for future EU programmes are still in the process of being developed, the draft Political Declaration envisages the possibility of UK participation in EU programmes like Erasmus+ and the negotiation of general terms of participation. Officials are preparing for all eventualities and are considering a wide range of options with regard to the future of international exchange. These include potential domestic alternatives to the Erasmus+ programme for the 2020/21 academic year and beyond, should we need them.