Asked by: Marquess of Lothian (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to assist the hospitality industry in the UK, following both the coronavirus pandemic and cost of living crisis; and what consideration they have given to reducing VAT to 10 per cent for the hospitality industry.
Answered by Baroness Vere of Norbiton - Parliamentary Secretary (HM Treasury)
Since the start of the pandemic, over £37 billion has been provided to the tourism, leisure and hospitality sectors in the form of grants, loans and tax breaks.
The Government announced a package of business rates support at Autumn Statement 2022 which means businesses in the retail, hospitality and leisure sectors, including pubs, will receive a tax cut worth over £2 billion in 2023-24. The UK also has a higher VAT registration threshold than any EU Member State and the second highest in the OECD, which keeps most businesses out of the VAT system altogether.
VAT is the UK's third largest tax forecast to raise £161 billion in 2023/24, helping to fund key spending priorities such as important public services, including the NHS, education and defence. The previous VAT relief for tourism and hospitality cost over £8 billion and reintroducing it would come at a significant further cost.
Asked by: Claire Hanna (Social Democratic & Labour Party - Belfast South)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of reducing VAT for the hospitality industry.
Answered by Nigel Huddleston - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
Since the start of the pandemic, over £37 billion has been provided to the tourism, leisure and hospitality sectors in the form of grants, loans and tax breaks.
The Government announced a package of business rates support at Autumn Statement 2022 which means businesses in the retail, hospitality and leisure sectors, including pubs, will receive a tax cut worth over £2 billion in 2023-24. The UK also has a higher VAT registration threshold than any EU Member State and the second highest in the OECD, which keeps most businesses out of the VAT system altogether.
VAT is the UK's third largest tax forecast to raise £161 billion in 2023/24, helping to fund key spending priorities such as important public services, including the NHS, education and defence. The previous VAT relief for tourism and hospitality cost over £8 billion and reintroducing it would come at a significant further cost.
Asked by: Esther McVey (Conservative - Tatton)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what funding has been allocated by (a) his Department and (b) universities to support students during the (i) 2017-18, (ii) 2018-19 and (iii) 2019-20 academic year.
Answered by Michelle Donelan - Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology
In the academic year 2017/18, the total amount paid/awarded through the Student Loans Company to students domiciled in England and students domiciled in the EU and studying in England was £16.5 billion [1]. This included grants, allowances and tuition fee and maintenance loans. The equivalent figure for 2018/19 was £17.1 billion. Equivalent figures are not yet available for the 2019/20 academic year.
The value of the government’s contribution via the Student Loans Company loans is contingent upon future repayments and interest rates.
The Office for Students (OfS) is responsible for distributing funding to the sector on behalf of the Department for Education. While the OfS distributes funding to higher education providers based on the academic year, the department allocates funding based on the financial year.
In the financial year 2017/18, the Higher Education Funding Council for England (the OfS’s predecessor) allocated £1.607 billion [2] in recurrent and capital teaching funding. The equivalent figures for 2018/19 and 2019/20 were £1.538 billion and £1.487 billion respectively. The 2019/20 allocation was published in February 2019.
The teaching grant is allocated to providers to support various activities, including high-cost subject funding, where tuition fees alone do not cover the full costs of provision, and the costs of supporting students most at risk of discontinuing their studies.
Information on the full range of financial support made available to students from their providers is not held by the department.
[1] https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/student-support-for-higher-education-in-england-2019
[2] https://www.officeforstudents.org.uk/advice-and-guidance/regulation/guidance-from-government/
Asked by: Caroline Lucas (Green Party - Brighton, Pavilion)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether EU citizens starting courses in UK higher education institutions in the 2020-21 academic year will be eligible for (a) home fee status and (b) student loans and grants under the current eligibility criteria; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Chris Skidmore
We recognise how important it is that students and institutions have information on eligibility for student support before applications for courses open.
Applications for courses starting in academic year 2020/21 do not open until September 2019. We will ensure students and institutions have the information they need well in advance of that date.
Asked by: Daniel Zeichner (Labour - Cambridge)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether EU students starting courses in English higher education institutions in 2019-20 and 2020-21 will be eligible for (a) home fee status and (b) student loans and grants under the current eligibility criteria.
Answered by Sam Gyimah
The government has taken action to provide greater certainty about student funding for EU students. We have confirmed that current EU students and those starting courses at an English university or further education institution in the 2017/18 and 2018/19 academic years will continue to be eligible for student loans and home fee status for the duration of their course.
Future arrangements for EU students starting courses after 2018/19, and who are not settled in the UK or on a pathway to settled status by the specified date, will need to be considered as part of wider discussions about the UK’s relationship with the EU.
Applications for courses starting in 2019/20 do not open until September 2018, and we are working to ensure students applying have information well in advance of this date.
Asked by: Daniel Zeichner (Labour - Cambridge)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if the Government will take steps to ensure that as part of the transitional arrangement EU students starting courses in English higher education institutions during any agreed implementation period will continue to be eligible for (a) home fee status and (b) student loans and grants.
Answered by Sam Gyimah
Future arrangements for EU students starting courses after 2018/19, and who are not settled in the UK or on a pathway to settled status by the specified date, is being considered as part of wider discussions about the UK’s relationship with the EU.
Applications for courses starting in 2019/20 do not open until September 2018, and we are working to ensure students applying have information well in advance of this date.
Asked by: Tracy Brabin (Labour (Co-op) - Batley and Spen)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much (a) in total and (b) as a proportion of total annual expenditure paid to students by Student Finance England was spent on non-repayable support paid to students from low income families in England in each of the last seven years.
Answered by Lord Johnson of Marylebone
Statistics covering support paid by Student Finance England (SFE) to English and EU domiciled students are published annually by the Student Loans Company (SLC) in the Statistical First Release (SFR) ‘Student Support for Higher Education in England’.
http://www.slc.co.uk/official-statistics/financial-support-awarded/england-higher-education.aspx
Table 3A of the SFR shows how much means-tested support was paid to full-time English domiciled students as non-repayable maintenance grants up to the academic year 2015/16. In the academic year 2015/16, a full maintenance grant was available to students with a household residual income up to £25,000, and a partial grant to those with a household residual income up to £42,620. For comparison, table 2 of the SFR provides an overview of all support awarded to applicants up to the academic year 2015/16.
Larger maintenance loans have been available in place of maintenance grants to help with living costs for full-time students entering higher education since August 2016. Table 6.3 of the SFR shows early indicative data (two months into the academic year) on maintenance grants awarded in the academic year 2016/17. More complete information for the academic year 2016/17 will be published in November 2017.
Other non-repayable targeted support is available to eligible students with disabilities, or with adult or child dependants, however information on the payment of these to students from low income families is not available.
Asked by: Stephen Timms (Labour - East Ham)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how much EU funding was received by higher education institutions in (a) the UK and (b) Greater London in each financial year since 2010-11.
Answered by Lord Johnson of Marylebone
The table below shows the level of funding Higher Education Institutions in (a) the UK and (b) the London region, received from EU government bodies for research grants and contracts, the European Regional Development Fund and the European Social Fund between 2010/11 and 2014/15.
Region | 10/11 | 11/12 | 12/13 | 13/14 | 14/15 |
London (£thousands) | 93,408 | 111,783 | 135,385 | 158,230 | 171,519 |
UK (£thousands) | 496,734 | 589,425 | 694,731 | 787,047 | 821,280 |
Source: BEIS analysis of the HESA Finance Record and the HE-BCI Survey
Asked by: Margaret Greenwood (Labour - Wirral West)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how much EU funding was received by the higher education sector in the (a) UK and (b) North West in each financial year since 2010-11.
Answered by Lord Johnson of Marylebone
The table below shows the level of funding Higher Education Institutions in (a) the UK and (b) the North West, received from EU government bodies for research grants and contracts, the European Regional Development Fund and the European Social Fund between 2010/11 and 2014/15.
Region | 10/11 | 11/12 | 12/13 | 13/14 | 14/15 |
North West (£ thousands) | 44,358 | 45,624 | 53,153 | 59,752 | 67,035 |
UK (£ thousands) | 496,734 | 589,425 | 694,731 | 787,047 | 821,280 |
Source: BEIS analysis of the HESA Finance Record and the HE-BCI Survey
Asked by: Jim Cunningham (Labour - Coventry South)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 24 January 2017 to Question 60574, what assessment she has made of the potential effect of the decision to leave the EU on the number of academic staff at UK Higher Education Institutions whose funding is from EU sources.
Answered by Lord Johnson of Marylebone
Any potential effects of the UK’s decision to leave the EU on the number of academic staff at UK higher education institutions whose funding is from EU sources will be considered as part of wider discussions about the UK’s relationship with the EU.