Asked by: Lord Weir of Ballyholme (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking across Government to promote equality and inclusion as part of the National Year of Reading.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The National Year of Reading is a UK-wide campaign designed to tackle the steep decline in reading for enjoyment amongst children, young people and adults, and to engage new audiences with reading. It aims to achieve a lasting change to the nation’s reading habits and is a campaign made available for all ages and communities. The campaign reflects that the decline in reading for enjoyment affects all sectors of society, however there will be a targeted focus on certain priority groups, including boys aged 10 to 16, parents from disadvantaged communities, and early years children.
‘Go All In’ is a fully inclusive campaign, encouraging people to read about whatever interests them, via any genre and all mediums of reading, from physical books, to comics, to e-books. The campaign includes support from a diverse range of authors, celebrities and content creators representing a range of different ages, backgrounds and cultures from communities across the UK. The campaign will reach communities across the UK through schools, libraries, businesses and local partners. Libraries, as free to access community hubs, will play a central role in supporting participation and helping people of all ages and from all sectors of society to develop a lasting love of reading.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government, in the light of allegations that Sheffield Hallam University halted the research of Professor Laura Murphy in 2025 and that University College London removed Professor Michelle Shipworth from teaching a course in 2024, what action they have taken to protect academic freedom and free speech on university campuses.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
This government is absolutely committed to freedom of speech and academic freedom. The department commenced provisions from the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act 2023 on 1 August 2025 that strengthen provider duties on free speech, including a requirement to put in place free speech codes of practice, and a requirement for the Office for Students (OfS) to promote free speech. The OfS has issued extensive guidance to higher education providers on commencement of their duties, which makes it explicitly clear that universities should not tolerate attempts by foreign states to suppress academic freedom.
We are collaborating with universities, including vice chancellors, through a series of events to discuss risks and work together on plans to develop the sector’s resilience. We have also announced a £3 million investment package and a new Academic Interference Reporting Route to support the sector to access expert advice to help institutions identify vulnerabilities.
Asked by: Lord Weir of Ballyholme (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what funding they are providing in 2026–27 for chess in schools; and whether the tendering process for any projects will be completed in time to enable full implementation.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.
From the 2026/27 financial year, the department intends to invest up to £250,000 per year for three years (a total of £750,000) to partner with an organisation to deliver a national programme for chess in schools.
It will aim to increase pupils’ participation in chess, embed sustainable provision, and ensure regular opportunities to play chess are made available across all nine regions of England. This includes resources and training for staff, support for pupil-led delivery, and opportunities for schools to join local and online tournaments to celebrate achievement and encourage engagement.
We will prioritise mainstream primary and secondary schools with higher proportions of pupils eligible for free school meals, as well as special schools and alternative provision settings, and improve access for girls and pupils with special educational needs and disabilities.
The department intends to publish an invitation to tender for delivery of the programme in due course.
Asked by: Lord Wigley (Plaid Cymru - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many overseas students have started undergraduate degrees at UK universities in each of the past 10 years.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) is responsible for collecting and publishing data on the UK higher education sector. This data is shared with the department and includes a wide range of information on students in UK higher education providers (HEPs), including their country of domicile.
Between 2015/16 and 2024/25, international entrants to undergraduate courses at UK HEPs have increased from 103,000 to 123,000. Year on year details are in the table below.
Academic Year | International Entrants to Undergraduate courses at UK HEPs |
2015/16 | 103,295 |
2016/17 | 104,970 |
2017/18 | 107,850 |
2018/19 | 114,470 |
2019/20 | 127,240 |
2020/21 | 124,115 |
2021/22 | 110,145 |
2022/23 | 121,915 |
2023/24 | 121,630 |
2024/25 | 123,325 |
Counts of entrants to UK HEPs by domicile are published in Table 1 of HESA’s Student Data.
Asked by: Ian Byrne (Labour - Liverpool West Derby)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate her Department has made of the proportion of borrowers on Plan 2 student loans whose outstanding balance is projected to increase for at least the first ten years of repayment due to interest accrual exceeding annual repayments.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department does not hold analysis of the proportion of borrowers whose loan is projected to increase in their first ten years of repayment.
Student loan repayments are linked to income, not to the amount borrowed or interest applied. As repayments remain income-contingent if a borrower’s salary remains the same, their monthly repayments will also stay the same. Repayments are made at a constant rate of 9% above the earnings threshold, and the 9% rate strikes a balance between affordability for graduates and fairness to taxpayers.
Outstanding debt, including interest built up, is cancelled at the end of the loan term with no detriment to the borrower, and debt is never passed on to family members or descendants. This is a deliberate government investment in students and the economy.
Asked by: Ian Byrne (Labour - Liverpool West Derby)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate her Department has made of (a) the average outstanding student loan balance and (b) the proportion of borrowers currently making repayments in (i) Merseyside and (ii) the North West of England.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The average outstanding student loan balance of borrowers in the North West government region who have been funded by Student Finance England was £37,000 (rounded to the nearest thousand) on 15 March 2025. This includes all loans, even those not yet liable to repay. The proportion of borrowers currently residing in the North West government region who have been funded by Student Finance England and made at least one repayment in this financial year is 46.8%.
The department does not hold student loan data for Merseyside specifically, as it is not a defined statistical geography in our datasets. Therefore, figures can only be provided at North West regional level.
Please note published national data provides the picture of borrowers’ repayment and employment status on 31 March 2025 and differs to the proportion who have made a repayment in the last year.
Asked by: Catherine McKinnell (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne North)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to support schools to help tackle climate change.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The Education Estates Strategy sets out plans for an education estate that supports opportunity for all, with an education estate that is safe, suitable, sustainable and appropriately sufficiently sized. It is backed by a ten-year plan to deliver a decade of renewal to transform schools and colleges.
The department expects all settings to have a climate action plan to ensure that the education estate becomes more climate resilient.
We will support all settings to develop climate action plans and appoint a sustainability lead through the Sustainability Support Programme until at least 2030. More than 10,000 education settings are already accessing this free support.
The Sustainability Support for Education online service signposts settings to relevant actions and trusted guidance and tools.
Climate Ambassadors, working with Ashden’s ‘Let’s Go Zero’ campaign, provide on the ground support and facilitate peer learning.
All settings have the flexibility to develop a plan that reflects their specific context, priorities and needs.
Asked by: Lord Weir of Ballyholme (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to promote the National Year of Reading in (1) early years settings, (2) primary schools, (3) secondary schools, (4) further education, and (5) higher education.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The National Year of Reading is a UK-wide campaign to address long-term declines in reading enjoyment.
It includes a major physical and online marketing campaign, as well as exciting events, webinars, resources, and activities in communities, libraries, schools and early years settings throughout the year. Reading together is one of the most powerful ways to build a child’s language and communication skills, strengthen early bonds, and spark a lifelong love of reading, which is why early years is one of the priority groups for the National Year of Reading.
We are raising awareness of the National Year of Reading through a range of methods, such as via departmental communication channels, the National Year of Reading mailing list and social media, communications from the National Literacy Trust, and promotion via the English Hubs network.
All interested parties are encouraged to sign up to the National Year of Reading website for more information: https://goallin.org.uk/.
To further support reading for pleasure, this government has committed over £10 million of dormant assets funding to guarantee a library for every primary school by the end of this parliament, and a further £5 million for secondary schools to purchase books to encourage reading enjoyment amongst their pupils.
Asked by: Baroness Griffin of Princethorpe (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what measures they are taking to ensure the National Year of Reading 2026 has a long-term, positive legacy, extending beyond this year.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The National Year of Reading 2026 aims to make lasting change to the reading habits of the nation to address the decline in reading for pleasure and unlock one of the most powerful tools for equity and opportunity: a love of reading that lasts a lifetime. The campaign aims for lasting impact by engaging new audiences, making reading relevant, transforming practice, and building infrastructure. For example, we are providing £5 million of funding for secondary schools to purchase books to encourage reading for pleasure.
The National Year of Reading is grounded in both existing evidence and new research, conducted by an external research agency. This is a critical component of the campaign, to ensure it is impactful and meaningful, both during the year and beyond.
There will also be an independent external evaluation of the National Year of Reading which will be published in 2027. The evaluation will examine how the campaign influences reading behaviours, connects with audiences and shapes attitudes towards reading, particularly among the campaign’s priority audiences, including teenage boys, the early years, and families from disadvantaged communities. It will also assess the wider impact on the literacy sector and the foundations for long-term change.
Asked by: Lord Storey (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government following the ruling of the High Court on 24 February in relation to Oak National Academy, whether the Government will commit to greater transparency about Oak’s future funding and scope.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Ministers regularly meet and engage with a range of stakeholders to discuss and seek views on the curriculum and how best to support schools, teachers and pupils.
We will set out Oak National Academy’s remit and funding for the coming year in a published letter to the Chair of the Oak Board in due course. I cannot comment on the Judicial Review of Oak, which is ongoing.