Asked by: Baroness Hoey (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what are the 10 franchised delivery providers of education that are registered with the Office for Students with (1) the highest number of foreign national recipients of tuition fee loans, and (2) the highest proportion of enrolled students in receipt of such loans, in the most recent year available.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Minister for Women and Equalities)
The attached table shows the 10 franchised providers registered with the Office for Students (OfS) with the greatest number of foreign national students in receipt of tuition fee loans and the highest proportion of all franchised students at OfS-registered providers in receipt of tuition fee loans for 2023/24. This covers franchised providers in England whose students were funded by tuition fee loans from Student Finance England.
Generally, to be eligible for student support, a student resident in England must have settled status or another recognised connection to the UK and have been ordinarily resident in the United Kingdom and Islands (Channel Islands and Isle of Man) for three years. Persons with international protection are generally eligible for support immediately on their being granted such status by the Home Office. In the attached data, foreign nationality covers students who have declared a nationality other than British in their application for student support.
Asked by: Baroness Hoey (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have had discussions with (1) victims of IRA terrorism, and (2) their legal representatives, about compensation to them being provided from frozen Libyan assets held in the UK.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The UK Government has profound sympathy for UK victims of Qadhafi-sponsored IRA terrorism and indeed for all victims of the Troubles. It also takes issues relating to victims of terrorism very seriously. The UK's stance regarding victims of Qadhafi-sponsored Irish Republican Army (IRA) terrorism is that it is the Libyan State's responsibility to provide compensation. We will continue to urge Libyan authorities to address the Libyan State's historic responsibility for the Qadhafi regime's support of the IRA. The Minister for the Middle East, North Africa, Afghanistan and Pakistan has recently written to some of the victims and their families, and intends to meet to hear their perspectives on the Government's policy on the issue of compensation being provided from frozen Libyan assets in the UK. The Government is committed to a constructive and collaborative engagement with those affected.
Asked by: Baroness Hoey (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask His Majesty's Government, following the decision of the Court of Appeal in Northern Ireland In re Bridie Brown (CA) on 3 April, in which cases since the commencement of the Human Rights Act 1998 have the courts ordered the Northern Ireland Office to hold a public inquiry related to Article 2 of the European Convention of Human Rights; who is responsible under the Inquiries Act 2005 for deciding to set up statutory inquiries; under what powers the judiciary in Northern Ireland and England and Wales can make a declaratory or mandatory order that a public inquiry be set up; and what are the consequences of refusal to carry out such an order.
Answered by Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
Aside from the case of Brown, the Courts have never ordered the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland nor any other Government Minister to establish a public inquiry.
Under section 1 of the Inquiries Act 2005 the power to set up a statutory public inquiry lies with a Minister. A Minister may cause an inquiry to be held under this Act in relation to a case where it appears to them that (a) particular events have caused, or are capable of causing, public concern, or (b) there is public concern that particular events may have occurred.
There are no statutory powers in the Inquiries Act 2005 for the judiciary in England and Wales or Northern Ireland to set up a public inquiry.
Asked by: Baroness Hoey (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many tuition fee loans, and for how much in total, were provided to franchised delivery providers of education who are (1) registered with the Office for Students, and (2) non-registered, in the past three years.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Minister for Women and Equalities)
The attached table shows the number of students in receipt of a tuition fee loan and the total amount of tuition fee loans paid on behalf of students studying at franchised providers in England, split by whether the franchised provider is registered with the Office for Students. This covers tuition fees paid by Student Finance England for the 2021/22, 2022/23 and 2023/24 academic years.
In franchising arrangements, tuition fees are paid directly to the lead provider, who often retains a portion before passing the remainder onto the franchised provider. The department does not collect data on the proportion of tuition fees retained by the lead provider. The tuition fee amounts presented in the table therefore overestimate the amount of tuition fee funding received by franchised providers.
Data captures loan payments made up to 31 August 2023 for the 2021/22 academic year and up to 31 August 2024 for the 2022/23 and 23/24 academic years. As the loan payment amounts for 2023/24 do not capture late payments, it is not appropriate to compare 2023/24 with previous years.
Asked by: Baroness Hoey (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Northern Ireland Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will invite the Police Service of Northern Ireland to investigate the conduct of ministers following the declassification of the minutes of a meeting with Sinn Fein at Hillsborough Castle on 9 October 2001 which record that ministers had "turned a blind eye" to serious crimes of the IRA, as reported in the Belfast Telegraph on 28 March.
Answered by Baroness Anderson of Stoke-on-Trent - Baroness in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The Government does not comment on National Archives releases or releases relating to previous Governments.
Asked by: Baroness Hoey (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many colleges and institutions are registered as higher education providers with the Office for Students.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Minister for Women and Equalities)
There are currently 426 higher education providers registered with the Office for Students (OfS) as of 28 March 2025. The full OfS register of providers is publicly available and can be found on the OfS website.
Asked by: Baroness Hoey (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to abolish university tuition fees for nursing.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Minister for Women and Equalities)
Currently, there are no plans to abolish tuition fees for nursing courses for the 2025/26 academic year. Students undertaking nursing, midwifery and allied health profession courses qualify for non-repayable grant support through the NHS Learning Support Fund. In addition, for the 2025/26 academic year, we will be increasing loans for living costs by 3.1%. This ensures that the most support is targeted at students from the lowest income families, while keeping the student finance system financially sustainable.
The higher education (HE) sector needs a secure financial footing to face the challenges of the next decade, and to ensure that all students can be confident they will receive the world-class HE experience they deserve. This is why, after seven years of frozen fee caps under the previous government, the department has taken the difficult decision to increase maximum tuition fee limits for the 2025/26 academic year by 3.1%, in line with the forecast rate of inflation.
In recognition of the increased investment students are being asked to make, the department expects the sector to deliver the very best outcomes, both for those students and for the country. We will publish our plan for HE reform in the summer, and work with the sector and the Office for Students to deliver the change that the country needs.
Asked by: Baroness Hoey (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the current protests and demonstrations in Zimbabwe and the detention of opposition party members by the Zanu PF government.
Answered by Lord Collins of Highbury - Lord in Waiting (HM Household) (Whip)
The UK is monitoring political developments in Zimbabwe, including demonstrations on 31 March when a number of protestors were arrested. The UK supports the rights to peaceful protest and due process guaranteed by Zimbabwe's constitution.
Asked by: Baroness Hoey (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the additional costs to Post Offices of person-to-person parcels going from Great Britain to Northern Ireland and requiring documentation under the Windsor Framework.
Answered by Lord Livermore - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
The Government has not made a specific estimate of any costs to the Post Office of adapting to the arrangements set out in the Windsor Framework.
Asked by: Baroness Hoey (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Attorney General:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether a decision to bring a judicial review of the coroner's recent findings of no justification at the inquest into the deaths by military gunfire of four armed IRA men at Clonoe, County Tyrone in 1992 has been taken by the Attorney General; and, if not, why not.
Answered by Lord Hermer - Attorney General
Paragraph 21.27 of Erskine May states:
“By long-standing convention, observed by successive Governments, the fact of, and substance of advice from, the law officers of the Crown is not disclosed outside government. This convention is referred to in paragraph [5.14] of the Ministerial Code [updated on 6 November 2024]. The purpose of this convention is to enable the Government to obtain frank and full legal advice in confidence.”
This is known as the Law Officers’ Convention and it applies to your question.