Asked by: Andrew George (Liberal Democrat - St Ives)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps she plans to take with the Office for Students to ensure that universities provide prospective students with transparent data (a) in general and (b) on what proportion of courses are delivered online.
Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Higher education providers must be transparent in how they advertise and deliver their courses. The Competition and Market Authority has published advice for providers on complying with consumer law, including informing students about the quantity and type of contact hours. All registered providers must pay due regard to this guidance as part of their registration conditions with the Office for Students (OfS).
Online learning offers significant benefits to students, but it must support the quality of a student's learning experience. The OfS’s Blended Learning Review urges providers to clearly communicate course expectations and assess students’ blended learning experiences. Students dissatisfied with their university’s service should use their provider’s complaints process. If a provider is not meeting the OfS’s registration requirements, this can be raised to the OfS by submitting a notification.
Asked by: Andrew George (Liberal Democrat - St Ives)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, which countries armed forces have been trained by British armed forces in each of the last five years.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The UK has a long history of providing assistance to other nations in the security and justice fields and continues to do so around the world. In 2024-25 alone, that spanned 140 different partner nations, with similar levels of engagement across each of the past five years. In the interests of national security and upholding trust and confidentiality in our international partnerships, it is not appropriate for the Government to provide a full breakdown of countries that received military training from the UK over this period. All training is carried out in adherence to International Humanitarian Law.
Asked by: Andrew George (Liberal Democrat - St Ives)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what criteria his Department uses to decide whether to grant a request from a foreign government for training for their armed forces by the British armed forces.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
The provision of training to a foreign military is assessed on a case-by-case basis and kept under review. This is underpinned by a robust process that considers strategic alignment, risks, opportunities, and compliance with International Humanitarian Law.
Asked by: Andrew George (Liberal Democrat - St Ives)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what plans his Department has for training foreign armed forces by British armed forces.
Answered by Luke Pollard - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Defence)
As the Strategic Defence Review sets out, training forms a critical part of the UK’s support to Allies and partners, both globally and in the Euro-Atlantic. Our training offer consists of our globally renowned training institutions, including the Royal College of Defence Studies and the military academies, which continue to attract global leaders in their field, as well as bespoke activity to support Allies and partners.