Asked by: Andrew George (Liberal Democrat - St Ives)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many UK universities that are registered with the Office for Students publish the (a) quantity and (b) type of contact hours for courses advertised to prospective students.
Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The Office for Students (OfS) does not routinely collect or publish data on the number of registered higher education providers that disclose the quantity and type of contact hours for courses advertised to prospective students.
However, all registered providers are expected to comply with consumer protection law, including providing clear and accurate information to students about their courses. The Competition and Markets Authority has issued guidance to support providers in meeting these obligations, which includes transparency around contact hours and modes of delivery. The OfS expects providers to have due regard to this guidance as part of their registration conditions.
Where students believe that information provided has been misleading or insufficient, they are encouraged to raise concerns through their provider’s complaints process and can escalate complaints to the Office of the Independent Adjudicator for Higher Education if necessary. Additionally, any students, staff or members of the public who feel a university is not meeting the OfS’ registration requirements may submit a notification to the OfS.
Asked by: Andrew George (Liberal Democrat - St Ives)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps she is taking through the criminal justice system to help tackle violence against women and children.
Answered by Alex Davies-Jones - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)
The scale of violence against women and girls in our country is intolerable and this Government is treating it as the national emergency that it is. The Government was elected with a landmark mission to halve violence against women and girls (VAWG) in a decade. We are aiming to publish our new, cross-government strategy later this year.
We will use a wide variety of tools to target perpetrators and tackle the root causes of abuse and violence. The Ministry of Justice has already taken action by:
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.
Asked by: Andrew George (Liberal Democrat - St Ives)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the (a) annual capacity of the Overseas Registration Examination system and (b) number of fully trained overseas dentists already in the UK who are on the waiting list for this examination.
Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)
The Overseas Registration exam (ORE) is operated by the General Dental Council (GDC), which is independent of the Government. The Department does not hold data on exactly how many candidates are waiting to sit the GDC’s ORE, or their residency status.
We understand from the GDC that, in April 2025, there were approximately 5,000 candidates on the combined waiting lists for both Part 1 and Part 2 of the ORE exam.
In April 2025, there was one sitting of the ORE Part 1, with 600 places available, and three sittings of the ORE Part 2 between January and April 2025, with 144 places on each. Between August 2025 and April 2026, there will be three sittings of ORE Part 1, with 600 places available on each sitting, and four sittings of ORE Part 2, with 144 places available on each sitting. In total, this provides 2,400 places for ORE Part 1, and 1,008 places for ORE Part 2 between April 2025 and April 2026.
The GDC’s procurement of new ORE provider contracts is ongoing, and the GDC expects to be able to announce the new providers this autumn. Officials will continue to discuss the new arrangements with the GDC, with a focus on understanding how they will further increase the availability of the ORE exam.
Whilst the GDC holds contact details for candidates on the waiting list for the ORE, they do not hold data on residency. It is the role of the GDC to approve eligibility criteria for the ORE. There are no restrictions on accessing the exam based on the residency status of the candidate.
Asked by: Andrew George (Liberal Democrat - St Ives)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what recent estimate he has made of the occupancy levels of premises (a) owned and (b) leased by (i) the Government and (ii) its agencies in (A) Cornwall and (B) the Isles of Scilly.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Parliamentary Secretary (Cabinet Office)
Central data on Civil Service Headquarters (HQ) occupancy is collected and published quarterly on GOV.UK (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/civil-service-hq-occupancy-data) for all HQ buildings of Whitehall Departments, Office for Scotland, Office for Wales and Northern Ireland Office.
As was the case under the previous administration, no other information on workforce attendance is gathered centrally. Heads of departments have agreed that 60% minimum office attendance for most staff continues to be the best balance of working for the Civil Service.
Asked by: Andrew George (Liberal Democrat - St Ives)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what (a) trading rules and (b) tariffs on trade apply between the UK and settlements within the Occupied Palestinian Territories.
Answered by Douglas Alexander - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)
The UK Government has a clear position that Israeli settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territories are illegal under international law. There are clear risks related to economic and financial activities in the settlements, and we do not encourage or offer support to such activity. Goods produced in these settlements are not entitled to benefit from preferential tariff treatment under the UK's current trade agreements with the Palestinian Authority and Israel.
The overseas business risk guidance, available on gov.uk, provides information for UK operators on how goods from Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories should be labelled.
Asked by: Andrew George (Liberal Democrat - St Ives)
Question to the Department for Business and Trade:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, if he will increase the powers of the Grocery Code Adjudicator.
Answered by Justin Madders - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)
We had a Westminster Hall Debate last week, where a number of issues were raised, he will know that we are undertaking our fourth review of the Groceries Code Adjudicator (GCA). I would encourage him and other members to contribute to that. We are considering the other points that have been made in that debate, and we welcome comments in the review as well.