To match an exact phrase, use quotation marks around the search term. eg. "Parliamentary Estate". Use "OR" or "AND" as link words to form more complex queries.


Keep yourself up-to-date with the latest developments by exploring our subscription options to receive notifications direct to your inbox

Written Question
Students: Fuels
Monday 20th March 2023

Asked by: Angela Crawley (Scottish National Party - Lanark and Hamilton East)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 28 February 2023 to Question 148721 on Students: Fuels, what recent discussions she has had with relevant stakeholders on the impact of the cost-of-living crisis on students.

Answered by Robert Halfon

Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.

The department discusses the additional cost of living pressures that are impacting students this year in our regular meetings with stakeholders, including the Office for Students (OfS), Universities UK and the higher education (HE) Mission Groups. The department has also consulted with the National Association of Student Money Advisers to understand the ongoing situation in relation to increased requests from students for hardship awards from their universities.

The Office for National Statistics has twice surveyed students directly on the impact of cost of living pressures. The most recent report, published on 24 February 2023, is available to view here: https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/educationandchildcare/bulletins/costoflivingandhighereducationstudentsengland/30januaryto13february2023.

On 17 March 2023, the OfS published an insight brief to better understand the impact increasing living costs are having on students. The brief discusses data and research from OfS roundtable events, a poll commissioned by the OfS, and other student surveys to explore how the cost of living is affecting students and how universities and colleges are mitigating its impact.

All households will save on their energy bills through the Energy Price Guarantee and the £400 Energy Bills Support Scheme discount. Students who buy their energy from a domestic supplier are eligible for the energy bills discount.

The Energy Bills Support Scheme Alternative Funding (EBSS AF) will provide £400 support to those households without a direct relationship to a domestic electricity supplier in England, Scotland, and Wales, who have faced increased energy bill costs since 1 October 2022. This will include students in privately rented accommodation, where they receive their energy from an intermediary (such as a landlord or letting agency) who holds a commercial electricity contract.

The Energy Prices Act passed on 25 October 2022 includes the provision which requires landlords to pass any benefits they receive from energy price support onto end users, as appropriate.

Tenants should not need to take action to receive this benefit as the obligation is on intermediaries, such as landlords, to pass through the benefit and provide the information necessary to do so. If a student believes this obligation has not been met, they are advised to contact their landlord, or, intermediary to resolve this in the first instance. Within the regulations, there is also scope to pursue enforcement through civil proceedings. Further guidance on the pass-through requirement can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/pass-through-requirements-for-energy-price-support-provided-to-intermediaries/guidance-on-the-pass-through-requirements-for-energy-price-support-in-great-britain-provided-to-intermediaries.

Students in purpose-built student accommodation are not eligible to receive support under the scheme, as with fixed rental fees set ahead of the academic year, they have not been exposed to unexpectedly higher energy bill costs this Winter.

For students living in university, or private halls, businesses, including those that provide student accommodation, are covered by the Energy Bill Relief Scheme which provides energy bill relief for non-domestic customers in Great Britain.

The department welcomes the continued efforts of the OfS and the HE sector to look at what more can be done to support students in need of financial help.


Written Question
Students: Fuels
Tuesday 28th February 2023

Asked by: Angela Crawley (Scottish National Party - Lanark and Hamilton East)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment her Department has made of the impact of the rising cost of fuel on students in the UK.

Answered by Robert Halfon

Education is a devolved matter, and the response outlines the information for England only.

The department reviews the support provided to cover students’ living costs on an annual basis.

We recognise the additional cost of living pressures that have arisen this year which have impacted students.

We have boosted our student premium by £15 million to help students who need extra support. This extra funding, now totalling £276 million, will complement the help universities are providing through their own bursary, scholarship and hardship support schemes. The department works with the Office for Students to ensure universities support students using both hardship funds and drawing on the student premium.

The department has continued to increase maximum loans and grants each year with a 2.3% increase for the 2022/23 academic year and a further 2.8% increase for 2023/24.

Loans can support with students’ living costs while attending university. the highest levels of support is targeted at students who need it the most, such as students from low-income families. Students who have been awarded a loan for living costs for the 2022/23 academic year that is lower than the maximum, and whose household income for the 2022/23 financial year has dropped by at least 15% compared to the income provided for their original assessment, can apply for their entitlement to be reassessed.

All households will save on their energy bills through the Energy Price Guarantee and the £400 Energy Bills Support Scheme discount. Students who buy their energy from a domestic supplier are eligible for the energy bills discount. The Energy Prices Act passed on 25 October 2022 includes the provision which requires landlords to pass any benefits they receive from energy price support onto end users, as appropriate. Further details of the requirements under this Act are set out in the legislation.

The Energy Bill Relief Scheme provides a price reduction to ensure that all businesses and other non-domestic customers are protected from high energy bills this winter, including universities and private purpose-built student accommodation providers.


Speech in Westminster Hall - Mon 13 Sep 2021
Childcare

Speech Link

View all Angela Crawley (SNP - Lanark and Hamilton East) contributions to the debate on: Childcare

Speech in Westminster Hall - Mon 13 Sep 2021
Childcare

Speech Link

View all Angela Crawley (SNP - Lanark and Hamilton East) contributions to the debate on: Childcare

Speech in Westminster Hall - Mon 13 Sep 2021
Childcare

Speech Link

View all Angela Crawley (SNP - Lanark and Hamilton East) contributions to the debate on: Childcare

Written Question
Young People: Carers
Tuesday 26th February 2019

Asked by: Angela Crawley (Scottish National Party - Lanark and Hamilton East)

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent estimate his Department has made of the number of carers under the age of 18 in (a) the UK, (b) England, (c) Scotland, (d) Wales and (e) Northern Ireland.

Answered by Nadhim Zahawi

An estimate of the number of carers under the age of 18 in England and Wales is collected by the Office of National Statistics through census data. Information on the number of carers under 18 in Scotland and Northern Ireland is a devolved matter.

According to the 2011 census, there are almost 166,000 young carers aged 5 to 17 in England and Wales, although estimates from other studies using different methodologies or question wording to identify carers are much higher.

In January 2017, the Department for Education published the omnibus survey report ‘The lives of young carers in England’: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-lives-of-young-carers-in-england. This was a significant piece of research carried out by the Department in partnership with Loughborough University looking to improve understanding of the numbers and needs of young carers and their families.

The Department of Education and the Department of Health, Social Care have commissioned the Carers Trust to undertake a review of best practice in identifying young carers. This work is currently ongoing but by its conclusion should give us new insights into how schools, health and other providers can best achieve this in practice.


Speech in Westminster Hall - Thu 15 Nov 2018
Anti-bullying Week

Speech Link

View all Angela Crawley (SNP - Lanark and Hamilton East) contributions to the debate on: Anti-bullying Week

Speech in Westminster Hall - Thu 13 Sep 2018
Deaf Children’s Services

Speech Link

View all Angela Crawley (SNP - Lanark and Hamilton East) contributions to the debate on: Deaf Children’s Services

Speech in Westminster Hall - Wed 13 Sep 2017
Parliamentary Candidates: Barriers for Women

Speech Link

View all Angela Crawley (SNP - Lanark and Hamilton East) contributions to the debate on: Parliamentary Candidates: Barriers for Women

Speech in Westminster Hall - Wed 13 Sep 2017
Parliamentary Candidates: Barriers for Women

Speech Link

View all Angela Crawley (SNP - Lanark and Hamilton East) contributions to the debate on: Parliamentary Candidates: Barriers for Women