Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will meet the senior Jewish academics who wrote to her on 11 August 2024 on the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act 2023.

Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

My noble Friend, the Minister for Skills Baroness Smith confirmed to the House of Lords on 10 October 2024 that she will meet with the Jewish academics who wrote to my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education on 11 August. That meeting has now been arranged by her office.

Departmental officials and Minister Smith have met with over 40 individuals to discuss the future of the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act 2023, including academics with concerns about constraints on freedom of speech and academic freedom, as well as representatives from minority groups. These meetings will inform decision making on the future of the Act.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps her Department is taking to help counter the influence of the Chinese state in British universities.

Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The UK welcomes international partnerships and students, including from China, who make a very positive impact on the UK’s higher education (HE) sector, our economy and society as a whole. However, the government will always protect its national security interests, human rights and values.

There are a set of measures that protect against undue foreign interference in our universities. These range from the Academic Technology Approval Scheme, which vets students and researchers seeking to study in sensitive areas, to the provisions of the Education Act 1986, which require HE providers to uphold freedom of speech within the law for staff, students and visiting speakers. In England, all registered providers must also uphold applicable public interest governance principles to meet the regulatory requirements of the Office for Students, including principles on academic freedom and accountability, such as operating openly and with integrity.

To support the HE sector to maximise the opportunities of international collaboration whilst managing the risks, the government offers practical advice through the National Protective Security Authority, the National Cyber Security Centre and the Research Collaboration and Advice Team. The department works alongside these partners and engages directly with the sector to increase their understanding of the risks and their ability to respond to them.

This government will take a consistent, long term and strategic approach to managing the UK’s relations with China, rooted in UK and global interests. The department will co-operate where we can, compete where we need to, and challenge where we must. We are contributing towards the government’s audit of the UK’s relationship with China as a bilateral and global actor, to improve our ability to understand and respond to the challenges and opportunities China poses.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many unfilled state-funded (a) primary and (b) secondary school places there are in East Surrey.

Answered by Catherine McKinnell - Minister of State (Education)

Information on unfilled state-funded school places as at May 2023 is published at local authority level in the annual School Capacity statistics publication found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-capacity.

The number of unfilled primary and secondary school places in Surrey can be found here: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-tables/permalink/f7aaa7c5-c62c-4112-40d8-08dce44cbd16.

School Capacity data is also published at school level. This can be combined with information from ‘Get Information About Schools’ (GIAS) to identify parliamentary constituency, which can be accessed here: https://get-information-schools.service.gov.uk/. GIAS currently reflects the changes made following the general election parliamentary constituency changes.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she had discussions with relevant stakeholders on the potential impact of pausing the implementation of the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act 2023 on income from China for UK universities as part of discussions relating to that decision.

Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

Departmental officials and my noble Friend, the Minister for Skills have engaged with a wide range of stakeholders on the future of the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act 2023. This includes representatives of higher education providers and academics, including from the Committee for Academic Freedom, Academics for Academic Freedom and the London Universities’ Council for Academic Freedom, who jointly set up the open letter.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has had discussions with the signatories of the open letter by Academics for Academic Freedoms, published on 2 August 2024, on the implementation of the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act 2023.

Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

Departmental officials and my noble Friend, the Minister for Skills have engaged with a wide range of stakeholders on the future of the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act 2023. This includes representatives of higher education providers and academics, including from the Committee for Academic Freedom, Academics for Academic Freedom and the London Universities’ Council for Academic Freedom, who jointly set up the open letter.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the evidential basis is for the statement by her Department's spokesman quoted in the Telegraph of 24 August 2024 that the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act 2023 could expose students to harm and appalling hate speech on campuses.

Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The department has not collected data on individual cases of employment tribunals related to freedom of speech. Cases such as these are rare and are rightfully seen as a last resort.

The department has heard concerns from many in the sector, including minority groups, that the Act and its implementation may have unintended consequences. Many raised concerns that the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act could push providers to overlook the safety and wellbeing of minority groups over fears of sanction and costly legal action.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what is the average length of time taken for an employment tribunal for those seeking redress over a freedom of speech dispute.

Answered by Janet Daby - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

The department has not collected data on individual cases of employment tribunals related to freedom of speech. Cases such as these are rare and are rightfully seen as a last resort.

The department has heard concerns from many in the sector, including minority groups, that the Act and its implementation may have unintended consequences. Many raised concerns that the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act could push providers to overlook the safety and wellbeing of minority groups over fears of sanction and costly legal action.

Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate she has made of the potential impact of the implementation of VAT on independent school fees on (a) number of pupils requiring SEND services in the state education sector and (b) associated costs; and whether she plans to amend the funding available for those services.

Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)

Projections by the Institute for Fiscal Studies indicate that the number of pupils who may switch schools as a result of these changes is likely to represent a very small proportion of overall pupil numbers in the state sector, with any displacement expected to take place over several years. This research can be found here: https://ifs.org.uk/publications/tax-private-school-fees-and-state-school-spending.

The department works to support local authorities to ensure that every local area has sufficient places for children that need them and works to provide appropriate support for pupils with special educational needs.

Where pupils’ places in private schools are being funded by local authorities because their needs can only be met in private school, for example in England, where attendance at a named private school is required by a child’s education, health and care plan, local authorities will be able to reclaim the VAT.

The government will publish a Tax Information and Impact Note setting out the impacts of the VAT changes alongside the Finance Bill.

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