Oral Answers to Questions

Desmond Swayne Excerpts

Tuesday 21st July 2020 Commons Chamber

[Kwasi Kwarteng]

The hon. Gentleman is absolutely right to highlight this issue and I share a lot of his concerns, but it is wrong to suggest that we are not doing anything. From autumn this year, we are providing a package of low-interest loans with long payback periods, supplemented by a small element of grant, to cover up to 80% of the universities’ income losses from international students. The money that is being pumped into our further education deals precisely with the point that he raised, and we are continuing to do that.

[Sir Desmond Swayne (New Forest West) (Con)]

Because the exhibitions industry generates so much additional economic activity we should reopen it fully immediately, shouldn’t we?

[Kwasi Kwarteng]

My right hon. Friend raises an important point. Of course we recognise the valiant contribution that the sector makes to the UK economy. We are working closely with the sector to pilot the reopening of conference centres, with a view to full socially distanced reopening from 1 October, subject of course to continuing to make progress.