Higher Education Reform

Debate between Gillian Keegan and Helen Morgan

Monday 17th July 2023 Commons Chamber

[Gillian Keegan]

Yes. The University of Buckingham has taken an excellent leadership position and its two-year degree is very much welcomed by many people. We will introduce the lifelong learning entitlement, which will revolutionise how and when people go to university, what type of courses they take, for what period of time, and how they make those decisions over their entire career and lifetime.

[Helen Morgan (North Shropshire) (LD)]

Many of my constituents study or have obtained degrees from Harper Adams University, just up the road. Those degrees are at the cutting edge of agriculture and the key challenge facing all of us, which is how to feed the planet in a sustainable way. Their degrees and the likely careers they go into are classified by the Office for National Statistics as “unprofessional”. Will the Secretary of State consider reviewing the data and taking a really hard look at how those occupations are classified, because some of my constituents would miss out on a really important opportunity to do a high-class and important degree?

[Gillian Keegan]

I thank the hon. Lady. Harper Adams University is a fantastic university. It does a fantastic range of courses, more and more looking at agri-tech, the technology within agriculture. I am sure it offers fantastic high quality to its students. There have been discussions about the professions and how the data is organised, so I will look at that. A number have raised that concern, not just those in agriculture.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Gillian Keegan and Helen Morgan

Monday 12th June 2023 Commons Chamber

[Gillian Keegan]

The hon. Lady is right: the vast majority of international students return to their home countries once they have finished their studies. Home Office data show that less than 1% of those granted an initial study visa in 2016 had been granted settlement by 2021, but the Office for National Statistics is responsible for the migration figures.

[Helen Morgan (North Shropshire) (LD)]

13. What steps her Department is taking to improve school buildings.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Gillian Keegan and Helen Morgan

Monday 27th February 2023 Commons Chamber

[Gillian Keegan]

Yes, I am committed to seeing what we can do to improve that, and I will definitely meet my hon. Friend.

[Helen Morgan (North Shropshire) (LD)]

I recently had a meeting with headteachers from across north Shropshire, who were clear that they had two top issues: recruitment and retention of staff, and the fact that rural schools receive less funding than their urban counterparts. Can the Secretary of State tell me what she is doing to help schools in rural areas with those two big problems?