Asked by: Jack Rankin (Conservative - Windsor)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many apprentices the Department recruited in 2015 compared to (a) 2022, (b) 2023 and (c) 2024.
Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
The number of apprentices that enrolled onto apprenticeship programmes within the department in each calendar year is as follows:
Note: this is a combination of new apprentices joining the department and existing staff embarking on apprenticeship programmes as part of their career development.
The department does not hold data for 2015. For comparison purposes we can confirm that in 2016 the department had 32 apprentices enrol onto apprenticeship programmes. In 2017, the department had 54 apprentices enrol onto apprenticeship programmes.
Asked by: Jack Rankin (Conservative - Windsor)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether the Office for Students has reviewed the adequacy of compliance procedures at students' unions following public statements praising Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
As stated by my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Defence on 1 March, Ayatollah Khamenei ran an oppressive and brutal regime, murdering thousands of his own citizens and exporting terror, including to Britain. It is horrifying to see his death mourned publicly in this country.
We condemn all extremist intimidation, harassment and incitement to hatred in our universities. Where public mourning involves this sort of unacceptable behaviour, it should not be tolerated. The department’s Prevent Coordinators engage with universities on concerns relating to students’ union activity and student conduct, to ensure that the correct policies and procedures have been followed. Students’ Unions, where they are registered charities, are regulated by the Charity Commission for compliance with charity law, which assesses and manages them through its regulatory framework.
Asked by: Jack Rankin (Conservative - Windsor)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has had discussions with (a) University College London and (b) other higher education institutions on levels of student society support for Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
As stated by my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Defence on 1 March, Ayatollah Khamenei ran an oppressive and brutal regime, murdering thousands of his own citizens and exporting terror, including to Britain. It is horrifying to see his death mourned publicly in this country.
We condemn all extremist intimidation, harassment and incitement to hatred in our universities. Where public mourning involves this sort of unacceptable behaviour, it should not be tolerated. The department’s Prevent Coordinators engage with universities on concerns relating to students’ union activity and student conduct, to ensure that the correct policies and procedures have been followed. Students’ Unions, where they are registered charities, are regulated by the Charity Commission for compliance with charity law, which assesses and manages them through its regulatory framework.
Asked by: Jack Rankin (Conservative - Windsor)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether her Department has issued guidance to higher education institutions on the promotion of narratives in student societies linked to foreign political leadership.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
As stated by my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Defence on 1 March, Ayatollah Khamenei ran an oppressive and brutal regime, murdering thousands of his own citizens and exporting terror, including to Britain. It is horrifying to see his death mourned publicly in this country.
We condemn all extremist intimidation, harassment and incitement to hatred in our universities. Where public mourning involves this sort of unacceptable behaviour, it should not be tolerated. The department’s Prevent Coordinators engage with universities on concerns relating to students’ union activity and student conduct, to ensure that the correct policies and procedures have been followed. Students’ Unions, where they are registered charities, are regulated by the Charity Commission for compliance with charity law, which assesses and manages them through its regulatory framework.
Asked by: Jack Rankin (Conservative - Windsor)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what mechanisms are in place to monitor the consistency of Prevent duty implementation across higher education providers in England.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The situation in the Middle East is deeply troubling, and the escalating violence highlights the importance of universities’ Prevent duty responsibilities to safeguard students from radicalisation.
To comply with the Prevent duty, universities must have effective policies in place and regularly assess risks; this may include updating their risk assessments to remain alert to any increased vulnerability among students, considering recent events.
The Office for Students (OfS) monitors how higher education providers are complying with the Prevent duty and ensures that appropriate measures are in place to protect students from radicalisation. Current OfS monitoring shows that providers are broadly meeting their responsibilities.
The department continues to work closely with the OfS to review compliance and support providers in maintaining high standards.
Asked by: Jack Rankin (Conservative - Windsor)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment she has made of the effectiveness of universities at fulfilling their Prevent duty obligations, in the context of levels of support for Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The situation in the Middle East is deeply troubling, and the escalating violence highlights the importance of universities’ Prevent duty responsibilities to safeguard students from radicalisation.
To comply with the Prevent duty, universities must have effective policies in place and regularly assess risks; this may include updating their risk assessments to remain alert to any increased vulnerability among students, considering recent events.
The Office for Students (OfS) monitors how higher education providers are complying with the Prevent duty and ensures that appropriate measures are in place to protect students from radicalisation. Current OfS monitoring shows that providers are broadly meeting their responsibilities.
The department continues to work closely with the OfS to review compliance and support providers in maintaining high standards.
Asked by: Jack Rankin (Conservative - Windsor)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much their department spent on X and xAI since July 2024.
Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
During the period 1 July 2024 to 19 January 2026, the department and its executive agencies spent £27,118.12 on sector comms and awareness with X and its predecessor platform/brand Twitter.
xAI acquired X on 28 March 2025. £4,834.80 was spent before the acquisition by xAI. £22,283.32 was spent after the acquisition by xAI.
Asked by: Jack Rankin (Conservative - Windsor)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the absence of a statutory complaints scheme on enforcement of the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act 2023.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The department is seeking a suitable legislative vehicle to amend and repeal elements of the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act 2023 at the earliest opportunity, including in relation to the complaints scheme.
The department cannot comment on what might or might not be considered for future legislation, but we will act to protect freedom of speech and academic freedom, and we are considering options.
Asked by: Jack Rankin (Conservative - Windsor)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what her planned timetable is for implementation of the free speech complaints scheme.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
On 28 April, my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education signed commencement regulations, bringing the following provisions into force on 1 August 2025:
The department is seeking a suitable legislative vehicle to amend and repeal other elements of the Act in due course, including in relation to the complaints scheme.
In the meantime, as well as the new provider duties in place, the OfS Director for Freedom of Speech and Academic Freedom continues to work with the sector to offer advice and share best practice, so providers can protect free speech and academic freedom more effectively.
Asked by: Jack Rankin (Conservative - Windsor)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the estimated average cost per child of breakfast food is at school breakfast clubs according to the latest available data.
Answered by Olivia Bailey - Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State (Department for Education) (Equalities)
The government is delivering on its pledge to provide a free breakfast club in every state-funded school with primary-aged children. This will ensure every child, regardless of their circumstances, has a supportive start to the school day.
The department has confirmed over £30 million of funding for free breakfast clubs for the current 2025/26 financial year and around £80 million for the 2026/27 financial year. Schools will be funded for the running of a breakfast club, including food, staffing and day-to-day delivery. Learning from the early adopters, we will provide further information, including specifics on eligibility, funding, and expectations for schools, later in the autumn term.
The department does not collect data on how much money schools spend per child on breakfast food.