Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Michelle Donelan and Vicky Foxcroft

Monday 31st January 2022 Commons Chamber

[Michelle Donelan]

We are a Government who are committed to ensuring free speech on our campuses, which is exactly why we are honouring our manifesto commitment and bringing free speech legislation to the House. I point out that the University of Sussex is already being investigated by the Office for Students. Other universities should take note.

[Vicky Foxcroft (Lewisham, Deptford) (Lab)]

T5. Research published by the Social Market Foundation has shown that students from working-class backgrounds accepted into university are more likely than their peers to hold a BTEC qualification. After failing my GCSEs as a working-class 16-year-old, it was a BTEC in performing arts that got me back into education and ultimately into university. The Minister has already been asked this question by my hon. Friend the Member for Westminster North (Ms Buck), but does he agree that the decision to hastily remove BTEC funding makes a mockery of the Government’s claims to be levelling up in education?

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Michelle Donelan and Vicky Foxcroft

Monday 12th October 2020 Commons Chamber

[Michelle Donelan]

I will begin with the Christmas guidance, which is certainly not late—I am sure the hon. Lady will understand that it is important that we get this right. I am working with the sector, with a sub-working group—the taskforce—to identify the issues and ensure that comprehensive guidance is forthcoming. That commitment to students on Christmas remains. Around 9,000 students currently have covid. This is the data that has been sent to us by universities. It is the cumulative number of cases over the past seven days and is based on a student population of about 2 million. Public Health England informs us that 68 universities have outbreaks. We will go back to those universities to ascertain that data and, as of next week, working with the Office for Students, there will be a new data regime, which will be much more transparent.

[Vicky Foxcroft (Lewisham, Deptford) (Lab)]

What steps he is taking to support children with special educational needs and disabilities returning to school during the covid-19 outbreak.