Education

Robert Halfon Excerpts

Monday 18th December 2023 Ministerial Corrections

The following is an extract from Education questions on 11 December 2023.

[Robert Halfon]

Not content with being in the anti-apprenticeship party, given her plans to weaken the apprenticeship levy and halve the number of apprenticeships, the hon. Lady is also taking on the mantle of T-level denier. We have 18 T-levels; we have, as I mentioned, a 90.5% pass rate; we have 10,000 students doing our T-level programme; and we expect the data that we will release early next year to show that many thousands more students are doing the T-level programme.

[Official Report, 11 December 2023, Vol. 742, c. 597.]

Letter of correction from the Minister for Skills, Apprenticeships and Higher Education, the right hon. Member for Harlow (Robert Halfon):

An error has been identified in the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Feltham and Heston (Seema Malhotra). The correct answer should have been:

[Robert Halfon]

Not content with being in the anti-apprenticeship party, given her plans to weaken the apprenticeship levy and halve the number of apprenticeships, the hon. Lady is also taking on the mantle of T-level denier. We have 18 T-levels; we have, as I mentioned, a 90.5% pass rate; we have 10,000 students doing our T-level programme in the 2022 cohort; and we expect the data that we will release early next year to show that many thousands more students are doing the T-level programme.

After-school Childcare: Long-term Educational Outcomes

The following is an extract from Education questions on 11 December 2023.

[David Johnston]

In October, the Government announced the allocation of £289 million of start-up funding to local authorities for wraparound care, which we know supports parents to work, as well as having the potential to improve attainment, engagement and attendance.

[Official Report, 11 December 2023, Vol. 742, c. 597.]

Letter of correction from the Under-Secretary of State for Education, the hon. Member for Wantage (David Johnston):

An error has been identified in the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Carshalton and Wallington (Elliot Colburn). The correct answer should have been:

--- Later in debate ---

[David Johnston]

We are investing £2.6 billion in capital funding to transform the special educational needs and alternative provision system, and there is a 36% increase in revenue funding to Birmingham, where the timeliness of EHCPs has been getting better each year between 2020 and 2022.

Higher Education Institutions: International Students

The following are extracts from Education questions on 11 December 2023.

[Robert Halfon]

As I said to the hon. Lady, we have something like 689,000 international students and our target is 600,000 a year.

[Official Report, 11 December 2023, Vol. 742, c. 605.]

Letter of correction from the Minister for Skills, Apprenticeships and Higher Education, the right hon. Member for Harlow (Robert Halfon):

An error has been identified in my answer to the hon. Member for Llanelli (Dame Nia Griffith). The correct answer should have been:

[Robert Halfon]

As I said to the hon. Lady, we have almost 680,000 international students and our target is 600,000 a year.

[Robert Halfon]

I am absolutely committed to the target of 600,000. As I said in response to the previous question, we have surpassed that, with well over 680,000 students.

[Official Report, 11 December 2023, Vol. 742, c. 606.]

Letter of correction from the Minister for Skills, Apprenticeships and Higher Education, the right hon. Member for Harlow (Robert Halfon):

An error has been identified in my answer to the hon. Member for Warwick and Leamington (Matt Western). The correct answer should have been:

[Robert Halfon]

I am absolutely committed to the target of 600,000. As I said in response to the previous question, we have surpassed that, with almost 680,000 students.