Higher Education Funding

Stephen Lloyd Excerpts
Wednesday 11th October 2017

(6 years, 8 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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Lord Johnson of Marylebone Portrait Joseph Johnson
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Yes, we feel it is important that there is greater transparency in the sources and uses of university income. In the regulatory framework consultation in the coming weeks, we expect the Office for Students to make great progress in this area, so that we can boost student confidence that their tuition fee income will be spent clearly, well and for the purposes they want.

Stephen Lloyd Portrait Stephen Lloyd (Eastbourne) (LD)
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The Minister has said a few times now that he wishes to keep the system fair and effective. I remind him and the Government that further education is also a part of higher education and that, while additional sums have been going into HE, FE has been cut and restricted remorselessly. Would he say that what the Government do with FE is equally fair and effective? I can tell him it is not.

Lord Johnson of Marylebone Portrait Joseph Johnson
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Of course, excellent higher education is being delivered in our further education system, and the teaching excellence framework results in June highlighted the excellence in HE found in FE providers. On the hon. Gentleman’s question about funding, the Government made available an additional £500 million to support the evolution and development of T-levels, a transformational qualification that will help us to achieve parity of esteem for technical and further education in our system.