Oral Answers to Questions

Stuart C McDonald Excerpts

Monday 22nd June 2020 Commons Chamber

[Dr Neil Hudson (Penrith and The Border) (Con)]

What steps he is taking to help further education colleges to support students studying vocational and practical subjects during the covid-19 outbreak.

[Stuart C. McDonald (Cumbernauld, Kilsyth and Kirkintilloch East) (SNP)]

What discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on steps to support the further and higher education sectors during the covid-19 outbreak.

[Kirsten Oswald (East Renfrewshire) (SNP)]

What discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on steps to support the further and higher education sectors during the covid-19 outbreak.

--- Later in debate ---

[Gillian Keegan]

My hon. Friend is absolutely right. Our further education colleges are vital for supporting young people in rural communities to get the skills they need. I am aware that the governors at Askham Bryan College have made an in-principle decision to close the Newton Rigg campus from July 2021. Indeed, my hon. Friend and I have now met twice with the Further Education Commissioner to discuss this, at my hon. Friend’s request, so I know he will continue to campaign on this issue. My officials are working with the college and stakeholders to ensure that learners and communities in and around Eden Valley continue to have access to high-quality further education.

[Stuart C. McDonald]

The reintroduced graduate work visa could indeed help universities and colleges to attract international students and to recover from covid-19: it is just an appalling reflection on Tory Governments that we have been without such a visa for such a long time. Can the Minister say what discussions she has had about extending the graduate visa offered to students who are already here on tier 4 visas, so that both the education sector and the wider economy can use their skills in our recovery?

[Gillian Keegan]

There is a lot of work going on to ensure that we support the university sector through this crisis. On 20 April, the Home Office updated its visa guidance to provide greater certainty for international higher education students in the UK impacted by coronavirus. On 22 May, the Home Office announced that visas due to expire before 31 May would be extended to 31 July 2020 for those unable to return home. More work will be done in this area.