Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Education on the costs to the higher education sector of participation in the Teachers' Pension Scheme; if he will make it his policy to work with the sector to develop financial mechanisms to help higher education institutions manage those costs in the long-term; and if he will make a statement.

In recognition of the cost pressure a potential increase to employer contribution rates would bring to existing departmental budgets, the Government announced on 30 March its commitment to providing funding for employers whose employment costs are centrally funded. Higher education (HE) providers are not covered by this commitment. To not provide financial support is consistent with the decision to not fund a similar Teachers' Pension Scheme cost increase in 2019.

Nevertheless, I do recognise that while the Office for Students’ (OfS) annual report on financial sustainability finds that university finances generally remain in good shape, there remains a wide spread of financial performance across the sector. The Department for Education and HMT recognise the importance of this issue and will continue discussions about the implications for HE providers. The Government will confirm its position on this issue in due course.