Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent discussions his Department has had with universities on steps they can take to reduce levels of sexual misconduct towards students.

The government takes any form of violence and sexual harassment, including in higher education, extremely seriously. The department meets with individual universities and representative bodies on a regular basis to discuss a range of issues relating to student welfare. In addition, the department holds regular meetings with Universities UK (UUK) and the Office for Students (OfS) specifically on matters of sexual harassment and misconduct in higher education, including in relation to progress on the implementation of the recommendations of the UUK Taskforce’s on sexual violence, harassment and hate crime affecting university students.

Since the publication of these recommendations in 2016, a total investment of £4.7 million, match funded by higher education providers, has been invested by the OfS and its predecessor, the Higher Education Funding Council for England, in 119 safeguarding projects; £2.45 million of which was given to 63 projects specifically focussed on tackling sexual and gender-based violence in higher education. This work remains a priority for the department, which is why my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State’s guidance for the financial year 2019-20 asks the OfS to continue to support the student experience, including a focus on harassment and hate crime.