Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of UK universities setting up subsidiary companies and transferring staff into those companies on those staff.

The government recognises that a number of universities are adopting subsidiary models in a variety of circumstances. Higher education providers are independent from government and as such are responsible for their own decisions about their workforce. However, in any decisions affecting staff, the government expects providers to abide by all relevant legislation, including requirements under employment law pension requirements. The government also expects providers to engage constructively with their workforce when considering any changes that may affect them.