Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of job losses at (a) Bournemouth University and (b) the wider higher education sector on the (i) quality of education and (ii) range of courses available to (A) existing and (B) future students.

The department recognises that some higher education (HE) providers are making difficult decisions around staffing in order to safeguard their financial sustainability. Ultimately the sector is independent from government and as such must continue to make the necessary and appropriate financial decisions to ensure their long-term sustainability.

However, we expect providers to work with staff, using their knowledge and experience to help identify how best to operate efficiently. All efficiency measures taken by the sector should provide a better long-term future for students, staff and the country.

The government provides funding through the Strategic Priorities Grant (SPG) on an annual basis to support teaching and students in HE. This includes funding to support teaching of expensive-to-deliver subjects such as science and engineering, access and participation of students from under-represented groups, and world-leading specialist providers.  The total SPG for the 2025/26 financial year will be £1.348 million in recurrent programme grant and £84 million for capital to support teaching and learning.