Asked by: Mark Hendrick (Labour (Co-op) - Preston)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make it her policy to reinstate the Erasmus+ scheme.
Answered by Janet Daby
The government has agreed to work towards association to the Erasmus+ programme on much better financial terms for the UK. We will ensure that any agreement reflects a fair balance between the UK financial contribution and the number of UK participants who receive funding from it.
Participation in Erasmus+ on acceptable terms for both sides would be of mutual benefit, providing opportunities for collaboration and cultural exchange across education, youth and sport.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Reform UK - Romford)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what estimate she has made of the financial contribution the UK will make to the EU following the UK-EU Summit (a) on the Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) agreement (b) on the Emissions Trading System (ETS), (c) on the Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM), (d) on Erasmus and (e) in total.
Answered by James Murray - Chief Secretary to the Treasury
Implementation costs will be confirmed in due course when we have negotiated the details of these arrangements. This will include proportionate contributions in specific and limited areas, such as where access to specific IT systems will help to remove trade barriers for UK firms or help us to manage biosecurity risks. The UK will also negotiate fair financial contributions to the Erasmus+ programme which will reflect the benefits of participation. We will not be making general contributions to the EU budget.
Asked by: Lord Empey (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask His Majesty's Government what financial contributions they will make to the EU as a result of the UK–EU reset agreement, and when those contributions will commence.
Answered by Lord Livermore - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
There will be implementation costs associated with the UK-EU reset agreement, which will be confirmed in due course once we have negotiated the details of the agreement. This will include proportionate contributions in specific and limited areas, such as where access to specific IT systems will help to remove trade barriers for UK firms or manage biosecurity risks. The UK will also negotiate fair financial contributions to the Erasmus+ programme which will reflect the benefits of participation. We will not be making general contributions to the EU budget.
Asked by: Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask His Majesty's Government how much they expect to contribute to the European Union under the trade agreement reached on 19 May.
Answered by Lord Livermore - Financial Secretary (HM Treasury)
There will be implementation costs associated with the UK-EU reset agreement, which will be confirmed in due course once we have negotiated the details of the agreement. This will include proportionate contributions in specific and limited areas, such as where access to specific IT systems will help to remove trade barriers for UK firms or manage biosecurity risks. The UK will also negotiate fair financial contributions to the Erasmus+ programme which will reflect the benefits of participation. We will not be making general contributions to the EU budget.
Asked by: Stephen Gethins (Scottish National Party - Arbroath and Broughty Ferry)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many UK-based apprenticeships were supported through the Erasmus programme in each year between 2008 and 2021.
Answered by Janet Daby
The department does not hold or publish the requested data, as this data is owned by the European Commission.
Asked by: Earl of Clancarty (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they intend to negotiate rejoining the Erasmus+ Programme.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The government has agreed to work towards the association of the UK to the EU Erasmus+ programme. The specific terms of this association, including mutually agreed financial terms, should be determined as part of that process in order to ensure a fair balance as regards the contributions of and benefits to the United Kingdom.
Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question to the HM Treasury:
To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, with reference to paragraph 14 of the policy paper entitled UK-EU Summit: Common Understanding, published on 19 May 2025, what is the estimated change in financial payments from the UK to the EU and its agencies in each of the next four years.
Answered by Darren Jones - Minister for Intergovernmental Relations
We have agreed to work towards the association of the UK to the EU Erasmus+ programme. The specific terms of this association, including mutually agreed financial terms, should be determined as part of that process in order to ensure a fair balance as regards the contributions of and benefits to the United Kingdom.
The government has been clear that the UK will only associate to Erasmus+ on significantly improved financial terms which take into account the UK’s financial contribution and the number of UK participants who receive funding from the programme.
Asked by: Mike Wood (Conservative - Kingswinford and South Staffordshire)
Question to the Cabinet Office:
To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to paragraph 14 of the policy paper entitled UK-EU Summit: Common Understanding, published on 19 May 2025, whether he has estimated the number of EU participants in the Erasmus+ programme who will be eligible to enter the UK each year.
Answered by Nick Thomas-Symonds - Paymaster General and Minister for the Cabinet Office
We have agreed to work towards the association of the UK to the EU Erasmus+ programme. The specific terms of this association will be discussed going forward.
Erasmus+ offers a broad range of opportunities across education, youth, and sport sectors. Historically, many UK and EU participants took up opportunities under Erasmus+, which is about short-term exchanges, after which participants return to their home countries.
Asked by: Baroness McIntosh of Pickering (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to improve foreign language teaching in schools and colleges, in particular the practical experience of speaking a foreign language in the host country, following the decision not to continue the UK's participation in the Erasmus Programme.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Having the opportunity to study a modern foreign language should be part of the broad and rich education that every child in this country deserves.
Languages provide an insight into other cultures and can open the door to travel and employment opportunities. They also broaden pupils’ horizons, helping them flourish in new environments.
The government is committed to providing enriching opportunities for students and young people to experience other countries and cultures, including through school trips and exchanges. We also recognise the difficulties that schools have faced in recent years when it comes to organising visits. The UK has agreed measures with France which make school trip travel between the UK and France easier.
The Turing Scheme is the UK government’s global programme for students to study and work abroad. Students can develop new skills, including language skills, gain international experience and boost their employability. The scheme has been helping tens of thousands of UK students to study and work abroad for four years and we have recently announced that the scheme will be running for a fifth year.
The UK has a bilateral student exchange programme with Germany, the UK German Connection (UKGC), which provides opportunities for children, young people, and a limited number of language teachers in the UK and Germany to engage in a range of activities, including seminars, exchanges, visits and study courses. UKGC seeks to support current German learners in the UK and encourage more to learn the language.
The department also has a long-standing Language Assistants Programme, delivered by the British Council, to improve modern foreign language skills through direct interaction with native speakers from around the world. This includes arranging placements in the UK for non-UK residents to assist with teaching French, Spanish, Mandarin, German and Italian (as Modern Language Assistants). In the 2024/25 academic year, there are 700 Modern Language Assistants allocated to UK schools.
Asked by: Lord Wigley (Plaid Cymru - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to reversing the UK’s decision to end participation in the EU’s Erasmus plus programme.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Following their meeting in Brussels on 2 October, the President of the European Commission and my right hon. Friend, the Prime Minister, have agreed to strengthen the relationship between the EU and UK, putting it on a more solid, stable footing.
My right hon. Friend, the Prime Minister and the President of the European Commission met again on 7 November at the European Political Community summit in Budapest, where they discussed the strength of the UK-EU partnership and the need to work together to tackle the challenges facing Europe.
The department is working with the higher education sector to ensure our world leading universities continue to attract the best and brightest and support our economy, however we have no plans for rejoining the Erasmus scheme.