Asked by: Baroness Garden of Frognal (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the proposed international student levy on universities’ capacity to support artificial intelligence research, skills development and commercialisation, and the Government's ambitions for AI-driven economic growth.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The government will set out further details on the international student levy at the Autumn Budget. This will include setting out the amount of the levy and the way in which proceeds will be reinvested into our higher education (HE) and skills system through targeted means-tested maintenance grants for students studying courses that support our missions and Industrial Strategy.
The department has engaged with many HE providers and representative bodies regarding the levy since the publication of the Immigration White Paper, and we will set out our plans for further engagement on the levy in due course.
We will also publish an impact analysis of the levy in due course.
Asked by: Olly Glover (Liberal Democrat - Didcot and Wantage)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what number students eligible for the 16-19 large programme uplift funding in the last five academic years studied the International Baccalaureate Level 3 programme and pursued STEM-related subjects.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The information requested is not held by the department. The department does not hold information on the constituent subjects that make up the International Baccalaureate as this information is not provided by awarding organisations.
Asked by: Baroness Garden of Frognal (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the alignment between the proposed international student levy and their wider objectives for economic growth, innovation and skills.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The government will set out further details on the international student levy at the Autumn Budget. This will include setting out the amount of the levy and the way in which proceeds will be reinvested into our higher education (HE) and skills system through targeted means-tested maintenance grants for students studying courses that support our missions and Industrial Strategy.
The department has engaged with many HE providers and representative bodies regarding the levy since the publication of the Immigration White Paper, and we will set out our plans for further engagement on the levy in due course.
We will also publish an impact analysis of the levy in due course.
Asked by: Baroness Garden of Frognal (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they intend to publish the methodology, data sources and modelling assumptions used in any Treasury impact assessment on the proposed international student levy.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The government will set out further details on the international student levy at the Autumn Budget. This will include setting out the amount of the levy and the way in which proceeds will be reinvested into our higher education (HE) and skills system through targeted means-tested maintenance grants for students studying courses that support our missions and Industrial Strategy.
The department has engaged with many HE providers and representative bodies regarding the levy since the publication of the Immigration White Paper, and we will set out our plans for further engagement on the levy in due course.
We will also publish an impact analysis of the levy in due course.
Asked by: Baroness Garden of Frognal (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to consult the higher education and business sectors on the proposed international student levy.
Answered by Baroness Smith of Malvern - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The government will set out further details on the international student levy at the Autumn Budget. This will include setting out the amount of the levy and the way in which proceeds will be reinvested into our higher education (HE) and skills system through targeted means-tested maintenance grants for students studying courses that support our missions and Industrial Strategy.
The department has engaged with many HE providers and representative bodies regarding the levy since the publication of the Immigration White Paper, and we will set out our plans for further engagement on the levy in due course.
We will also publish an impact analysis of the levy in due course.
Asked by: Adam Jogee (Labour - Newcastle-under-Lyme)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps he has taken to support young people in (a) Newcastle-under-Lyme and (b) Staffordshire into employment, education or training.
Answered by Diana Johnson - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Government understands the negative effects of unemployment can be particularly pronounced for young people and can have longstanding implications on their future earnings potential and life chances.
That is why at Budget the Government announced that £820 million has been committed to the Youth Guarantee over the next three years to support all young people aged 16 to 24 to earn or learn. This includes the previously announced Jobs Guarantee, which will guaranteeing six-months of paid work for every eligible 18-21 year old who has been on Universal Credit and looking for work for 18 months. Under the Jobs Guarantee we will fund 100% of the wages for the six months (up to 25hrs/week at the relevant minimum wage), as well as the additional employment costs and a budget for wrap around support. Further details on the Youth Guarantee will be announced shortly.
In Newcastle-under-Lyme the DWP Employer and Partnership team is actively involved with the Newcastle Employment and Skills Group (NSEG). They work closely with stakeholders such as Aspire Housing, Keele University, and prominent employers at Lymedale Business Park, including TK Maxx, ASDA, and Radwell International. Youth Employment Programmes, such as Positive Directions and We Mean Business, offer fully funded 5-week courses for 16–24-year-olds who are not engaged in employment, education, or training. Additionally, our outreach efforts through probation services and police provide tailored employment pathways, mentoring, and reintegration support for young people at risk of offending.
In Staffordshire, our DWP Schools Advisers have supported over 3,600 young people across in the 2024/25 academic year. This includes 220 students in Newcastle-under-Lyme at Orme Academy, St Peter's Academy, and Abbey Hill Special School. Young people have access to training in Digital Marketing, Cyber Security, Web Design, and Emergency First Aid for Mental Health through The Training Initiative.
Asked by: Freddie van Mierlo (Liberal Democrat - Henley and Thame)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of student maintenance grants in meeting students' living costs.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
The previous government removed maintenance grants, and the real-terms value of loan support for students has reduced by more than 20% over the last five years. It is essential that our government improves this.
That is why we will reintroduce targeted means-tested maintenance grants before the end of this Parliament, funded by a levy on international student fees. The grants will support students from low-income households studying courses aligned with our missions and the Industrial Strategy, and we will set out further detail at the Autumn Budget.
Additionally, the government will increase maintenance loans in line with forecast inflation every academic year. This will provide students with long-term financial certainty on the financial support they will receive while studying and ensure that students from the lowest income families receive the largest year-on-year cash increases in support.
Asked by: Siân Berry (Green Party - Brighton Pavilion)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of amending (a) visa and (b) asylum routes for people fleeing conflict in Sudan with British national immediate family members in the UK by (i) waiving income rules, (ii) allowing asylum applications to be made in third party countries and (c) bringing forward other measures to help reunite families separated by conflict.
Answered by Alex Norris - Minister of State (Home Office)
Sudanese nationals who wish to come to the UK to join a family member here need a family visa. Applications can be made for a family visa to live with a spouse or partner; fiancé, fiancée or proposed civil partner; parent; child; relative who is providing care.
The financial requirements form part of the ‘core’ requirements of the Family Immigration Rules. Expecting family migrants and their sponsors to be financially independent is reasonable, both to them and the taxpayer.
However, where someone cannot meet the core requirements, including those relating to finances, permission will still be granted where refusal would breach Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights.
As part of the Immigration White Paper reforms, the government intends to set out a new family policy that will cover all UK residents, including those who are British, settled, on work routes or refugees seeking to bring family members to the UK.
The UK has a proud history of providing protection and we continue to welcome refugees and people in need through our safe and legal routes. However, there is no provision within our Immigration Rules for someone to be allowed to travel to the UK to seek asylum or temporary refuge. Those who need international protection should claim asylum in the first safe country they reach – that is the fastest route to safety.
Whilst we sympathise with people in many difficult situations around the world, including the current situation in Sudan, we are not bound to consider asylum claims from the very large numbers of people overseas who might wish to come here. It is important that safe and legal routes are sustainable, well managed and in line with the UK’s capacity to welcome, accommodate and integrate refugees. We do not currently have any plans to open a specific route for people affected by the conflict in Sudan.
Additionally, the recently announced Asylum Policy Statement set out a new model for refugee resettlement. We will give greater say to communities and support refugees as they settle, become self-sufficient, and contribute to their local areas. This new model will be based on local capacity to support refugees, and arrival numbers will be tightly controlled by the government.
To achieve this, we will:
• Reform refugee sponsorship to give voluntary and community sector organisations a greater role in resettlement through named sponsorship, within caps set by government.
• Introduce a capped route for refugee and displaced students to study in the UK, helping talented refugees to continue their studies, realise their potential and be able to return to their country and help rebuild it as soon as circumstances allow.
• Establish a capped route for skilled refugees and displaced people to come to the UK for work, building on the experience of the Displaced Talent Mobility Pilot.
Our intention is that those arriving on the reformed resettlement routes will be on the ten-year route to settlement. However, this will be subject to wider consultation.
Asked by: Ian Sollom (Liberal Democrat - St Neots and Mid Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many state school students took the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme in each of the last five years; and what proportion of those students were female.
Answered by Georgia Gould - Minister of State (Education)
The data requested is below. Data relating to 2024/25 will be available in February 2026.
The number and proportion of state-funded student entries for international baccalaureate by sex
Time Period | Sex | Number of State-Funded Students | Proportion (%) |
2023/24 | Female | 764 | 55.9 |
2023/24 | Male | 602 | 44.1 |
2022/23 | Female | 661 | 55.8 |
2022/23 | Male | 524 | 44.2 |
2021/22 | Female | 772 | 57.3 |
2021/22 | Male | 574 | 42.6 |
2020/21 | Female | 763 | 59.5 |
2020/21 | Male | 519 | 40.5 |
2019/20 | Female | 737 | 58.5 |
2019/20 | Male | 522 | 41.5 |
*Source: A level and other 16 to 18 results
*Coverage: All institutions, England
To note regarding the data:
Asked by: James McMurdock (Independent - South Basildon and East Thurrock)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to Answer of 12 November 2025 to Question 87656, what plans she has to issue updated guidance to higher education providers in the context of the Office for Students’ assessment that reliance on international student fee income presents a risk to financial sustainability.
Answered by Josh MacAlister - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Education)
Higher education (HE) providers are responsible for managing their finances. As such, they must continue to adapt to uncertainties and financial risks. However, this government is committed to putting the HE sector on a secure financial footing so that it can face the challenges of the next decade.
Our decision to raise tuition fees annually in line with inflation, alongside refocusing the Office for Students (OfS) on monitoring the sector’s financial health, demonstrates this commitment.
The government does not currently have any plans to issue guidance to higher education providers in light of the Office for Student’s (OfS) assessment of the HE sector’s reliance on international student fee income. The OfS is responsible for monitoring and reporting on the financial sustainability of the sector, including risks relating to international student recruitment.