Asked by: Baroness Royall of Blaisdon (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask Her Majesty's Government when they will publish their final response to recommendations made in the Report of the Independent Panel led by Dr Philip Augar.
Answered by Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)
The government is carefully considering its response to the Review of Post-18 Education and Funding, to which the independent panel reported. We remain committed to introducing further reforms which will ensure a sustainable student finance system, drive up the quality of higher education provision, and promote genuine social mobility. We plan to consult on further reforms to the higher education system before setting out a full conclusion to the Review of Post-18 Education and Funding.
Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what provision the Government is making for specialist post-16 institutions to access the Post-16 Capacity Fund.
Answered by Gillian Keegan - Secretary of State for Education
£83 million was announced in the Spending Review for 2021-22 to ensure that post-16 providers can accommodate the upcoming demographic increase in 16 to 19-year-olds from 2022 and 2023. On 18 May, we launched a bidding round to which eligible providers could bid for funding. Providers eligible to bid for this funding were 16–19 academies, 16–19 free schools (inclusive of university technical colleges and maths schools), sixth form colleges and further education colleges. The bidding round closed on 21 June. Specialist post-16 institutions were not eligible to bid.
We are investing £300 million in 2021-22 via High Needs Provision Capital Allocations to support local authorities to deliver new school places and improve existing provision for children with special educational needs and disabilities, almost four times the amount provided to local authorities in 2020-21. It is for local authorities to determine how to best use this funding to address their local priorities, and in doing so they can work with any appropriate institution in their area, including specialist post-16 institutions.
Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when the Government will make sharia-compliant Takaful finance available for student loans.
Answered by Michelle Donelan - Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology
The government has been considering Alternative Student Finance carefully, alongside its other priorities, as it concludes the Post-18 Review of Education and Funding and responds to the detailed recommendations of the independent panel chaired by Sir Philip Augar.
We will provide an update on this matter when we conclude the Post-18 Review.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when his Department plans to publish its plans for alternative student finance for students whose religion prohibits them from taking out a student loan payment.
Answered by Michelle Donelan - Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology
The government has been considering Alternative Student Finance carefully, alongside its other priorities, as it concludes the Post-18 Review of Education and Funding and responds to the detailed recommendations of the independent panel chaired by Sir Philip Augar.
We will provide an update on this matter when we conclude the Post-18 Review.
Asked by: Matthew Pennycook (Labour - Greenwich and Woolwich)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of reducing the maximum tuition fee limit in response to the impact of the covid-19 outbreak on the wider student experience.
Answered by Michelle Donelan - Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology
The government remains committed to driving up the quality of higher education (HE) provision, ensuring that student finance is sustainable, and promoting genuine social mobility.
We recognise that tuition fees must continue to represent value for money for students and taxpayers, both during the COVID-19 outbreak and after. The independent panel chaired by Sir Philip Augar that reported to the review of post-18 education and funding made many recommendations regarding HE, including on fees and finance. We continue to consider those recommendations carefully and will conclude the review at the next Comprehensive Spending Review.
Our income-contingent student loan system helps remove financial barriers to study and means that no eligible student needs to pay tuition fees upfront. The government has already announced that the maximum tuition fee cap will remain at £9,250 for the 2021/22 academic year in respect of standard full-time courses at approved (fee cap) providers. We are also freezing the maximum tuition fee cap for the 2022/23 academic year - the fifth year in succession that maximum fees have been frozen - to deliver better value for students and to keep the cost of HE under control. HE providers are autonomous and responsible for setting their own fees under this level. In deciding to keep charging full fees, providers should ensure that they can continue to deliver courses that are fit for purpose and that help students to progress towards earning their qualifications.
If students have concerns, there is also a complaints process in place. They should first raise their concerns with their university. If their concerns remain unresolved, students at providers in England or Wales can ask the Office of the Independent Adjudicator (OIA) to consider their complaint. The OIA website is available via the following link: https://www.oiahe.org.uk/.
The government has worked closely with the Office for Students to make clear that providers can draw upon existing funding to increase hardship funds and support disadvantaged students impacted by COVID-19. Providers are able to use the funding, worth around £256 million for the academic year 2020/21, towards addressing student hardship.
We have also made an additional £85 million of student hardship funding available to higher education providers in the 2020/21 academic year. Support can include assistance to help students access teaching remotely.
Asked by: Zarah Sultana (Labour - Coventry South)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the effect of interest-bearing student loans on the number of Muslim students entering Higher Education over the last seven years.
Answered by Michelle Donelan - Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology
The government published research in May 2019 on higher education and how religious beliefs and the current student finance system influence these decisions. This research is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/alternative-student-finance-current-and-future-students-perspectives.
The government has also assessed the effect of interest-bearing loans on Muslim students in the impact assessment for the Higher Education and Research Act, which included provisions to enable the introduction of an Alternative Student Finance (ASF) product. The impact assessment was published in December 2017 and is available here: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukia/2017/182/pdfs/ukia_20170182_en.pdf.
The government is considering the ASF product carefully alongside its other priorities and will provide a further update with the full and final conclusion of the Post-18 Review of Education and Funding. The interim report of the review was published on 21 January 2021, and the review is scheduled to conclude alongside the next multi-year Spending Review. An update on the ASF product will be provided at that time.
Asked by: Barbara Keeley (Labour - Worsley and Eccles South)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what progress his Department has made towards establishing a Takaful-based funding structure for financial support for students in higher and further education.
Answered by Michelle Donelan - Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology
The government is considering the Alternative Student Finance (ASF) product carefully and will provide a further update with the full and final conclusion of the Post-18 Review of Education and Funding. The interim report of the review was published on 21 January 2021, and the review is scheduled to conclude alongside the next multi-year Spending Review. An update on the ASF product will be provided at that time.
Asked by: Dan Jarvis (Labour - Barnsley Central)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of supporting more universities to offer foundation year courses on the Government’s levelling up agenda.
Answered by Michelle Donelan - Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology
We recognise that foundation years can play an important role in enabling students with lower prior attainment, potentially from disadvantaged backgrounds, to access high tariff provision. We also recognise their role in allowing students to switch subjects. Some universities are already using high-quality foundation years in ways which provide good value for these students, and we are pleased to support such universities.
We are committed to ensuring that all foundation years continue to provide good value for money and provide a distinct benefit to students.
We plan to consult on further reforms to the higher education system, including the treatment of foundation years, in summer 2021, before setting out a full response to the report and final conclusion to the Review of Post-18 Education and Funding alongside the next Comprehensive Spending Review.
Asked by: Dan Jarvis (Labour - Barnsley Central)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to increase the number of universities that offer foundation year provision.
Answered by Michelle Donelan - Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology
We recognise that foundation years can play an important role in enabling students with lower prior attainment, potentially from disadvantaged backgrounds, to access high tariff provision. We also recognise their role in allowing students to switch subjects. Some universities are already using high-quality foundation years in ways which provide good value for these students, and we are pleased to support such universities.
We are committed to ensuring that all foundation years continue to provide good value for money and provide a distinct benefit to students.
We plan to consult on further reforms to the higher education system, including the treatment of foundation years, in summer 2021, before setting out a full response to the report and final conclusion to the Review of Post-18 Education and Funding alongside the next Comprehensive Spending Review.
Asked by: Stella Creasy (Labour (Co-op) - Walthamstow)
Question to the Department for Education:
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he has taken to implement the findings of the Government consultation into Sharia-compliant financing for education and the November 2015 Government green paper entitled, Fulfilling our potential Teaching Excellence, Social Mobility and Student Choice.
Answered by Michelle Donelan - Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology
The government took new powers in the Higher Education and Research Act 2017 to make a system of alternative payments possible. The government has been considering the Alternative Student Finance (ASF) product carefully alongside its other priorities and has decided to align a decision on implementation with the outcome of the post-18 review of education and funding. The interim report of the review was published on 21 January 2021, and the review is due to conclude alongside the next multi-year Spending Review. We will provide an update on ASF at that time.