Contributions
426 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARD Universities: Financial SustainabilityI welcome the measures we are putting in place to increase course innovation and flexibility within the HE sector. I passionately believe that that is the future and where we need…11 Feb 2019HANSARD Universities: Financial SustainabilityI entirely agree. I am proud to be a member of the Government who reduced the student number cap between 2012 and 2015, and eventually abolished it in 2016, allowing a record…11 Feb 2019HANSARD Universities: Financial SustainabilityI am happy to meet the hon. Gentleman, as a constituency Member of Parliament, at his request. However, the Government’s position is not to comment on the financial sustainability…11 Feb 2019HANSARD Universities: Financial SustainabilityThe Office for Students is currently undergoing a registration process for all HE institutions, including FE providers. I understand that around 250 institutions have now been…11 Feb 2019HANSARD Universities: Financial SustainabilityI made it clear in my opening remarks that the Government do not intend to bail out any independent, autonomous institutions, which is what HE providers are. What we have done is…11 Feb 2019HANSARD Universities: Financial SustainabilityI thank my hon. Friend for the work he put in as one of my predecessors as Universities Minister. The establishment of the Office for Students was very much down to his hard work.…11 Feb 2019HANSARD Universities: Financial SustainabilityI will respond to several of those points, but I do not think it is appropriate for the Government or the OfS to comment on the position of individual providers. In terms of the…11 Feb 2019HANSARD Universities: Financial SustainabilityMy hon. Friend is absolutely right. What I have seen, going around to universities, is institutions that have been able to develop scholarship opportunities and help some of the…11 Feb 2019HANSARD Universities: Financial SustainabilityI thank the hon. Lady for the opportunity to discuss the higher education sector today in what is my first urgent question. This Government recognise the importance of the higher…11 Feb 2019HANSARDCompetitiveness Pre-Council StatementMy noble Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary for State for the Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (Lord Henley) has made the following statement: The…11 Feb 2019HANSARD Universities: Financial SustainabilityI recently had a meeting with the Higher Education Commission, led by an all-party group in Parliament. I was keen to receive that report, and as I said, our international…11 Feb 2019HANSARD Universities: Financial SustainabilityMy hon. Friend is absolutely right. Our inheritance from the previous Government meant that we had a cap on student numbers, low numbers of people from disadvantaged backgrounds…11 Feb 2019HANSARD Universities: Financial SustainabilityUniversities receive significant amounts of public funding, so it is right that their senior staff pay arrangements both command public confidence and deliver value for money both…11 Feb 2019HANSARD Universities: Financial SustainabilityThe hon. Gentleman is absolutely right. This is not just about the financial numbers; it is about ensuring we have the human capital and that we are a welcoming place for higher…11 Feb 2019HANSARDSTEM Take-upAs education policy is devolved, issues relating to SAMs in Scotland are a matter for the Scottish Government. However, according to the latest OECD programme for international…04 Feb 2019HANSARDRace Disparity AuditI am pleased to make this statement jointly with the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister for the Cabinet Office, my right hon. Friend the Member for Aylesbury (Mr.…04 Feb 2019HANSARDSTEM Take-upThe Government are committed to encouraging more young people into STEM education training. We fund a number of programmes to improve teaching standards and participation in those…04 Feb 2019HANSARDSTEM Take-upI congratulate Thales on the work that it does on outreach campaigns for local schools. I was at Thales in Northern Ireland on Friday, and saw for myself the work that it does to…04 Feb 2019HANSARDSTEM Take-upI should also like to congratulate the hon. Gentleman on his birthday. I was there not too long ago. Life comes at us fast, but we have to start somewhere. I would be happy to…04 Feb 2019HANSARDSTEM Take-upThe hon. Lady is absolutely right to raise the importance of increasing female participation in STEM. Since 2010, we have seen about 26% more women entering STEM A-levels in…04 Feb 2019