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Monday Volume 679 7 September 2020 No. 95 HOUSE OF COMMONS OFFICIAL REPORT PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES (HANSARD) Monday 7 September 2020 © Parliamentary Copyright House of Commons 2020 This publication may be reproduced under the terms of the Open Parliament licence, which is published at www.parliament.uk/site-information/copyright/. 345 7 SEPTEMBER 2020 346 Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Slough) (Lab): What House of Commons steps the Government is taking to support universities accepting higher numbers of domestic students as a result of the change in policy on predicted A-level Monday 7 September 2020 grades. [905503] The House met at half-past Two o’clock Holly Mumby-Croft (Scunthorpe) (Con): What steps his Department is taking to help universities increase PRAYERS the number of places available to students in 2020-21. [905512] [MR SPEAKER in the Chair] The Minister for Universities (Michelle Donelan): We Virtual participation in proceedings commenced (Order, are working across government and closely with the 2 September). higher education sector, utilising the higher education [NB: [V] denotes a Member participating virtually.] taskforce I have created, to ensure that the vast majority of students who want to go to university this year can do so at the university their grades unlock. Oral Answers to Questions Mr Sharma [V]: Universities need financial support to expand physical buildings and facilities and to fund the expansion of wellbeing and support services and EDUCATION other important areas of university life. Will the Secretary of State confirm that this additional support will be granted to ensure that his algorithm does not cost The Secretary of State was asked— thousands of students their futures, and when will he Free Speech: Universities do this? Felicity Buchan (Kensington) (Con): What steps his Michelle Donelan: Last week in fact, we announced a Department is taking to help ensure free speech in £10 million capital fund to cover capital as well as universities. [905489] equipment. This is on top of our announcement for additional funding to support high-cost subjects and The Secretary of State for Education (Gavin Williamson): the announcements we made in May for the sustainability We are all shocked and saddened to learn of the incident of the sector and is supported by the package of in which a young person was seriously hurt on their way £280 million from the Department for Business, Energy to school in Suffolk today. Our thoughts are very much and Industrial Strategy. with the young person, their family and the whole school community at this difficult time. Mr Dhesi: In a recent National Union of Students Free speech is a fundamental underpinning of Britain’s survey, 55% of students reported that the income of liberal democracy, and universities should always do as their parents or those who provided financial support much as possible to champion it, ensuring that students, to them had been negatively impacted by the coronavirus staff and visiting speakers are free to explore a range of pandemic, and 80% were worried about how they would ideas and challenge perceived wisdom. We are exploring cope financially, not to mention since part-time jobs a range of legislative and non-legislative options to will be in short supply.Given that the university hardship ensure that this is the case. funds were not designed for such demand, what extra provision will the Government make to ensure that Felicity Buchan: If universities are not prepared to universities can properly support students facing hardship? enforce free speech, is my right hon. Friend prepared to legislate to ensure they do? Michelle Donelan: If a student is not already accessing the maximum loan and the income of their parents or Gavin Williamson: Many of us take free speech as an carers has changed, they should fill in a change of absolute given and expect it to be an absolute given in income form with the Student Loans Company. On the every part of this country, and if legislation is required, hardship funds, we have worked with the Office for that is what we will do. But it is not just at universities Students so that they can show more flexibility, and this that we sometimes see a challenge to free speech. will amount to £256 million for the coming academic Conservative Members understand the importance of year. free speech, whether in universities or a free press, and that is why we will always be the ones who stand up for a free press so that people can enjoy their newspapers Holly Mumby-Croft: My constituent, Hannah Moat, every single day. is one of the top high-jump athletes in the UK and was on track to study psychology and criminology at University Student Numbers Loughborough University. Unfortunately, owing to a clerical error that someone made when inputting her Mr Virendra Sharma (Ealing, Southall) (Lab): What centre-assessed grade, she has so far been denied her steps the Government is taking to support universities place on that course. Will the Minister work with me to accepting higher numbers of domestic students as a make sure that students such as Hannah who have been result of the recent policy change on predicted A-level affected by administrative errors made by their schools grades. [905490] will not be denied their place at university? 347 Oral Answers 7 SEPTEMBER 2020 Oral Answers 348 Michelle Donelan: I am really sorry to hear about the have the kind of activity they want to see. Returning to problems that Hannah is experiencing. The exam boards school, yes, is incredibly important for the learning that have committed to turning around appeals quickly, and all children benefit from, but it is also about the physical Hannah and her school should inform the university of health they will get from being back at school. We are the situation. I have agreed with all universities that all backing this with that money and ensuring there are students, including those successful on appeal, with the great sports activities in all schools right across the required grades will be offered a place at their first-choice country. university and that deferred places will be offered only as a last resort. Specific admissions cases are the Home Education: Grades/Covid-19 responsibility of individual institutions, but I will alert Loughborough to this case. Mark Pawsey (Rugby) (Con): What steps his Department is taking to allocate grades to home-educated students Emma Hardy (Kingston upon Hull West and Hessle) who were unable to take public examinations as a result (Lab): I share the serious concerns of the Scientific of the covid-19 outbreak. [905492] Advisory Group for Emergencies that the annual mass migration of millions of students to university means The Minister for School Standards (Nick Gibb): Exams that significant outbreaks of covid-19 are “highly likely”. will be available in all GCSE, AS and A-level subjects in Universities have worked hard to make campuses covid the autumn. Schools and colleges that accepted entries secure, but the Department must take responsibility from private candidates, including home-educated students, and ownership of this crisis and recognise that most in the summer should enter those who wish to sit an students live, work and socialise outside the campuses. exam, and there should be no financial barriers to When will universities and communities receive the doing so. updated guidance on safe reopening promised in a DFE Mark Pawsey: I thank the Minister for his reply, but I press release late on Friday night? What additional want to raise with him the issue of my constituent Ella testing capacity is being deployed to keep staff, students Hampson, a year 10 home-educated student. She was and communities safe, and will the Minister make a due to take several GCSEs a year early, but the decision statement this week on the safe reopening of universities? to withdraw private candidates meant that, unlike her Michelle Donelan: SAGE did indeed publish its updated friends and her peers, she was not given estimated guidance on Friday, and the Government will issue grades on GCSE day. That caused a delay, and she has updated guidance this week that supplements our original not been able to move on to college in the way that she guidance of months ago. The safety and wellbeing of had hoped. In any event, she has been told by her exam university staff and students is always our priority. As centre that she needs to be 16 on 31 August, so is not SAGE pointed out, there is also evidence that physical eligible for the autumn examinations as she is only 15. and mental health will be impacted if universities do What advice can the Minister give Ella about how to get not open. Universities have worked hard to ensure that the grades to recognise the work she has done this year? they are well prepared for covid and have prioritised Nick Gibb: Private candidates who were entered for safety and wellbeing, including by introducing numerous the summer series or where the school intended to enter social distancing and covid-secure measures. them for the summer are eligible to enter the autumn School Exercise: Covid-19 series. The candidate’s age is actually not relevant. We expect the school or college that enters students for the Alison McGovern (Wirral South) (Lab): What steps summer series to enter them for the autumn. the Government are taking to prioritise access to exercise in schools as part of catch-up education as covid-19 Mr Speaker: I call the Chair of the Select Committee, restrictions are eased. [905491] Robert Halfon—and welcome back. The Secretary of State for Education (Gavin Williamson): Robert Halfon (Harlow) (Con): Thank you, Mr Speaker.