Lord Stoddart of Swindon – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Stoddart of Swindon on 2016-02-09.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether student unions are in receipt of public funds, and whether all university students are obliged to join unions.

Baroness Evans of Bowes Park

Individual students’ unions are principally funded through their university/college on either a per capita or a block grant basis, alongside funds raised through their commercial activities.

The Government does not provide funding to student unions directly, but student unions may receive some public funding indirectly through payments made by their establishment. .

The Education Act 1994 requires publicly-funded universities to take reasonable steps to ensure that their students’ union observes the right for students to opt out of membership. Students who exercise this right cannot be unfairly disadvantaged with regard to the services at the university. The university must draw up a code of practice setting out how these requirements will be put into effect.