The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Burt of Solihull on 2016-02-24.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many employees in the UK engineering sector are from other countries outside the EU, and what is their total contribution to (1) UK Gross Domestic Product, and (2) UK Gross Value Added.
Baroness Neville-Rolfe
It is not possible to answer the question as there is no agreed statistical definition of what is meant by the term “engineering sector”.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Burt of Solihull on 2016-07-06.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in each month since May 2005, (1) what was the total size of the Post Office network, and (2) how many post office closures took place.
Baroness Neville-Rolfe
I am pleased to say that branches open an extra 200,000 hours a week since the start of the Post Office’s transformation programme and customer satisfaction with the network is high.
Management and provision of the Post Office network is the operational responsibility of the Post Office. I have asked Paula Vennells, the Chief Executive of Post Office Limited, to write to the noble Baroness on this matter. A copy of her reply will be placed in the libraries of the House.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Burt of Solihull on 2016-03-07.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will publish a full list of the subjects for which the equivalent or lower qualifications rule will be relaxed, as announced in the 2015 Spending Review and Autumn Statement.
Baroness Evans of Bowes Park
Part time students studying for a second degree in subjects allied to medicine; biological sciences; veterinary sciences, agriculture and related subjects; physical sciences; and mathematical sciences will be eligible for a tuition fee loan from the 2017/18 academic year. These are in addition to the exemption for part time technology, computer science and engineering degrees introduced in 2015/16. Subject lists below these broad headings are published by the Higher Education Statistics Agency at https://www.hesa.ac.uk/component/content/article?id=1787
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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Burt of Solihull on 2016-03-07.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to raise awareness of the Postgraduate Loans Scheme in 2016–17 and 2017–18.
Baroness Evans of Bowes Park
The Student Loans Company has produced a suite of information and guidance materials for institutions and prospective students and this is available from SLC’s website, The Student Room and Gov.UK. Additionally, BIS and the SLC are working together with a number of organisations, including Universities UK, to ensure that information and guidance is also disseminated through their own channels. Plans for 2017-18 will be drawn up later this year once the loan has been launched
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Burt of Solihull on 2016-03-07.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much is being spent on promoting the Postgraduate Loans Scheme in 2016–17 and 2017–18.
Baroness Evans of Bowes Park
The Department is working alongside its delivery partner The Student Loans Company and stakeholders such as Universities UK and Prospects to ensure the correct information and guidance is readily available. The Student Loans Company produces information and guidance materials for institutions and prospective students and expenditure for the financial year 2016-17 is expected to be in the region of £57,000. Budget for 2017-18 has not yet been allocated.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Burt of Solihull on 2015-11-24.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what funding will be provided to assist with the delivery of their commitment to double the proportion of students from disadvantaged backgrounds entering higher education by 2020.
Baroness Neville-Rolfe
We will be issuing a grant letter to the Higher Education Funding Council for England early in the New Year outlining the Government’s priorities for expenditure through the teaching grant, including on widening access. This will take account of the announcements made in the Spending Review on. The Director of Fair Access has agreed 183 Access Agreements for 2016/17 containing an estimated £745m to support the access and success of students from disadvantaged backgrounds, up from £404m in 2009/10.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Burt of Solihull on 2016-03-07.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government when they will consult on maintenance loans for part-time undergraduate students.
Baroness Evans of Bowes Park
The Government announced in the Spending Review that, for the first time, student finance would be available to part-time students to help meet both tuition and living costs. Discussions are ongoing with stakeholders regarding the new maintenance loan product for part-time higher education students and our current plan is to consult later in the year.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Burt of Solihull on 2015-11-24.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to retain the Student Opportunity fund.
Baroness Evans of Bowes Park
The Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) is responsible for decisions on how the student opportunity fund is allocated to higher education institutions and for publishing guidance.
We will be issuing a grant letter to the HEFCE in the New Year outlining the Government’s priorities for expenditure through the teaching grant, including on widening access.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Burt of Solihull on 2016-03-10.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government why publication of the research by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and the Equality and Human Rights Commission into pregnancy discrimination has been delayed, and when the final report can be expected.
Baroness Neville-Rolfe
The final reports into Pregnancy and Maternity-related Discrimination and Disadvantage in the Workplace were published on 22 March 2016, together with the Government response to recommendations made by the Equality and Human Rights Commission.
We had intended to publish the final reports in December 2015, but this did not prove possible as the extensive research reports took longer than expected to finalise.
The below Parliamentary question was asked by Baroness Burt of Solihull on 2015-12-03.
To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the Spending Review and Autumn Statement 2015, what measures they will use to determine whether higher education institutions are delivering effective outcomes for widening access and social mobility.
Baroness Evans of Bowes Park
Universities wishing to charge higher fees must agree Access Agreements with the independent Director of Fair Access, showing what more they will do to widen access for students from disadvantaged backgrounds. These Access Agreements include measures and benchmarks for success, in line with the universities’ own particular mission and challenges.
The Director of Fair Access monitors the performance of Universities against their targets and provides a report each year on the progress that has been made.
The Green Paper Fulfilling our Potential: Teaching Excellence, Social Mobility and Student Choice, CM 9141 sets out additional steps the Government plans to take to increase the proportion of students from disadvantaged background entering higher education including through the new guidance that we plan to issue to the Director of Fair Access, and through the social mobility taskforce being set up by Universities UK.