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University Students: Compensation for Lost Teaching and Rent
15 April 2021
Lead MP
Michelle Donelan
Debate Type
Ministerial Statement
Tags
NHSMental Health
Other Contributors: 30
At a Glance
Michelle Donelan raised concerns about university students: compensation for lost teaching and rent in the House of Commons. A government minister responded. Other MPs also contributed.
How the Debate Unfolded
MPs spoke in turn to share their views and ask questions. Here's what each person said:
Government Statement
The Government recognises the challenges faced by students during the past year due to the pandemic. Initially, only key worker course students were permitted to return in January, followed by practical and creative courses from March 8th. As of May 17th, based on step 3 of the road map, all remaining students will be allowed back on campus. The decision was made after a review during Easter holidays as promised. While acknowledging frustrations, the minister highlights that public health concerns necessitated cautious approaches and emphasises measures to support student mental health and academic progress, including additional £15 million funding for hardship assistance, bringing total financial support to over £340 million since December 2020. The exemptions remain in place for those with special circumstances such as mental health or lack of study space.
Daisy Cooper
Lib Dem
St Albans
Question
Raises concerns about the delay in allowing remaining students to return until May 17th, impacting course completion and student finances. Asks for a rapid review of pandemic impacts and doubling hardship funds to £700 million. Expresses frustration over government's role in disrupting academic year.
Minister reply
Acknowledges concerns but reiterates the need for public health prioritisation. Confirms continuous monitoring of student impact and additional financial support up to £85 million, highlighting the importance of allowing students to return where possible.
Question
Asks about university policies regarding disadvantaged pupils’ entry requirements for higher education, questioning Hull University's decision to drop English proficiency standards. Seeks better collaboration between schools and universities on literacy standards.
Minister reply
Agrees with the concern over lowering literacy standards and states that such measures are misguided and counterproductive. Emphasises the importance of raising standards and providing quality education for disadvantaged students.
Matt Western
Lab
Warwick and Leamington
Question
Last week, there was an exam-room silence from the Government on when universities would return, with students, their families and university staff learning from newspapers what was only announced to this House days later: that many students would not return to campus until 17 May. Why has this announcement come so late, and why was it briefed to the newspapers instead of being announced to those affected? Her written statement ignored the work of universities and the existing situation in colleges, and offered no evidence to support this approach.
Minister reply
We conducted a review over the Easter holidays as we had publicly announced we would do, and we wanted to maximise the amount of time we had to review the data. On further education and schools, the difference is that these youngsters do not go and form new households nor travel across the country.
David Simmonds
Con
Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner
Question
Given that universities are autonomous and independent of Government, does she agree that the example set by the best universities, which have been very proactive in ensuring students are treated appropriately, should be seen as an example for others to follow?
Minister reply
University staff have worked exceptionally hard over the past year to enable students to continue learning. If students do have concerns, they should raise them with their university which has a duty under consumer rights to have a transparent and timely complaints process.
Cat Smith
Lab
Lancaster and Wyre
Question
Why is he paying £9,250 a year for in-person teaching that has not materialised this year?
Minister reply
I assure the hon. Member that we are confident in-person teaching and learning can be delivered in covid-secure environments but the area of concern has always been the movement of students and formation of new households, which does not occur in schools and further education colleges.
Joy Morrissey
Con
Beaconsfield
Question
Will the Minister confirm that universities continue to be expected to deliver the same quality and quantity of online learning as they have throughout the year? Will she encourage universities to extend their teaching and reviews so that students may experience classroom learning before their exams?
Minister reply
The Government do indeed expect the quantity and quality of teaching to be maintained, and for it to continue being accessible for all.
Tan Dhesi
Lab
Slough
Question
Why does the Minister think it is okay to charge £9,250 for university tuition fees this year?
Minister reply
The Government do not charge £9,250 for tuition fees; universities do as autonomous institutions. Every university has opted to do that and in return we have said that we expect the quantity and quality of provision to be maintained and for it to be accessible for all.
Question
Professor Whitty has said that the risk to 19 to 22-year-olds is very low. Why are these precious weeks for university students being lost to them, despite the evidence we now have? Will my hon. Friend think again about this date?
Minister reply
We have continued to review the evidence and did a comprehensive review over Easter taking advice from the likes of the Deputy Chief Medical Officer and looking at the advice from SAGE.
Jim Shannon
DUP
Strangford
Question
Are there plans to ensure that the help towards bills that students studying in Northern Ireland were able to access under the covid study disruption payment scheme will be replicated in mainland UK for Northern Ireland students studying here?
Minister reply
The scheme in Northern Ireland has aimed to support those in financial hardship, as we have. We have distributed £70 million and now an additional £15 million—a total of £85 million—of hardship money to universities to help those most in need.
Question
Can my hon. Friend assure me that the £85 million in total support being made available will deliver tangible help to those left financially struggling?
Minister reply
I agree with my hon. Friend and that is why we are focused on getting money into the pockets of the students who need it now.
Catherine West
Lab
Hornsey and Friern Barnet
Question
The MP has received messages from students worried about the restrictions on education, social life, and facing large student debts. She asks if the Government have a proper plan to address these issues.
Minister reply
The minister assures that she is fighting for students by ensuring they can graduate on time in creative subjects and supporting them financially, especially those in hardship.
Question
Inquires about the inconsistency of restrictions preventing student return to university but allowing access to non-essential retail. Asks if the issue is related to new households.
Minister reply
The decision was based on balancing all relaxed measures and considering the mass movement of students which could form 500,000 additional new households across England.
Chi Onwurah
Lab
Newcastle upon Tyne Central
Question
Raises issues such as financial hardship, mental wellbeing, and lack of planning. Asks what the Government will do for students feeling abandoned.
Minister reply
The minister acknowledges difficulties and states that they are working on building back the student experience and providing support including a £50 million package dedicated to mental health next year.
Question
Asks if the Government can write off student loans borrowed in 2020-21 as a significant step towards supporting students.
Minister reply
The minister highlights university staff’s efforts and financial support for those in hardship, stating loan rebates would not achieve targeted assistance.
Daniel Zeichner
Lab
Cambridge
Question
Urges the Minister to work with universities on solutions beyond a fixed deadline of 17 May.
Minister reply
The minister confirms engagement with Universities UK and emphasises an approach fair across students while also being deliverable.
Andrew Griffith
Con
Arundel and South Downs
Question
Asks if universities will support student returns for mental health or inadequate study space needs, and open facilities like libraries, catering, and gyms.
Minister reply
Universities should allow access to students back in term-time accommodation for mental health and prevention of isolation.
Question
Raises concerns over inadequate support compared to other regions. Asks if the Government understands why students feel forgotten.
Minister reply
The minister explains £256 million has been unlocked for universities to support hardship, with an additional £85 million dedicated specifically.
Question
Asks about safety measures in place for students returning to campus in North Devon.
Minister reply
Universities have made significant investments in student and staff safety, including risk assessments and testing availability. From 17 May, home testing will be available.
Rupa Huq
Lab
Ealing Central and Acton
Question
Raises concerns about a constituent paying full fees without direct staff contact while other businesses are open.
Minister reply
The minister emphasises in-person teaching can be delivered safely but highlights the concern around mass movement of students.
Question
Thanks the Minister for supporting Redcar and Cleveland's students and asks about covid test costs to return to studies.
Minister reply
The minister confirms no student will have to pay for tests as part of the testing programme.
Question
I am very concerned about the mental health of students who are still not back at university. I am conscious that the university experience is about way more than lectures and tutorials—at least, it was for me. Will my hon. Friend please update the House on what we are doing to support the mental health of students who are not yet back at university?
Minister reply
My hon. Friend is right: the wider student experience has been extremely impacted over the last year, despite the hard work of universities and student unions. UUK is sharing best practice and ideas to support universities to prioritise and enrich the student experience on return, and we are working with UUK on that. Throughout the pandemic, I have reiterated to universities the importance of prioritising mental health and wellbeing and worked with them to enable that, including by convening a mental health working group. We have also worked closely with the OfS and launched Student Space, a £3 million mental health platform through which students can access support during the pandemic.
Janet Daby
Lab
Lewisham East
Question
Time spent away from in-person learning has had a particularly damaging impact on students from deprived and disadvantaged backgrounds. Goldsmiths, University of London has raised with me its concerns about the widening gap between students from wealthy backgrounds, who have networks to help them to find jobs beyond university, and those from low-income families, who do not. To ensure that the gap in social mobility does not hold students back in the job market, what steps will the Minister take to make sure that tailored careers support and advice are provided?
Minister reply
We are currently working with universities and sector representatives on a package of support for those who will graduate this year. It is important to note that we have already done a number of things, including putting an additional £32 million into the national careers service. The number of work coaches in this country is now up to 27,000, and we have the skills toolkit, which is a fantastic free resource that enables students or graduates to access courses that will add to their employability.
Question
Has the Minister’s Department done any assessment of the impact on the levels of attainment and grades that might be achieved in finals this year? If it is less than normal, will some sort of gearing be put into the system to ensure that students are not penalised by the fact that they have had to do so much work away from the university, without the advantage of attending a library, for instance?
Minister reply
Universities are autonomous institutions and all run their own assessments, so every single one of them is different in this respect. However, the Government are advocating that they introduce policies that mitigate some of the impact of the pandemic and that they are fair in doing so. Some have chosen to introduce no-detriment policies, for instance. However, this will not work in all cases—for example, if a university does not have enough information to do a no-detriment policy, or if the regulatory body that accredits the course is against that. My understanding from my work with universities is that they are on the whole being extremely flexible and accommodating for students and appreciate the sheer scale of the challenges that students have faced over the last year. I will continue to monitor the situation and work with universities on this.
Question
There is increasing concern from students who have not been able to take many of the part-time jobs that they would otherwise have been able to. They are not eligible for much of the Government support and they are having to continue to pay rent. Some universities have been good, of course, but the private sector has not been. Is it not now time for the Government to have serious plans to address this hardship, as we have seen in Wales, and not just the pittance that has been given, on a discretionary basis, to students, many of whom are not able to access it properly?
Minister reply
It is important to remember that we have unlocked £256 million of taxpayers’ money for universities to access to support those in hardship, and we have allocated an additional £85 million. It is right that we have targeted that to those who are most in need, rather than allocating it as a blanket payment, which would have diluted the support available to those who genuinely need it at the moment. Once again, I reiterate my message to any student who is facing hardship: please come forward to your university and access that help. That includes international students and postgraduate students.
Bury South
Question
I thank the Minister for literally being on call on evenings and weekends to answer any questions we have had on universities on a case-by-case basis. University should be some of the best days of your life. I know that the hon. Member for Lancaster and Fleetwood (Cat Smith) will join me in thinking the same, given our shared time in Lancaster. However, the past year has raised severe mental health issues for everyone, as we have heard. What conversations is the Minister having with education providers to support students’ health, mental health and wellbeing when they return?
Minister reply
My hon. Friend touches on a really important point. Throughout this pandemic I have reiterated to universities and sector bodies the importance of prioritising student wellbeing and mental health and moving that provision online in tandem with academic provision. I convened a working group to enable this. I have worked with the OfS to launch Student Space—a £3 million mental health project. We continue to evaluate the situation. We have also launched an action group with the Under-Secretary of State for Education, my hon. Friend the Member for Chelmsford (Vicky Ford), looking at mental health across the spectrum of education, because these challenges are not going away and we need to continue to support students throughout this period.
Florence Eshalomi
Lab Co-op
Vauxhall and Camberwell Green
Question
I have two privately run student accommodation blocks in my constituency, which in normal times are home to hundreds of students from London’s top universities. Because of the travel restrictions and physical closure, they have had to live elsewhere for most of the year, but they still continue to pay the rent. These students have exhausted all means, including discussions with their accommodation provider, and they have been looking at trying to terminate their contracts or to be offered a rent reduction, but to no avail. They have been put into an impossible position, having faced huge restrictions on their education and their social life, but they are still paying rent. All they want is a fair deal from their accommodation provider. What plans do the Government have to address this?
Minister reply
We have urged accommodation providers to have students’ best interests at heart, to review their policies and to give refunds where they can, and a number have done so, including a plethora of universities and private providers such as Unite. The hardship money is there for those students who have faced a situation where they cannot access a refund. I again urge all students to access that, particularly if accommodation pressures are putting them in financial difficulties.
Bob Blackman
Con
Harrow East
Question
I congratulate my hon. Friend on the excellent work she has done in supporting students and universities across this very difficult period. Clearly, students are now consumers—consumers enabled to demand the best from their universities—and the key point here is getting value for money. I know that she is trying to do that. Can she also state the position in relation to international students? Many universities are wholly dependent now on the income from international students. What advice is being given to those students, who are equally consumers of our education?
Minister reply
The Government’s expectations are clear: universities should maintain the quality, quantity and accessibility of provision. If a student, whether international or domestic, is unhappy, they can utilise the OfS notifications procedure to pre-empt a review, or make a formal complaint to their university. If they are still unsatisfied, they can go to the OIA, which can lead to fee refunds and has done in the past.
Lilian Greenwood
Lab
Nottingham South
Question
The latest ONS statistics show that around three quarters of students are already back in their term-time accommodation. Does the Minister agree that the Government’s failure to provide any information or guidance whatsoever until so very late in the day meant that many students travelled unnecessarily in anticipation of starting back after Easter?
Minister reply
We have continued to give guidance and advice to students throughout. We wanted to give the maximum period possible to review the data because our objective has always been to get students back as soon as we possibly can. At every stage, we have written to students and communicated with them via universities, but I do get how challenging it is and how disappointing it will be for some students not to be able to resume face-to-face teaching until 17 May.
Question
It is telling that the first step on the roadmap was education, so we know how seriously the Government take that subject. Will the Minister confirm that the highest rates of transmission among students are in university halls of residence and house sharing, so, regrettable as it is to have to delay the recommencement, it is simply a fact that we have to ensure the safety of this nation and that case rates continue to be suppressed?
Minister reply
The Government have committed to taking a cautious approach to easing restrictions, guided by the data instead of dates. Encouraging students on non-practical courses to return to in-person teaching will potentially lead to a significant number of students forming new households from across the country—up to 500,000—and enabling this to proceed too early may result in significant, higher numbers of infection and could increase the risk of students having to repeatedly self-isolate, which I am sure none of us would want.
Shadow Comment
Daisy Cooper
Shadow Comment
The shadow criticises the delay in allowing students to return, stating it feels like a final insult after months without access to university facilities and financial strain. The response calls for doubling hardship funds to £700 million and conducting a rapid review of pandemic impacts on students with recommendations for government compensation. It highlights universities' efforts but argues that the sector cannot bear sole responsibility for student support during this period.
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