Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Tuition Fees: Social Mobility

Monday 17 July 2023 · 3 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 0 Partly answered 2 Not answered 0

Key points

  • The introduction of tuition fees has not led to fewer disadvantaged young people entering higher education.
  • The 18-year-old entry rate for disadvantaged students in England increased from 14.4% in 2011 to 25.1% in 2022.
  • The Government is introducing institutes of technology to provide higher technical qualifications across the country.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 John McNally SNP
Education
Context

Tuition fees impact disadvantaged students' access and debt burden.

Question

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of tuition fees on the social mobility of young people. The introduction of tuition fees did not lead to fewer disadvantaged young people going into higher education, but in the last academic year, English students graduated with £30,000 more debt than Scottish counterparts.

Answer from Robert Halfon

The introduction of tuition fees has not led to fewer disadvantaged young people going into higher education. The 18-year-old entry rate for disadvantaged students in England increased from 14.4% in 2011 to 25.1% in 2022. Low-income students living away from home will qualify for more living cost support over the coming year than low-income students in Scotland.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Admitted no policies are pushing students into debt and out of university, despite evidence presented by the questioner.

How: Actually

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Q2 John McNally SNP
Education
Context

English students face higher debt compared to Scottish counterparts, leading to concerns about the government's policies.

Question

I thank the Minister for that answer but, in the last academic year, English students graduated with £30,000 more debt than their Scottish counterparts. Despite this, both the Government and the Labour party refuse to follow the Scottish Government's lead by abolishing tuition fees in England. With over 16,000 undergraduates dropping out of higher education this year, will this Government admit that their policies are pushing students into debt and often out of university?

Answer from Robert Halfon

Actually, we are being fair both to students and to all those taxpayers who do not go to university. Low-income students living away from home will qualify for more living cost support over the coming year than low-income students in Scotland.

Not addressed: The question about admitting policies push students into debt and out of university was entirely avoided.

How: Actually

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Q3 Miriam Cates
Education
Context

The new Labour dream has left many graduates saddled with debt and unable to find graduate jobs.

Question

Will the Department look to go further by identifying whole universities that could be transformed into higher technical and vocational institutions, which would give far more young people the opportunities and training they really need for the productive jobs of the future?

Answer from Robert Halfon

We are already doing a lot, because we are introducing institutes of technology, which are collaborations between higher education and further education that provide flagship skills and teach higher technical qualifications, with 21 across the country.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Did not commit to identifying whole universities for transformation into higher technical institutions.

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