Commons Sense

House of Commons · Westminster Hall

Turing Scheme

20 April 2021 · 1 other contributor · 4,105 words

Opened by Tonia Antoniazzi Lab Gower

Responding minister: Michelle Donelan

Education

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

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Tonia Antoniazzi raised concerns about turing scheme in Westminster Hall. A government minister responded.

Key points

  • Tonia Antoniazzi raised concerns about the impact of the Turing scheme on UK students and universities.
  • Antoniazzi highlighted that Erasmus has benefited over 250,000 UK students since 1987 and that UK universities lost 243 million annually from incoming EU students.
  • She questioned the government on funding issues for UK students under Turing and the potential limits on the number of students coming to the UK under the scheme.

Key requests to Government

Antoniazzi asks the Minister to address funding issues for UK students studying abroad through Turing. She also seeks clarity on whether there will be limits on the number of students who can come to the UK under Turing and how it might affect UK students wanting to take a year abroad.

How the debate unfolded

MPs spoke in turn to share their views and ask questions. Here's what each person said.

Opened the debate

Tonia Antoniazzi Lab Gower

Tonia Antoniazzi is concerned about the impact of the Turing scheme on students and universities. She highlights that over 250,000 UK students have benefited from Erasmus since its inception in 1987. The loss of income from incoming students has been estimated at £243 million per annum by Universities UK. Antoniazzi raises issues regarding the lack of reciprocal funding for European partner universities and the financial support available for UK students studying abroad. She also points out that the application process for Turing is different from Erasmus, potentially acting as a barrier for less advantaged students. Furthermore, she criticises the timing and planning of the scheme.

Other contributors (1)
  • Carol Monaghan SNP Glasgow North West

    Asks whether the Government have shown how the Turing Scheme will benefit disadvantaged students as claimed, and highlights that students in non-language subjects like physics also gained significantly from Erasmus. She inquired about the Government's plans to encourage participation from more disadvantaged backgrounds, asking for details on promotion strategies within the sector and methods to monitor success among these groups.

Government Response

Michelle Donelan

I congratulate the hon. Member for Gower on securing the debate on the scope of Turing. The Government are committed to international education exchanges, which is why we are funding the Turing scheme as an alternative to Erasmus+. The Turing scheme offers £110 million in its first year, providing funding for about 35,000 UK students to travel abroad for educational exchanges. Unlike Erasmus+, which was 97% focused on the EU, Turing is a global scheme. It aims to reach areas of the UK that did not engage as much with Erasmus and students from disadvantaged backgrounds. The scheme provides an increased grant for living costs and additional financial support for those from disadvantaged backgrounds, including travel-related costs. The minimum higher education duration has been reduced from one term to four weeks. All institutions in the UK can bid competitively for Turing funding, and successful bids will receive grants towards student living costs and additional costs such as visas, insurance, and passport fees. Unlike Erasmus+, which had limited inward mobility, Turing is an outward mobility scheme for UK participants with no additional tuition fee charges, and institutions are expected to waive their fees. The minister has spoken directly to several international organisations about the potential for them to participate in Turing, highlighting its global reach. Additionally, there are ongoing investments in sport programmes that align with Erasmus+ Sport themes and objectives, such as through Sport England's £1.2 billion investment between 2016 and 2021 in grassroots sport and physical activity programmes.

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