The department is carefully considering the impact of our reforms on the student market. Since the publication of the White Paper, we have continued to engage with stakeholders across the sector, including students and landlords. Ministers convened a round table with landlord and student representative groups in December 2022 to discuss our proposed reforms.

The Student Loans Company (SLC) receives notifications of student withdrawal from higher education (HE) or study intermission from providers solely in order to determine whether fee and maintenance payments should be paid. This data is published here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/early-in-year-student-withdrawal-notifications-academic-year-201819-to-202223.

The department receives withdrawals data from the SLC for internal analysis purposes. This data identifies characteristics such as age, household income and living arrangements.

The government does not currently have plans to ask the SLC to collect other data about the withdrawal of students.

Authoritative data on students not continuing or completing their HE studies by person characteristics is published by the Office for Students in the ‘Student characteristics data: Outcomes data’ dashboard. This can be accessed here: https://www.officeforstudents.org.uk/data-and-analysis/student-characteristics-data/outcomes-data-dashboard/.

We are not currently planning to extend the eligibility for the 16-17 Saver. The 16-17 Saver is designed to provide additional support for young people who are required to remain in education and/or training until they turn 18. The 16-25 Railcard is available to those who are no longer eligible for the 16-17 Saver.

Young people are eligible for half price child rail fares until they turn 16, and the 16-17 Saver provides all young people with access to those half price rail fares for a further two years. No discussions have taken place on the impact on students of the different level of concessions available to students in the same academic year.

The department continues to monitor the consequences of the rising cost of living and is working with other government departments to provide support to students. Decisions on student finance will have to be taken alongside other spending priorities, to ensure the system remains financially sustainable.

The decisions on student support for higher education courses are taken on an annual basis and changes for the 2022/23 academic year were made through regulations laid in December 2021.

The government is currently considering options for changes to loans and grants for living and other costs for the 2023/24 academic year. An announcement will follow in due course.

There is £261 million of student premium funding available this academic year to support disadvantaged students who need additional help. The department has worked with the Office for Students to ensure universities support students in hardship, including by drawing on the student premium.

In 2019 we introduced the 16-17 Saver effectively extending half-price child fares to young people aged 16 and 17. Young people are required to continue in education, employment or training until the age of 18. The introduction of the 16-17 Saver means that they have access to half-price rail travel for the entirety of that period. On turning 18, young people can then take advantage of the 16-25 Railcard offering up to a third off most rail fares. We have no plans to extend or change the validity of the 16-17 Saver at this time.

The government has been carefully considering an alternative student finance product, alongside wider reforms to the higher education system, and an update will be provided alongside the conclusion to the Review of Post-18 Education and Funding. The interim conclusion of the review was published on 21 January 2021, and we will conclude the review in full at a future date.

Entitlement to Maternity Allowance is determined by an employment and earnings test, designed to establish a recent connection to the labour market. PhD candidates, and students, can qualify for Maternity Allowance provided they meet the employment and earnings test. The Government currently has no plans to expand eligibility for Maternity Allowance.

There have been no specific discussions. However, consideration was given to those recently turned 18 years old who will not have been fully vaccinated. We will provide further information shortly.

The Government has recently updated its guidance for higher education providers to prevent the spread of COVID-19 infections, which is available at the following link:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/higher-education-reopening-buildings-and-campuses

On 14 July 2021, we updated the higher education (HE) operational guidance for the sector on how HE settings can manage the risks of transmission and outbreaks as students return to campus. This is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/higher-education-reopening-buildings-and-campuses.

This includes advice on testing prior to arrival at university and measures on ventilation and outbreak management.

We routinely engage stakeholders in our plans including via the HE Task Force, involving representatives from across government and the HE sector, which meets to explore the challenges currently facing the sector as it continues to deal with the effects of the COVID-19 outbreak.

We also regularly engage with the Department of Health and Social Care, and we are working with them to ensure students have easy access to vaccinations at university if needed. We expect universities to work closely with their directors of health, especially for the development of outbreak management plans.

The COVID-19 vaccination is now being offered to everyone aged 18 and over, and we strongly encourage all students to take up the opportunity to be vaccinated as soon as possible, to protect themselves and those around them.

Students should register with a GP to be actively invited for a vaccination, though they can easily request to book a COVID-19 vaccine as an unregistered patient. More information on accessing vaccines can be found on the NHS published student frequently asked questions. HE providers should encourage students to consult with this advice, which are available here: https://www.england.nhs.uk/coronavirus/wp-content/uploads/sites/52/2021/06/C1317-COVID-19-vaccination-FAQs-students-in-Higher-Education-Institutions-.pdf.

Students and staff should continue to test twice a week, either using home test kits or at an on-site facility throughout the summer break where settings remain open. Testing will pause in settings that are closed.

Students should expect to test before they travel back to university, by ordering a free test online or collection from their local pharmacy. On arrival at university, students should take two lateral flow device tests – either using home test kits or at an on-site testing facility – 3 to 4 days apart. This is to reduce the risk of transmission following the movement of students across the country. Final decisions about testing on return and ongoing regular asymptomatic testing in the autumn term will take into account public health advice. The position will be confirmed in the coming weeks.

Students can book vaccination appointments via the National Booking Service and will have the option to book their second vaccination appointment at a different location to that of their first. This includes students who receive their first vaccination via their GP practice. The National Booking Service allows individuals to view, cancel and rebook their appointments. This is also the case for students who receive their first dose through a GP in Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland, but who reside in England at the time of their second dose.

Information about the National Booking Service can be found here: https://digital.nhs.uk/coronavirus/vaccinations/national-booking-service.

Vaccination is not currently a requirement for entry into the UK. However, we encourage all international students to receive a vaccine, either in a different country before arriving for term, or in the UK once they arrive.

International students in the UK are eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine for free, regardless of their nationality or immigration status. International students in England can receive the COVID-19 vaccine when they become eligible.

While students are encouraged to register with a GP to access the vaccine, they can request to book COVID-19 vaccination appointments as an unregistered patient through a local GP practice.

When students have entered the UK having had their first vaccination they should receive the same vaccine for their second dose, if this is available and provided that they are eligible. If the vaccine they received for their first dose is not available in the UK, the most similar alternative should be offered.

The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has regular discussions with Cabinet colleagues on the response to the pandemic and local COVID-19 outbreaks, including through the weekly Local Action Committee Gold meetings.

The department regularly reviews advice from the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies and Public Health England to ensure that our policies are guided by the most up-to-date scientific evidence.

The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) are the independent experts who advise the government on which vaccines the UK should use. The JCVI also provide advice on who should be offered the vaccines.

The JCVI have advised that the second phase of vaccine prioritisation should continue to be based on age. They advise that an age-based approach remains the most effective way of reducing death and hospitalisation from COVID-19 and of ensuring that more people are protected quickly.

Everyone in the top 9 priority cohorts (those aged 50 and over, those who are clinically extremely vulnerable and frontline health and social care workers) has now been offered a first dose of the vaccine. Our target remains to offer a vaccine to all adults aged 18 and over by 31 July.

Following the review into when the remaining higher education students can return to in-person teaching and learning, the government has announced that the remaining students should return to in-person teaching no earlier than 17 May 2021, alongside Step 3 of the roadmap. Students and institutions will be given at least a week’s notice of any further return in accordance with the timing of Step 3 of the roadmap.

The government roadmap is designed to maintain a cautious approach to the easing of restrictions to reduce public health risks and ensure that we can maintain progress towards full reopening. However, the government recognises the difficulties and disruption that this may cause for many students and their families and that is why the government is making a further £15 million of additional student hardship funding available for this academic year 2020/21. In total we have made an additional £85 million of funding available for student hardship.

We are supporting universities to provide regular twice weekly asymptomatic testing for all students and staff on-site and, from May, at home. This will help break chains of transmission of the virus.

Following the end of term break, the department’s priority for January will be the welfare of students as well as staff and the communities around higher education (HE) providers. We are looking to utilise mass testing to make the return to HE as safe as possible, and will provide further guidance in due course as we recognise the importance of clarity for students, staff and parents.

The department regularly engages with representatives from the HE sector – at both official and ministerial level – including on matters relating to the COVID-19 response. We also liaise with health experts such as local Directors of Public Health and will continue to do so on future planning.

Following the end of term break, our top priority for January will be the welfare of students, staff and the communities around higher education providers. We are looking to utilise mass testing to make the return to higher education as safe as possible, and will provide further guidance in due course, considering future developments and the relevant scientific advice.

The Government is extremely grateful to all student nurses who have supported the COVID-19 response, by opting into a paid placement for their time in practice at the frontline during the pandemic. Health Education England (HEE) has worked alongside the Council of Deans of Health, NHS Employers and NHS trade unions to provide clarity for students undertaking paid placements.

Any student, who is in the last six months of their programme and on a paid placement, will be fully paid until the end of their contract, unless otherwise agreed. By the end of July most final year students can qualify as registered nurses and start full time work, increasing their pay. For students in year two or the first part of their final year, employers and universities will work with them to aim to bring paid placements to a close by the 31 August. This will be part of a voluntary learning agreement between student, placement provider and university. HEE has published an agreed Frequently Asked Questions document.

The UK will continue to defend the rights & freedoms of the people of Hong Kong. Should China push ahead and impose national security legislation on Hong Kong then we will provide a generous offer to BN(O)s of a bespoke immigration route providing unrestricted access to work and study with a pathway to apply for citizenship.

We are working closely with the Foreign & Commonwealth Office and domestic departments on the offer to British Nationals (Overseas) and will set out more detail in due course.

As my right hon. Friends the Prime Minister and Chancellor of the Exchequer have both made clear, the government will do whatever it takes to support people affected by COVID-19.

Higher Education (HE) providers take their responsibilities seriously and are best placed to identify the needs of their student body as well as how to develop the services needed to support it. When making changes to the delivery of their courses, providers need to consider how they support all students, particularly the most vulnerable, to achieve successful academic and professional outcomes. Where students do not have access to the Internet, a computer at home or cannot afford to purchase it, the expectation is that HE providers will provide support through their own hardship funds.

The government has worked closely with the Office for Students to help clarify that providers can draw upon existing funding to provide hardship funds and support disadvantaged students impacted by COVID-19. Providers are able to use the funding, worth around £23 million per month for June and July, towards student hardship funds, including the purchase of IT equipment and mental health support, as well as to support providers’ access and participation plans.

Many higher education providers will have hardship funds to support students in times of need, including emergencies. The expectation is that where any student requires additional support, providers will support them through their own hardship funds. Contact details are available on university websites.

In addition, students will continue to receive payments of maintenance loans for the remainder of the current academic year, 2019/20. Students who need to undertake additional weeks of study on their course in the current academic year may also qualify for additional long courses loan to help with their living costs.

Parents who have lost their jobs and whose income has dropped by 15% or more in the current financial year will be able to apply to Student Finance England to have their children’s living costs support reassessed for the 2020/21 academic year from 1 August 2020 onwards. This will increase the amount of support students and prospective students are entitled to in 2020/21.

Information for parents on how to apply for a current year assessment is available on the Student Finance England website at: https://media.slc.co.uk/sfe/currentyearincome/index.html.

The government has announced that maximum grants and loans for living and other costs will increase by 2.9% for the 2020/21 academic year starting in August 2020.

Means-tested grants and loans for living and other costs are a contribution towards a student’s costs while attending university.

The current system bases the amount of support a student is entitled to on the student’s household income rather than on family outgoings. It ensures that the most support is targeted consistently at families from the lowest income backgrounds who need it most. It also ensures that information on income for individual applicants can be effectively processed by Student Finance England who deal with more than one million applications for student support in time for the start of an academic year.

Maximum loans for living costs for the lowest income students living away from their parents’ home and studying at a university in London are set at a higher level than for students studying outside London or living in their parents’ home. This reflects the higher living costs that students attending courses in London may incur