This government welcomes international students who enrich our university campuses, forge lifelong friendships with our domestic students and become global ambassadors for the UK. The government expects the UK to remain a highly attractive study destination. We have a world class higher education (HE) sector with four universities in the top 10 and 15 in the top 100, alongside a wide array of high quality institutions which can offer a fulfilling and enjoyable experience to international students from around the world.

The department recognises that the Office for Students (OfS), which is responsible for monitoring and reporting on the financial sustainability of English HE providers, has identified reliance on international student fee income as a risk. In its most recent update on the sector’s financial health, published in November 2024, the OfS found that international recruitment is significantly below the sector’s previous expectations. While we agree with the OfS’ assessment that more providers will need to adapt their business models to protect their financial stability, we are clear that high quality international students are welcome in the UK.

While the sector is autonomous and independent, the government is determined to secure the future of our world leading HE sector. That is why we have taken decisive action to support providers in moving towards a more stable financial footing.

In March, Professor Edward Peck was appointed as substantive Chair of the OfS. Professor Peck will continue the excellent work of interim Chair, Sir David Behan, focusing on the sector’s financial sustainability and increasing opportunities in HE. The department continues to work closely with the OfS in order to better understand the sector’s changing financial landscape.

Moreover, in November, my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education announced the difficult decision to increase tuition fee limits in line with forecast inflation. The maximum fee for a standard full-time undergraduate course in the 2025/26 academic year will increase by 3.1%, from £9,250 to £9,535. In return for the increased investment we are asking students to make, we expect the sector to deliver the very best outcomes, both for those students and for the country.

The government also recognises the impact that financial pressures are having on the HE workforce. We are aware that some providers, including Bournemouth University and the Arts University Bournemouth, are making difficult decisions around staffing in order to safeguard their financial sustainability. Given universities are independent, they are responsible for pay and provision of staff and the government does not have a role in intervening. However, we expect providers to work with staff, using their knowledge and experience to help identify how best to reduce unnecessary spend. All efficiency measures taken by the sector should provide better long term value both for students and the country.

This government is determined to build a HE system fit for the future. Ministers and departmental officials remain dedicated to engaging with the OfS, HE unions, the employer body and the wider sector. Regular discussions are being held to gain a deeper understanding of the issues impacting HE providers, students, and staff. This collaborative effort will contribute to the development of the department’s plan for HE reform, which we will publish in the summer.

The department has regular meetings with representatives of trade unions that have members in the higher education sector, including the University and College Union, as well as with Universities UK and the Universities and Colleges Employers Association.

Universities are autonomous and responsible for the pay and pension provision of their staff.  While the government plays no role in such disputes, we hope all parties can reach an agreement that delivers good value for students, staff, and the universities, so that industrial action can be avoided.

The department urges all sides to work together so that students do not suffer from lost learning, and we encourage any student worried about the impact of strikes on their education to raise this with their university.

Racism is abhorrent and we all have a part to play in combating it, in higher education and more widely.

Universities have a responsibility to ensure they provide a safe and inclusive environment for all staff and students. The government expects institutions to take their responsibilities, including those under the Equality Act (2010), seriously and to have in place appropriate policies and procedures to tackle racism.

The government continues to work with Universities UK (UUK) to support work on implementing its ‘Changing the Culture’ framework.

UUK has an advisory group to tackle racial harassment in higher education institutions, chaired by Professor David Richardson, and in March announced the appointment of independent external advisers to strengthen the work of this group. My hon. Friend, the Minister of State for Universities, wrote to Professor Richardson in April to thank him for his continued work to address racial harassment in higher education and to express her interest in the outcomes of the advisory group’s work. In addition, officials at the Department for Education regularly meet UUK to discuss progress on tackling these important issues.

Furthermore, the British Medical Association has guidance, support, and information on discrimination and harassment in the medical profession, which covers racial harassment in medical schools; this is available on their website at www.bma.org.uk/advice-and-support/discrimination-and-harassment.

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

Since my right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, announced this government’s unprecedented package of support to help keep staff employed and support businesses, the department has developed guidance for higher education providers so that they are aware of the support that is available to them and may confidently apply for it.

That guidance is available here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-financial-support-for-education-early-years-and-childrens-social-care/coronavirus-covid-19-financial-support-for-education-early-years-and-childrens-social-care.

In developing this guidance, the department worked with trade unions as well as Universities UK (UUK) and the Universities & Colleges Employers Association (UCEA). The department is working with HMRC and HM Treasury to develop appropriate monitoring arrangements for the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS).

On 4 May, my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, announced a package of measures, drawing on proposals from the universities sector, to ease pressures on universities’ finances, boost support for students, stabilise university admissions this autumn and ensure sustainability in higher education (HE) at a time of unprecedented uncertainty.

To stabilise admissions, temporary student number controls will be put in place for domestic and EU students for the academic year 2020/21.These measures mean that providers will be able to recruit students up to a temporary set level, based on provider forecasts, which allows additional growth of up to 5% in the next academic year, and ensures that the admissions process for students will be fair and orderly.

My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, will also have the discretion to allocate an additional 10,000 places on top of the controls, of which 5,000 will be allocated to students studying nursing or allied health courses, to ensure growing numbers that will support our vital public services. This measure will only apply to UK/EU domiciled full-time undergraduate students, with certain specified exemptions. These controls will not apply to international (non-EU) students.

The Office for Students (OfS), the regulator in England, will also consult on a new temporary condition of registration. The OfS’s proposed condition would prohibit registered providers from engaging in any form of conduct which, in the opinion of the OfS, could reasonably have a material negative effect on the stability or integrity of the English HE sector.

The government has reprofiled tuition fee payments, expected to be worth £2.6 billion, for providers so that they receive more cash in the first term of academic year 2020/21. The government has also announced that £100 million of public funding will be brought forward to the current academic year to help protect vital university research activities in England. Additionally, the government has confirmed that providers are eligible to apply for the government’s financial support schemes, which are estimated by the OfS to be worth at least £700 million to the sector.

Universities have an integral part to play in our economy, society and culture, which is highlighted now more than ever through their leading role in the fight against the COVID-19 outbreak.

The government consulted on the misuse of confidentiality clauses in employer/employee relationships in 2019, and in response announced that we will legislate to prevent the misuse of Non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) in the workplace – including those being used to cover up harassment and discrimination. This will strengthen protections for individuals and create a create a fairer workplace for all.

In responding to that consultation, the University and College Union (UCU) and other unions expressed concern about the misuse of NDAs to 'gag' staff after experiencing poor behaviour in the workplace, including bullying, discrimination or sexual misconduct.

The department does not hold data on the use of NDAs in higher education and therefore has not made any specific analysis of their use. While there are a range of legitimate reasons why universities may use NDAs, including, for example, the protection of commercially sensitive information related to university research, we recognise their misuse is an area of concern.

We have clear expectations that universities should only use NDAs where necessary and appropriate. Any misuse of these agreements to hide workplace harassment or withhold details of student complaints is completely unacceptable and can not only distress individuals but also risk bringing the reputation of our world-leading higher education system into disrepute.

Sexual misconduct and harassment are unacceptable in higher education, as elsewhere, and government expects higher education providers to have robust and appropriate policies and procedures in place to effectively handle disclosures and reports of such behaviour by students and staff.

The Office for Students (OfS) is currently consulting on its approach to regulation and its expectations for providers in addressing sexual misconduct and harassment in their institutions. This consultation closes on 27 March. Government officials meet at least quarterly with both the OfS and Universities UK specifically to discuss making progress on tackling harassment in higher education.

We have regular discussions with Universities UK, as a key stakeholder representing a number of Tier 4 sponsors, on a range of issues including the UK’s post-study work offer for international students.

Universities UK does not meet the criteria for being added to the scope of the Freedom of Information Act and there are no plans to alter this.

I have held a number of meetings and conversations in relation to the Universities Superannuation Scheme (USS) dispute with interested parties, including Universities UK (UUK) and the University and College Union (UCU).

I consistently urged both UUK and UCU to continue to negotiate in order to find a solution. I welcome the recent vote by UCU members in favour of the proposal to create a Joint Expert Panel to examine the USS valuation.

Universities are autonomous institutions and they are responsible for their own pension provision. The department has not taken steps to encourage Universities UK, or any other party, to resolve the dispute regarding the Universities Superannuation Scheme, but continues to monitor developments.

Universities are autonomous institutions and they are responsible for their own pension provision. Government has no role in relation to the Universities Superannuation Scheme (USS) beyond regulation as is applied to all workplace pension schemes by The Pensions Regulator.

Neither my Rt hon. Friend the Secretary of State nor the Minister of State for Universities, Science, Research and Innovation has discussed the USS with Universities UK (UUK) or the University and College Union. Officials have sought updates from UUK on the latest developments regarding the USS. These were informal discussions and there were no outcomes.

The department has made no assessment of the impact of the proposed changes to the USS, and believes it would be inappropriate to comment.

Universities are autonomous institutions and they are responsible for their own pension provision. Government has no role in relation to the Universities Superannuation Scheme (USS) beyond regulation as is applied to all workplace pension schemes by The Pensions Regulator.

Neither my Rt hon. Friend the Secretary of State nor the Minister of State for Universities, Science, Research and Innovation has discussed the USS with Universities UK (UUK) or the University and College Union. Officials have sought updates from UUK on the latest developments regarding the USS. These were informal discussions and there were no outcomes.

The department has made no assessment of the impact of the proposed changes to the USS, and believes it would be inappropriate to comment.

Treasury Ministers and officials have meetings with a wide variety of organisations in the public and private sectors as part of the process of policy development and delivery. Details of ministerial and permanent secretary meetings with external organisations on departmental business are published on a quarterly basis and are available at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/hmt-ministers-meetings-hospitality-gifts-and-overseas-travel

The Government established the Pensions Regulator as an independent body to provide regulatory oversight of work based pension schemes. As such, the Department for Work and Pensions does not have access to the information that the Regulator holds in relation to individual pension schemes.

Section 82 of the Pensions Act 2004 prevents the disclosure of such restricted information by the Regulator or by any person who receives the information directly or indirectly from the Regulator, except in certain, prescribed, circumstances, none of which are judged to apply in this case.

I met with Universities UK on 22 May 2017 and spoke at their conference on 7 September 2017. UUK is represented at the high level stakeholder working group on EU exit, universities, research and innovation, which I chair and which last met on 19 October 2017. I also met with UUK at the Conservative Party Conference in Manchester.

I met with the University and College Union on 19 October 2016.

I met with the Sutton Trust on 17 November 2016.

I have not held a recent meeting with Unison.