Written questions by Sollom.

How many universities are classified by the Office for Students as being at material risk of financial failure.

The government has not provided emergency funding to any university since 4 July 2024.Universities are independent from government and as such must continue to make the necessary financial decisions to ensure their long-term sustainability. If a university was at risk of failure, the department would work with the Office for Students (OfS) to ensure that students are protected, recognising the significant impact university closure would have on their future.The OfS dedicates significant resources to ensuring the sector's financial sustainability but does not provide emergency financial support to universities. It assesses financial sustainability on a case-by-case basis and does not disclose the identity of institutions deemed to be at material risk, as this is considered highly commercially sensitive. The OfS’ most recent report on the sector’s financial condition can be found here: https://www.officeforstudents.org.uk/publications/financial-sustainability-of-higher-education-providers-in-england-2025/.While the sector is autonomous, we are committed to creating a secure future for our world-leading universities.The department has appointed Professor Edward Peck as OfS Chair, where he will play a key role in strengthening the commitment of the OfS to monitoring the financial health of the sector. Additionally, we made the difficult decision to uplift tuition fee limits by 3.1% (in line with inflation) from the 2025/26 academic year. The department will publish its plans for higher education reform as part of the Post-16 Education and Skills White Paper this summer.

What recent assessment his Department made of the adequacy of services provided to the NHS by AJM healthcare.

Integrated care boards (ICBs) are responsible for the provision and commissioning of local wheelchair services. It is therefore the responsibility of ICBs to review and assess the quality of the provision of their commissioned National Health Service wheelchair services.As such, we do not currently have any plans to assess the adequacy of the provision of NHS wheelchair services provided by AJM Healthcare. NHS England is taking steps to support ICBs to commission effective, efficient, and personalised wheelchair services. This includes publishing a Wheelchair Quality Framework on 9 April 2025 which sets out quality standards and statutory requirements for ICBs, such as offering personal wheelchair budgets. The framework is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/wheelchair-quality-framework/

If she will make an assessment of the potential impact of (a) errors in (i) GCSE and (ii) A-level braille exam papers from examination boards and (b) the lack of past papers available to pupils studying for those exams on affected students.

This is a matter for Ofqual, the Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation. I have asked its Chief Regulator, Sir Ian Bauckham, to write to the hon. Member for St Neots and Mid Cambridgeshire directly and a copy of his reply will be placed in the Libraries of both Houses.

How Skills England will work with (a) the Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Mayoral Combined Authority and (b) local employers to increase skills levels in Cambridgeshire.

Part of Skills England’s role is to ensure that skills sit at the heart of joined-up decision making across government. This includes working closely with Strategic Authorities, to ensure that regional skills needs are met and there is alignment with national priorities.Skills England also oversees Local Skills Improvement Plans (LSIPs), which provide an ongoing mechanism through which local employers, Strategic Authorities, further education and higher education providers and other stakeholders can come together locally to identify and resolve skills needs and issues.The English Devolution White Paper, published December 2024, sets out the intention to strengthen the role Strategic Authorities will play in the LSIPs, through joint ownership of the LSIP model alongside employer representative bodies (ERBs). These changes will come into force in Autumn 2025, to align with the next round of LSIP development.In Cambridgeshire and Peterborough, the Mayoral Combined Authority will be expected to set out its sector skills priorities to the designated ERB, the Cambridgeshire Chamber of Commerce. These will inform the development of the LSIP for Cambridgeshire and Peterborough and provide the framework within which it exists, alongside the Local Growth Plan, the Industrial Strategy, the views of local employers and providers and Skills England’s assessment of skills needs.

What steps Skills England will take to encourage (a) SMEs and (b) other employers to offer more apprenticeships for people under 25.

Skills England will support young people to develop the skills they need.The rate of young people’s apprenticeship starts has fallen by almost 40% since 2015/16. We want to rebalance the programme back towards young people.This government, supported by Skills England, is focused on establishing a coherent skills system with more flexible training options that support employers to fill skills gaps whilst driving growth and spreading opportunity.Supported by Skills England, we are introducing foundation apprenticeships to get young people into work-based training and employment, as well as delivering shorter duration apprenticeships to provide flexibility for employers and learners.Employers are not required to pay anything towards employees’ National Insurance for all apprentices aged up to age 25 when the employee’s wage is below £50,270 a year.We recognise the need to protect the smallest employers which is why we have more than doubled the Employment Allowance to £10,500, meaning more than half of businesses with National Insurance contributions liabilities either gain or see no change next year.We also provide £1,000 to both employers and training providers when they take on apprentices aged under 19.

What steps her Department is taking to improve access to (a) high-quality technical education and (b) work-placed training in Cambridgeshire.

As announced in the Spending Review, the department is making over £1 billion of additional investment per year in skills by 2028/29.This will support and grow the wide range of technical routes and work-based training available for people of all ages, across the country, including in Cambridgeshire. This investment includes:Widening the apprenticeships offer into a growth and skills offer, including new foundation apprenticeships, which will give more young people a foot in the door at the start of their working life.T Levels, a high-quality technical education option for young people, including a valuable workplace industry placement which prepares them work.Higher Technical Qualifications, occupation-focused level 4-5 qualifications, approved and quality marked as providing the skills demanded in the workplace by employers.Skills Bootcamps, giving learners the chance to build sector-specific skills with a job interview on completion.Free Courses for Jobs, giving learners the chance to access high value level 3 qualifications.The department has also strengthened legislation to ensure all secondary pupils have multiple opportunities for meaningful encounters with providers of technical education and apprenticeships.

What support Skills England will provide to improve further education provision in (a) Mid Cambridgeshire and (b) other places where this is limited.

Skills England will support the delivery of government policy, driving forward the Plan for Change and industrial strategy by identifying skills gaps in the economy and using this insight to improve provision so that people and businesses can access the right training.Skills England’s first report, published September 2024, sets out the key skills challenges that limit economic growth and opportunity and an initial assessment of skills needs in the economy – and moving forward, Skills England will work in partnership with stakeholders, including employers and further education and higher education providers, to co-create the right training products to boost growth and opportunity.Local Skills Improvement Plans (LSIPs), overseen by Skills England, are specifically designed to drive local economic growth by better aligning provision of post-16 technical education and training with local labour market needs.The Cambridgeshire and Peterborough LSIP is helping to identify and respond to gaps in provision and support learners to gain the skills they need to get good jobs, including in key local sectors, such as Green Construction, Green Engineering and Manufacturing, and Digital. By identifying opportunities for local innovation and growth, LSIPs are helping to ensure every part of the country can succeed in its own unique way.

Innovation and Technology, with reference to the White paper entitled Restoring Control over the Immigration System, published in May 2025, whether she plans to take steps to help support small and medium-sized research and development businesses to recruit the best scientific talent from other countries.

The Government is committed to attracting top global talent to the UK. The Immigration White Paper reinforces our ambition to increase the number of world-class scientists coming here through high-talent routes like the Global Talent and High Potential Individual visas. This includes simplifying access to the Global Talent visa and expanding fast-track options for individuals with the skills and expertise to drive growth in strategic industries.Department for Science, Innovation and Technology works closely with Department for Business and Trade on initiatives to attract the best talent to the UK, connecting international talent with UK opportunities and helping to strengthen the UK's position as a global Science and Technology power.

What recent estimate his Department has made of the number of infected blood victims who (a) are not registered with a compensation scheme, (b) fall outside the cut-off dates but are eligible for compensation and (c) have not received an interim payment.

Due to the nature of the Infected Blood scandal there is uncertainty over the number of people who might be eligible for compensation. Early estimates made within the Cabinet Office of those who are infected were that there are approximately 8,500 to 16,500 infected individuals, both living and deceased, who would claim. Of these, approximately 3,500 are currently living and registered with an Infected Blood Support Scheme. However, the final number of eligible people will ultimately depend on the number of victims who come forward. There is no limit or target on the amount announced for the scheme and each eligible person will get the compensation they are due. The Infected Blood Compensation Scheme does not have hard cut off dates based on someone’s infection after which they will not be eligible. There are dates set out in the 2025 Regulations based on when routine screening became available. Those infected after the dates specified in the regulations will not be excluded from the scheme, as long as they can provide evidence that they received infected blood or blood products. To date, the Government has paid over £1.2 billion in interim compensation payments to infected people, bereaved partners and estates of those who have very sadly died due to infected blood. Over 500 interim payments have been paid to the estates of deceased infected people, totalling over £50 million, and applications for interim payments to estates are still open. As of 3 June, IBCA has contacted 1,360 people to start their compensation claim, and 981 have started the claim process. 324 offers of compensation have been made, totalling over £253 million, and so far 218 people have accepted their offers with more than £166 million paid in compensation.

If she will make an assessment of the potential merits of providing funding to incentivise collaboration between universities, colleges and schools; and if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of doing so on levels of participation in tertiary education.

The department allocated £20 million in 2025/2026 to the Office for Students through the Strategic Priorities Grant for the Uni Connect programme.Uni Connect brings together 29 partnerships of universities, colleges and other local partners to offer activities, advice and information to help young and adult learners from underrepresented groups to make informed choices about their higher education options.An independent evaluation of Uni Connect’s impact, conducted by Public First, can be found here: https://www.officeforstudents.org.uk/publications/uni-connect-a-review-of-collaborative-support-in-access-to-higher-education/.

What steps his Department is taking to ensure that healthcare professionals are given training on ensuring that the needs of (a) minority and (b) LGBTQ+ groups are met in healthcare settings; and if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of creating a national regulatory body to (i) oversee training for those groups and (ii) ensure consistency of provision across the healthcare sector.

Employers in the health system are responsible for ensuring that their staff are trained to the required standards to deliver safe and effective treatment for all patients, and to deploy them in the best way to ensure the delivery of health services to their proximal populations. All National Health Service staff are required to undertake mandatory Equality, Diversity and Inclusion e-Learning upon taking up roles in the NHS, which is then refreshed once every three years. This training is produced at a national level to ensure consistency of understanding across all NHS staff.There are no plans to assess the potential merits of creating a national regulatory body to oversee training and ensure consistency of provision in relation to minority and LGBTQ+ groups. Professional regulators are subject to the Public Sector Equality Duty and other legislation which places on them a legal duty to ensure that those from minority groups are treated equally. The Professional Standards Authority for Health and Social Care, which oversees the performance of the professional regulators, assesses their performance against its 18 standards of good regulation which includes standard 3 concerning equality, diversity and inclusion.

If he will (a) take steps to launch an independent public inquiry to assess the effectiveness of the steps taken by Cambridge University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust in relation to concerns raised by families about surgery undertaken by Ms Kuldeep Stohr and (b) meet with affected families in St Neots and Mid Cambridgeshire constituency.

Andrew Kennedy KC has been appointed as the independent chair of a clinical review taskforce which is undertaking an external, independent, and retrospective clinical review of all surgeries carried out by Kuldeep Stohr while she was employed by the Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (CUH) from 2012.The CUH has commissioned Verita, an organisation specialising in healthcare investigations, to undertake a separate external and independent review of what was known and when it was known, regarding concerns about Ms Stohr’s clinical practice and competence, and any missed opportunities to identify and address concerns earlier.The CUH is maintaining communication with the affected families. Each family has a named contact and is receiving written updates. We are clear that affected patients and families must continue to be supported throughout the process, so that they can be provided with the answers they deserve.

What changes her Department has made to the Advanced Maths Support Programme.

From September 2025, the focus of the Advanced Mathematics Support Programme (AMSP) will be tilted towards the following areas: supporting schools with low girls’ progression to level 3 mathematics to implement evidence-driven strategies to encourage more girls into post-16 mathematics, supporting high-attaining KS2 disadvantaged students to progress to higher grades at GCSE and into level 3 mathematics, and courses to improve knowledge and skills on the key mathematical concepts and skills needed for artificial intelligence advancement and machine learning.The AMSP will continue to deliver teacher professional development in level 3 mathematics (core maths, A level Maths and A level Further Maths) and higher-level problem solving and university entrance tests, and deliver online student tuition in A level Further Maths for 16-19 students in institutions that cannot offer the qualification.

With reference to her Department's press release entitled More girls to study maths under plans to improve pathway into AI careers, published on 6 May 2025, how much funding will be allocated in (a) 2025 and (b) subsequent years; and how that funding will be allocated between students and teachers.

The Advanced Maths Support programme funding for April 2025 to March 2026 will be £8,200,000. Funding from April 2026 will be subject to the spending review.There is no direct split between funding for students and teachers.

What discussions her Department has had with the Department for Education on the potential impact of changes to the level of funding for the Adult Skills Fund on the number of people entering employment.

Adult Skills Funding (ASF) supports people with access to local skills training and provision, helping remove skills barriers to work, which in turn both secures and helps people progress in work. Work Coaches are able to help people access a broad range of local skills provision funded via the Adult Skills funding including; Skills Bootcamps, vocational and essential English, maths, digital skills training, ESOL, as well as Sector-based Work Academy Programmes (SWAPs). Jobcentres also work closely with local stakeholders.The Department for Work and Pensions works closely with the Department for Education given our collective ambition to better align delivery of skills and employment support with both individual need and national and local labour market demand.As the majority of ASF is devolved to strategic authorities they are responsible for the provision of ASF-funded adult education for their residents and allocation of the ASF to learning providers.

What steps her Department plans to take to (a) monitor and (b) evaluate the potential impact of changes to the level of funding for the Adult Skills Fund in (i) devolved and (ii) non-devolved areas in the 2025-26 (a) financial and (b) academic years.

The department will provide approximately £1.4 billion in funding for the adult skills fund (ASF) in the 2025/26 academic year to ensure that adult learners can access the education and training they need to get into employment or progress in work.As of August 2025, the department will have devolved 68% of the ASF to mayoral strategic authorities, who are responsible for adult skills provision in their areas. These authorities have autonomy in deciding how to use their funding and are responsible for the allocation of the ASF to learning providers. The department is responsible for managing non-devolved ASF.In non-devolved areas, adults earning less than £25,000 annual gross salary are eligible for full funding through the ASF. This directly supports social mobility by enabling those moving from unemployment to progress in work. The ASF also funds Learner Support and Learning Support which enables learning providers to help learners facing specific financial hardship, learning difficulties and/or disabilities to overcome barriers which prevent them from taking part in learning.The department’s allocation methodology for the 2025/26 academic year recognises priority courses, as well as providers with a strong track record of delivering above their allocations and providing for more learners. As a result, there will be a significant number of providers who will see their allocations increase in the 2025/26 academic year.The department considered the impact of all its funding decisions and, as part of managing the ASF in non-devolved areas, the department considers the impacts of any previous changes when making policy decisions.

What assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of reductions to the Adult Skills Fund on the availability of (a) adult education courses and (b) free courses for jobs.

The department will provide approximately £1.4 billion in funding for the adult skills fund (ASF) in the 2025/26 academic year to ensure that adult learners can access the education and training they need to get into employment or progress in work.As of August 2025, the department will have devolved 68% of the ASF to mayoral strategic authorities, who are responsible for adult skills provision in their areas. These authorities have autonomy in deciding how to use their funding and are responsible for the allocation of the ASF to learning providers. The department is responsible for managing non-devolved ASF.In non-devolved areas, adults earning less than £25,000 annual gross salary are eligible for full funding through the ASF. This directly supports social mobility by enabling those moving from unemployment to progress in work. The ASF also funds Learner Support and Learning Support which enables learning providers to help learners facing specific financial hardship, learning difficulties and/or disabilities to overcome barriers which prevent them from taking part in learning.The department’s allocation methodology for the 2025/26 academic year recognises priority courses, as well as providers with a strong track record of delivering above their allocations and providing for more learners. As a result, there will be a significant number of providers who will see their allocations increase in the 2025/26 academic year.The department considered the impact of all its funding decisions and, as part of managing the ASF in non-devolved areas, the department considers the impacts of any previous changes when making policy decisions.

Whether her Department has undertaken an impact assessment in relation to changes to the level of funding for the Adult Skills Fund.

The department will provide approximately £1.4 billion in funding for the adult skills fund (ASF) in the 2025/26 academic year to ensure that adult learners can access the education and training they need to get into employment or progress in work.As of August 2025, the department will have devolved 68% of the ASF to mayoral strategic authorities, who are responsible for adult skills provision in their areas. These authorities have autonomy in deciding how to use their funding and are responsible for the allocation of the ASF to learning providers. The department is responsible for managing non-devolved ASF.In non-devolved areas, adults earning less than £25,000 annual gross salary are eligible for full funding through the ASF. This directly supports social mobility by enabling those moving from unemployment to progress in work. The ASF also funds Learner Support and Learning Support which enables learning providers to help learners facing specific financial hardship, learning difficulties and/or disabilities to overcome barriers which prevent them from taking part in learning.The department’s allocation methodology for the 2025/26 academic year recognises priority courses, as well as providers with a strong track record of delivering above their allocations and providing for more learners. As a result, there will be a significant number of providers who will see their allocations increase in the 2025/26 academic year.The department considered the impact of all its funding decisions and, as part of managing the ASF in non-devolved areas, the department considers the impacts of any previous changes when making policy decisions.

What steps her Department is taking to help reduce the potential impact of changes to the level of funding for the Adult Skills Fund on the ability of (a) vulnerable learners and (b) people in receipt of benefits to take part in training to help increase their employability.

The department will provide approximately £1.4 billion in funding for the adult skills fund (ASF) in the 2025/26 academic year to ensure that adult learners can access the education and training they need to get into employment or progress in work.As of August 2025, the department will have devolved 68% of the ASF to mayoral strategic authorities, who are responsible for adult skills provision in their areas. These authorities have autonomy in deciding how to use their funding and are responsible for the allocation of the ASF to learning providers. The department is responsible for managing non-devolved ASF.In non-devolved areas, adults earning less than £25,000 annual gross salary are eligible for full funding through the ASF. This directly supports social mobility by enabling those moving from unemployment to progress in work. The ASF also funds Learner Support and Learning Support which enables learning providers to help learners facing specific financial hardship, learning difficulties and/or disabilities to overcome barriers which prevent them from taking part in learning.The department’s allocation methodology for the 2025/26 academic year recognises priority courses, as well as providers with a strong track record of delivering above their allocations and providing for more learners. As a result, there will be a significant number of providers who will see their allocations increase in the 2025/26 academic year.The department considered the impact of all its funding decisions and, as part of managing the ASF in non-devolved areas, the department considers the impacts of any previous changes when making policy decisions.

What assessment he has made of the potential impact of changes to levels of staffing for Integrated Care Boards in St Neots and Mid Cambridgeshire constituency on the capacity of those Integrated Care Boards to plan new services for areas of high population growth .

NHS England has asked the integrated care boards (ICBs) to act as main strategic commissioners of health and care services and to reduce the duplication of responsibilities within their structure to achieve a 50% cost reduction in their running cost allowance. NHS England provided additional guidance to ICBs, National Health Service trusts, and NHS foundation trusts on 1 April 2025, and tasked ICBs with developing plans by the end of May setting out how they will manage their resources to deliver across their priorities.NHS England will be working closely with ICBs to support the development of these plans, ensuring that their implementation reduces duplication and supports patient care. Further information is available at the following link:https://www.england.nhs.uk/long-read/working-together-in-2025-26-to-lay-the-foundations-for-reform/In his letter to ICBs, Sir Jim Mackay committed to greater transparency and moving back to a fair shares allocation policy over time. The Cambridgeshire and Peterborough ICB is within range of their fair shares allocation targets.