Written questions by McMurdock.

What assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the Maths Hubs programme in improving GCSE maths attainment in disadvantaged areas.

Awaiting answer.

With reference to her Department’s press release entitled New powers to protect vital free speech at universities, published on 20 April 2026, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of external actors, including foreign states, on free speech on UK campuses.

Awaiting answer.

With reference to her Department’s press release entitled New powers to protect vital free speech at universities, published on 20 April 2026, what assessment she has made of trends in the level of free speech breaches in higher education institutions in the last five years.

Awaiting answer.

With reference to her Department’s press release entitled New powers to protect vital free speech at universities, published on 20 April 2026, what role the proposed free speech complaints scheme will play in tackling incidents linked to foreign influence.

Awaiting answer.

With reference to her Department’s press release entitled New powers to protect vital free speech at universities, published on 20 April 2026, what criteria will be used by the Office for Students to determine whether a university has failed to uphold its duties on freedom of speech.

Awaiting answer.

With reference to her Department’s press release entitled New powers to protect vital free speech at universities, published on 20 April 2026, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that students, staff and visiting speakers are aware of their rights under the new complaints scheme.

Awaiting answer.

With reference to her Department’s press release entitled New powers to protect vital free speech at universities, published on 20 April 2026, whether she has had discussions with the security services on identifying threats from hostile state actors in higher education.

Awaiting answer.

What steps her Department is taking to help ensure that students are not disadvantaged by errors made in the initial approval of student finance.

Awaiting answer.

Whether her Department is providing additional support to schools and colleges in areas where an higher than average proportion of students do not achieve a grade 4 in GCSE (a) English and (b) Maths.

Awaiting answer.

How many students had their (a) maintenance loans and (b) grants withdrawn due to being reclassified as distance learners in the most recent 12-month period for which data are available.

Awaiting answer.

With reference to her Department’s press release entitled New powers to protect vital free speech at universities, published on 20 April 2026, what assessment she has made of trends in the role of student societies linked to foreign states in influencing campus discourse.

Awaiting answer.

What recent guidance her Department has issued to education providers on the eligibility of students to receive maintenance loans on courses.

Awaiting answer.

What steps her Department is taking to support students at risk of dropping out due to changes in funding eligibility.

Awaiting answer.

How many students will be required to repay (a) maintenance loans and (b) grants following the reclassification of their courses as distance learning.

Awaiting answer.

With reference to her Department’s press release entitled New powers to protect vital free speech at universities, published on 20 April 2026, what data her Department holds on incidents of foreign interference affecting campus events, speakers and academic research.

Awaiting answer.

With reference to her Department’s press release entitled New powers to protect vital free speech at universities, published on 20 April 2026, what information her Department holds on the countries most frequently reported to interfere with free speech in UK universities since 2020.

Awaiting answer.

What steps her Department is taking to help ensure that cases of retrospective withdrawal of student finance do not occur in future.

Awaiting answer.

What estimate she has made of the number of students who will withdraw from their courses as a result of losing access to maintenance loans and grants.

Awaiting answer.

With reference to her Department’s press release entitled New powers to protect vital free speech at universities, published on 20 April 2026, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the level of fines on the financial sustainability of higher education providers.

Awaiting answer.

How many students were affected by the withdrawal of (a) maintenance loans and (b) grants linked to (i) weekend and (ii) flexible learning courses.

Awaiting answer.