argyrotsipi/train-dataset huggingface dataset:
Support for University Students: Covid-19 — House of Commons, 2021-02-03
Topic: Education
Michelle Emma May Elizabeth Donelan (Conservative, Centre-right): I agree that we want every student to thrive throughout this pandemic, and past it. As I have said, this amount is on top of the £256 million for this academic year. We are actively monitoring the impact of this money, which only goes up to April, so that we can ensure that the best support is there for all students.
Support for University Students: Covid-19 — House of Commons, 2021-02-03
Topic: Education
David Anthony Evennett (Conservative, Centre-right): I welcome the funding package that the Minister unveiled yesterday. Will she confirm that she remains confident that teaching and learning environments are covid-secure for those students who do return to university? Also, in this time of heightened risk of transmission, surely it is right to reduce the numbers of people who travel to and from campus.
Support for University Students: Covid-19 — House of Commons, 2021-02-03
Topic: Education
Michelle Emma May Elizabeth Donelan (Conservative, Centre-right): Obviously it is a really difficult time for the hon. Member’s child; I feel exceptionally sorry for them. It is one of the awful ramifications of the pandemic that they are not able to access face-to-face teaching. This Government are committed to prioritising education and getting them back as quickly as possible, in line with the road map that the Prime Minister announced last week. We have this hardship funding available for those who are most in need and those who need help. I also urge the hon. Member’s loved one to contact their accommodation provider to see what flexibility it could provide.
Support for University Students: Covid-19 — House of Commons, 2021-02-03
Topic: Education
Selaine Rachel Saxby (Conservative, Centre-right): Many students in my North Devon constituency are facing additional costs for alternative accommodation, loss of employment or to access their university teaching online. Does my hon. Friend agree that the extra £70 million of funding that has been made available will deliver real, tangible help for students who are struggling financially as a result of the pandemic?
Support for University Students: Covid-19 — House of Commons, 2021-02-03
Topic: Education
Michelle Emma May Elizabeth Donelan (Conservative, Centre-right): Absolutely; I completely agree. That is exactly why we unlocked £256 million for this academic year, why we gave £20 million in December and why we have announced £50 million now. This will put money into the pockets of the students who are most in need as a result of the pandemic.
Support for University Students: Covid-19 — House of Commons, 2021-02-03
Topic: Education
Michelle Emma May Elizabeth Donelan (Conservative, Centre-right): It is vital that we listen to the experiences of students. That is why I regularly meet the NUS, and student unions in universities up and down the country. I also regularly meet the Office for Students student panel, and engage with students on a range of student media and chat forums. I will continue to do so because students need to be at the heart of our policy making and decision making, and it is their futures that we need to safeguard.
Support for University Students: Covid-19 — House of Commons, 2021-02-03
Topic: Education
Julie Marson (Conservative, Centre-right): I thank my hon. Friend for her statement and I welcome the £70 million to alleviate student hardship. I have been contacted by several students in Hertford and Stortford about the financial struggles they face. Can my hon. Friend reaffirm what she has previously said—that universities should treat students with the care and consideration they deserve during this difficult time? What does she advise students to do if that should not seem to be the case?
Support for University Students: Covid-19 — House of Commons, 2021-02-03
Topic: Education
Michelle Emma May Elizabeth Donelan (Conservative, Centre-right): My hon. Friend is spot on: universities do have a duty of care, and it is important that they are communicating with and looking after the wellbeing of students during this challenging time. Useful information and best practice have been circulated by Universities UK and the Office for Students. If a student really does have a concern, they should raise it directly with their university, go through the complaints process and then potentially escalate it to the Office of the Independent Adjudicator.
Support for University Students: Covid-19 — House of Commons, 2021-02-03
Topic: Education
Michelle Emma May Elizabeth Donelan (Conservative, Centre-right): As I have said many times today, this support is available until April. We are actively monitoring the impact on students, to ensure that every student who needs the help can get it and that they have that money in their pockets, so that they do not face challenges as the pandemic progresses.
Support for University Students: Covid-19 — House of Commons, 2021-02-03
Topic: Education
Esther Louise McVey (Conservative, Centre-right): The Government set the maximum amount that universities can charge for tuition fees during normal times. Is it not therefore the responsibility of Government to set the maximum amount that universities can charge during this covid-19 period, when students are not getting the education or the experience they have paid for because of Government restrictions?
Support for University Students: Covid-19 — House of Commons, 2021-02-03
Topic: Education
Michelle Emma May Elizabeth Donelan (Conservative, Centre-right): We will continue to monitor the situation. However, it is important to note that reducing tuition fees would not put money into students’ pockets here and now, and 50% of students do not pay back their loaned amount. What is important is ensuring that students get the quantity, the quality and the accessibility of tuition in these really difficult and challenging times.[Official Report, 2 March 2021, Vol. 690, c. 2MC.]
Support for University Students: Covid-19 — House of Commons, 2021-02-03
Topic: Education
Michelle Emma May Elizabeth Donelan (Conservative, Centre-right): The Prime Minister announced a road map for unlocking society and our education the other week, including getting students back from 8 March if the health information allows it; that is our priority. We urge those students who are suffering financially because they are in private accommodation and unable to access refunds to contact their university, so that they can apply for the hardship funding that we have given.
Support for University Students: Covid-19 — House of Commons, 2021-02-03
Topic: Education
Andrew Griffith (Conservative, Centre-right): I welcome the Government’s commitment of £70 million to support students impacted by this lockdown. Does my hon. Friend agree that, as the vaccine is rolled out and we are able to ease restrictions, nothing is more important than getting our undergraduates back to their universities?
Support for University Students: Covid-19 — House of Commons, 2021-02-03
Topic: Education
Michelle Emma May Elizabeth Donelan (Conservative, Centre-right): We made education a priority, which includes higher education, so that students do not have to put their academic journeys or their lives on hold, and we kept a proportion of face-to-face learning going for as long as we could. I agree with my hon. Friend: I want university students back as soon as it is safe to do so, and we have a road map laid out by the Prime Minister last week to enable us to do that.
Support for University Students: Covid-19 — House of Commons, 2021-02-03
Topic: Education
Michelle Emma May Elizabeth Donelan (Conservative, Centre-right): Education is of course devolved, but I meet on a weekly basis with my counterpart in Scotland, Minister Lochhead. We discuss the issue of accommodation almost every week, and the other pressures that students are facing, in order to have a joined-up and co-ordinated approach that is really getting to the heart of the problems that universities and students are facing.
Support for University Students: Covid-19 — House of Commons, 2021-02-03
Topic: Education
Gareth Andrew Bacon (Conservative, Centre-right): The £70 million support fund for students facing financial difficulties is very welcome, and I congratulate Ministers on once again stepping in to protect those most in need. However, a number of my Orpington constituents have told me how their studies have been drastically impacted by the pandemic. Will my hon. Friend update the House on what discussions have been held with universities about full or partial refunds for tuition and accommodation fees in this academic year?
Support for University Students: Covid-19 — House of Commons, 2021-02-03
Topic: Education
Michelle Emma May Elizabeth Donelan (Conservative, Centre-right): I agree with my hon. Friend: this is a really difficult and challenging time for students, and my heart goes out to all of them. We as a Government set the maximum tuition fee level, not the minimum, and it is up to universities to decide what to charge. Every single one of them has continued to charge the maximum during this pandemic, and in return we have said that we expect the quantity, quality and accessibility of provision to be there. If a student feels that it is not, there is a process whereby they can make a formal complaint to their university, and if the issue is still not resolved, they can take it to the Office of the Independent Adjudicator, which can potentially lead to a full or partial refund.
Support for University Students: Covid-19 — House of Commons, 2021-02-03
Topic: Education
Michelle Emma May Elizabeth Donelan (Conservative, Centre-right): Just to clarify, the hardship funding, at every stage, is applicable to international students, students from Wales who study here in England, and indeed Scottish students studying in England. I am happy to clarify that for all the hon. Lady’s constituents who may be studying at an English university.
Support for University Students: Covid-19 — House of Commons, 2021-02-03
Topic: Education
Michelle Emma May Elizabeth Donelan (Conservative, Centre-right): Absolutely; I totally agree with my hon. Friend. This is a difficult time for students, and we do urge all providers of university accommodation to give a partial refund for this period in which students cannot all access their accommodation. A few that have done this so far include Warwick, Nottingham, Sheffield, LSE and Exeter—the list goes on—but we want others to contribute too.
Support for University Students: Covid-19 — House of Commons, 2021-02-03
Topic: Education
Robert Largan (Conservative, Centre-right): I welcome the extra £50 million of funding announced yesterday for universities, which will help thousands of students facing financial difficulties because of coronavirus. Can the Minister confirm that this funding will be focused on support for the most disadvantaged students, including many from High Peak, who have been badly hit by the pandemic?
Support for University Students: Covid-19 — House of Commons, 2021-02-03
Topic: Social Welfare
Michelle Emma May Elizabeth Donelan (Conservative, Centre-right): I can, indeed. I urge all students, including those who originate from High Peak, who have been disadvantaged by the pandemic and find themselves in hardship, to approach their university and apply for this fund, which is exactly designed to target those who have found themselves in hardship and to put money in their pockets and assist them at this difficult time.
Support for University Students: Covid-19 — House of Commons, 2021-02-03
Topic: Education
Mark James Harper (Conservative, Centre-right): Can I ask the Minister to say a few more words about the quality of teaching that is being provided? She said in her earlier answers that the Office for Students was monitoring the quality of that education carefully. I have looked at its website, but what it does not seem to do is publish any information on what it is finding about the quality of that education. Can she update the House, based on her conversations with the Office for Students, about her assessment of the extent to which universities are maintaining the quality of the education they are delivering?
Support for University Students: Covid-19 — House of Commons, 2021-02-03
Topic: Education
Michelle Emma May Elizabeth Donelan (Conservative, Centre-right): University lecturers and university support staff have worked really hard to maintain the quality of provision, but I am under no illusions about the fact that some students feel they are not getting that quality or that quantity, and that is exactly why we have a process in place. That includes monitoring by the Office for Students, and the fact that students or parents—or teachers, in fact—can report concerns that they have to the Office for Students to review them. I will speak to the Office for Students about the transparency and approach of its findings.
Support for University Students: Covid-19 — House of Commons, 2021-02-03
Topic: Education
Michelle Emma May Elizabeth Donelan (Conservative, Centre-right): The funding we have announced is for three months only—that is, £70 million spread over three months. It is my understanding that it is not the same case in Wales. That is in addition to the £256 million that we unlocked, and also on top of that is the money that universities themselves have allocated.
Support for University Students: Covid-19 — House of Commons, 2021-02-03
Topic: Education
Michelle Emma May Elizabeth Donelan (Conservative, Centre-right): We continue to monitor the situation to see how long this will last and the impact the money we have allocated is having on students. Our priority was to put money into the pockets of those most in need and those who have been impacted the most by this pandemic, but I am more than happy to continue talking to my hon. Friend and any other colleague on this very subject.
Support for University Students: Covid-19 — House of Commons, 2021-02-03
Topic: Education
Michelle Emma May Elizabeth Donelan (Conservative, Centre-right): We continue to monitor the situation, but removing the debt would not help students here and now, who we know are facing challenges as a result of this pandemic. That needs to be our priority, so that they can continue to study. They can then qualify in those subjects and go on to the rest of their lives. As I have said to other colleagues, I am more than happy to talk to the hon. Member about this subject.
Support for University Students: Covid-19 — House of Commons, 2021-02-03
Topic: Education
Neil Peter Hammerton Hudson (Conservative, Centre-right): I very much welcome this important support package to help our students in these difficult times. As someone who has worked in higher education for many years, both teaching and supporting students, I know first-hand the stresses and strains our students face, and not least the mental health issues many experience. That has been brought into sharp relief in the pandemic. Can my hon. Friend reassure students and their families that institutions are providing suitable mental health and pastoral support to students both onsite and remotely, and that the Government are working to help institutions to do that?
Support for University Students: Covid-19 — House of Commons, 2021-02-03
Topic: Education
Michelle Emma May Elizabeth Donelan (Conservative, Centre-right): This is something I am particularly passionate about. At every stage, I have reiterated to institutions the importance of mental health and wellbeing provision, and moving that online. Equally, I know that higher education institutions are passionate about providing that level of support. We have worked with the Office for Students to launch Student Space, which is a £3 million project designed specifically to fill in some of the gaps that may have been exposed during the pandemic. I have established a higher education working group to ensure that students are aware of the support available and to boost it.
Support for University Students: Covid-19 — House of Commons, 2021-02-03
Topic: Education
Michelle Emma May Elizabeth Donelan (Conservative, Centre-right): I have seen many examples of innovative and dynamic tuition throughout this period, but we have been clear that we expect quality, quantity and accessibility. I know that some will feel they have not got that, and that is why the process is designed to look at individual student cases on a case-by-case basis.
Support for University Students: Covid-19 — House of Commons, 2021-02-03
Topic: Education
David Mervyn Johnston (Conservative, Centre-right): I welcome the additional money that the Government are providing today, but given that nearly all our universities charge the maximum fee every year, they all should be able to provide at least some support to ease the burden on students at this time. Part of the reason that they are not all doing so is that some of them went into the pandemic with finances that were not quite working, whether because their administration costs were too high or they were overly reliant on international student fees. Does my hon. Friend agree that when we get to the other side of the pandemic, some universities need to look at how they can be more financially resilient, so that they can all provide the support that students deserve?
Support for University Students: Covid-19 — House of Commons, 2021-02-03
Topic: Education
Michelle Emma May Elizabeth Donelan (Conservative, Centre-right): Our information shows that the sector has been working hard and taking strong action to control costs, protect its cashflow and put in place contingency loan facilities to deal with the pandemic. A recent report in December by the Office for Students showed that the sector in aggregate was in fact healthy.
Support for University Students: Covid-19 — House of Commons, 2021-02-03
Topic: Education
Michelle Emma May Elizabeth Donelan (Conservative, Centre-right): We know that the pandemic has had an impact on student finances, including those of international students. Let me be clear: no students, no matter their origin, should be left in hardship. That is why the £256 million, the £20 million in December and the £50 million that we announced yesterday can be used for international students. I urge any students who find themselves in hardship to go to their university and seek help.
Support for University Students: Covid-19 — House of Commons, 2021-02-03
Topic: Education
Michelle Emma May Elizabeth Donelan (Conservative, Centre-right): We urge all accommodation providers, especially the large providers, to be as flexible as they possibly can and to have students’ best interests at heart, and we have seen the likes of Unite come forward and do that. The hardship funding we have allocated will help those who find themselves in hardship and not able to access any flexibility from their accommodation provider.
Support for University Students: Covid-19 — House of Commons, 2021-02-03
Topic: Social Welfare
Scott Lloyd Benton (Conservative, Centre-right): Many of the students from Blackpool who are attending university will come from some of the poorest households in the entire country and will now face various additional costs relating to accommodation, access to learning materials and the loss of earnings. What steps is my hon. Friend taking to ensure that the additional support, which is to be welcomed, is focused on those who really need it?
Support for University Students: Covid-19 — House of Commons, 2021-02-03
Topic: Education
Michelle Emma May Elizabeth Donelan (Conservative, Centre-right): The money that we have allocated will go to the Office for Students and then be allocated to universities, which we believe are best placed to make those decisions. Students should go to their university to raise concerns regarding hardship. The money provided is designed to put funds into the pockets of those who most need it now, as a direct result of the pandemic.
Support for University Students: Covid-19 — House of Commons, 2021-02-03
Topic: Education
Michelle Emma May Elizabeth Donelan (Conservative, Centre-right): I am actively working with the higher education sector, and at a weekly taskforce meeting we discuss these very topics—how we can catch up and ensure that all students are able to graduate on time, at a world-class level, and go on to the next stage in their lives.
Support for University Students: Covid-19 — House of Commons, 2021-02-03
Topic: Education
Ben Everitt (Conservative, Centre-right): My hon. Friend will no doubt be aware that Milton Keynes is home to the trailblazing Open University, which has helped over 2.2 million learners achieve their learning goals through remote and virtual education since it was set up in 1969. Now that the rest of the sector is catching up with Milton Keynes, perhaps she might give me some assurances that the expectation is the same as with the Open University—that the number of teaching hours, the quality of the courses and the learning outcomes must be the same for virtual provision.
Support for University Students: Covid-19 — House of Commons, 2021-02-03
Topic: Education
Michelle Emma May Elizabeth Donelan (Conservative, Centre-right): I, too, am a massive fan of the Open University and the way that it has allowed higher education in this country to be much more flexible and accessible for all. I completely agree with my hon. Friend that all universities need to adhere to our expectation of quality, quantity and accessibility, but it is important to state that university staff have been working tirelessly to deliver that through very challenging times.
Support for University Students: Covid-19 — House of Commons, 2021-02-03
Topic: Education
Michelle Emma May Elizabeth Donelan (Conservative, Centre-right): I certainly am not responsible for the Budget, so I could not comment on that, but I do work very closely with my Welsh counterpart on issues pertaining not only to students but to the sector at large, in ensuring that we are co-ordinated on our approach.
Exiting the European Union (Sanctions) — House of Commons, 2021-02-03
Topic: International Affairs
James Spencer Cleverly (Conservative, Centre-right): I beg to move, That the Bosnia and Herzegovina (Sanctions) (EU Exit) Regulations 2020 (S.I., 2020, No. 608), dated 18 June 2020, a copy of which was laid before this House on 22 June, be approved.
Exiting the European Union (Sanctions) — House of Commons, 2021-02-03
Topic: International Affairs
Nigel Martin Evans (Conservative, Centre-right): With this we will take the following motions: That the Burundi (Sanctions) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019 (S.I., 2019, No. 1142), dated 18 July 2019, a copy of which was laid before this House on 19 July 2019, in the last Parliament, be approved That the Cyber (Sanctions) (EU Exit) Regulations 2020 (S.I., 2020, No. 597), dated 15 June 2020, a copy of which was laid before this House on 17 June, be approved That the Guinea (Sanctions) (EU Exit) Regulations 2019 (S.I., 2019, No. 1145), dated 18 July 2019, a copy of which was laid before this House on 19 July 2019, in the last Parliament, be approved That the Misappropriation (Sanctions) (EU Exit) Regulations 2020 (S.I., 2020, No. 1468), dated 7 December 2020, a copy of which was laid before this House on 9 December, be approved That the Nicaragua (Sanctions) (EU Exit) Regulations 2020 (S.I., 2020, No. 610), dated 18 June 2020, a copy of which was laid before this House on 22 June, be approved That the Sanctions (EU Exit) (Miscellaneous Amendments) (No. 2) Regulations 2020 (S.I., 2020, No. 590), dated 11 June 2020, a copy of which was laid before this House on 15 June, be approved That the Sanctions (EU Exit) (Miscellaneous Amendments) (No. 4) Regulations 2020 (S.I., 2020, No. 951), dated 3 September 2020, a copy of which was laid before this House on 8 September, be approved That the Unauthorised Drilling Activities in the Eastern Mediterranean (Sanctions) (EU Exit) Regulations 2020 (S.I., 2020, No. 1474), dated 7 December 2020, a copy of which was laid before this House on 11 December, be approved.