Select committee: Scottish Affairs Committee
Conclusion 85
First Report - Universities and Scotland
Published 28 May 2021
Addressed to Scotland Office
Scottish Affairs Committee Universities and Scotland All items in this report Report on parliament.uk ↗ Inquiry on parliament.uk ↗
Conclusion (the committee's words)
On 26 December 2020, two days after the EU-UK Trade and Cooperation Agreement was reached, the UK Government announced a new scheme for students to study and work abroad that would “replace the UK’s participation in Erasmus+”.202 Along with the announcement, the Government said: • The scheme will provide funding [£110 million203] for around 35,000 students in universities, colleges and schools to go on placements and exchanges overseas, starting in September 2021. • The scheme will target students from disadvantaged backgrounds and areas which did not previously have many students benefiting from Erasmus+, making life-changing opportunities accessible to everyone across the country. • The scheme will provide similar opportunities for students to study and work abroad as the Erasmus+ programme but it will include countries across the world and aims to deliver greater value for money to taxpayers. • UK organisations will be invited to bid into the scheme in early 2021. Successful applications will receive funding for administering the scheme and students taking part will receive grants to help them with the costs of their international experience. 198 Q149 199 “Why has the UK ditched participation in Erasmus+?”, University World News, 1 January 2021 200 Oral evidence taken before the Committee on the Future Relationship with the European Union on 17 December 2020, HC (2019–21) 203, Q1076 [Hilary Benn] 201 Oral evidence taken before the Committee on the Future Relationship with the European Union on 11 March 2020, HC (2019–21) 203, Q51 [Jane Stevenson] 202 “New Turing scheme to support thousands of students to study and work abroad”, HM Government, 26 December 2020 203 HMG, ‘New £110m Truing Scheme to support thousands of UK students to study and work abroad’, accessed 15 April 2021 36 Universities and Scotland • The benefits of the exchanges to schools and colleges will be assessed and the learnings used to build on future schemes. Funding decisions for subsequent yea
From: Scottish Affairs Committee, First Report - Universities and Scotland (HC 54), 28 May 2021
Government response
The government responded to the whole report on 27 April 2022 (deadline 28 July 2021).
Summary written by Accountability Index from the government's response. It is not the government's own words.The government's response sets out continued work with the devolved administrations and existing UK-wide policies on international students, immigration, research funding and talent, and states it will submit a response to the earlier Immigration and Scotland report "shortly".
- On the Turing Scheme, it confirmed funding for three years, including "£110 million for the 2022/23 Academic Year". It states the scheme "prioritises pupils, students and learners over staff and inward mobility funding", and says the first year's impact will be evaluated.
- On Erasmus+, it states that President Von Der Leyen "has previously confirmed that association by part of a country is not legally possible".
- On UKRI, it states that Board appointees "are not recruited to represent any constituency, sector or regional grouping", while a legal requirement to have regard to research conditions in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland is taken into account. It says Research England's place on the Executive Committee reflects its status as a legal component of UKRI.
- On visa costs, it states that "UK visa fees are broadly in line with our competitors" and that it will "continue to keep visa fees under review".