To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether she made an assessment of the potential impact on university (a) finances and (b) research of the proposed new taxes on air travel before the Prime Minister announced on 20 September 2023 that this proposal would not go ahead.

The Secretary of State has not made a direct assessment of the potential impact on university (a) finances and (b) research of the proposed new taxes on air travel before the Prime Minister announced on 20 September 2023 that this proposal would not go ahead.

The Office for Students (OfS) is the independent regulator for the higher education sector in England, and is responsible for monitoring and reporting on its financial sustainability. The Secretary of State, departmental officials and I continue to work closely with the OfS and various parties including mission groups, providers, and other government departments as appropriate, to understand the ongoing impacts and changing landscape of financial sustainability in the sector.