Blackpool South MP's concern at sharing of student's data

The Labour MP and Shadow Education Minister is concerned that the data was due to be handed over by the Office for Students to private companies and other organisations without students’ permission.

It could include such things as academic progress, mental and physical health and earnings.

Labour has tabled an Early Day Motion to discuss the move which could have gone ahead automatically. The Government has now said it will debate the issue.

But Gordon Marsden said the Government had tried to sneak this through Parliament. He said: “There is nothing we know of to stop that data being passed on or sold on to another company.

“There is not much point talking about people being in control of their own data if you have government blindly handing over masses of personal data to large companies without any of us knowing the terms under which it is handed to them, how much money they will earn from it and what they will do with it.”

The Office for Students would have been able to share data with such organisations as the Student Loans Company, HMRC and education firm Pearson without students permission.