The Open University is an autonomous institution and it is for them to make decisions about how best to meet the needs of their students and structure their workforce. As such, I know that the Secretary of State has not held any meetings with the Open University regarding its use of a restricted countries list in its application process. I welcome, however, that higher education institutions are responsible for meeting their legal obligations under the Equality Act 2010. I know the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) is investigating whether the Open University is in breach of the Equality Act 2010 and I will continue to follow this matter closely.

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