Peter Kyle (Hove) (Lab)
The University of Sussex down in Brighton gets £9 million of funding from the European Union. The leave campaign was very clear that that funding would be replaced by British Government funding after Brexit. Will the Minister get to his feet and guarantee that that funding will continue? If not, will he bring his brother down to Brighton to explain directly to students why the door of education is going to be slammed in their faces?
Joseph Johnson
This Government, more than any other, understand the importance of science funding. That is why we have protected science spending until the end of the Parliament—a decade of real-terms protection. Our universities and institutes can continue today to apply for EU competitive funding streams under Horizon 2020, and I am sure they will continue to be successful in the future.
[Official Report, 28 June 2016, Vol. 612, c. 140.]
Letter of correction from Joseph Johnson.
An error has been identified in the response I gave to the hon. Member for Hove (Peter Kyle) during Oral Questions to the Secretary of State for Education.
The correct response should have been:
Joseph Johnson
This Government, more than any other, understand the importance of science funding. That is why we have protected science spending until the end of the Parliament—a decade of protection. Our universities and institutes can continue today to apply for EU competitive funding streams under Horizon 2020, and I am sure they will continue to be successful in the future.