Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of findings of research connections between Chinese organisations responsible for committing genocide against the Uyghur people and UK universities; and what steps they are taking to address such findings.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The UK’s research sector is independent, and free to make decisions on research collaborations within the limits of the law. Her Majesty’s Government supports the sector to make informed decisions on international research collaboration through published advice and is currently recruiting a team of field advisors to work directly with institutions.
We continue to work closely with the sector to provide advice, promote best practice, and to respond to specific inquiries. While we encourage international collaboration, we do not support research work that enables abuses of human rights.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the granting of UK Research and Innovation money to an academic at the University of Birmingham researching the impact of UK parliamentarians' remarks on international relations with China.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) funds research across a range of social disciplines including the economic, political and social sciences.
The Government is bound by the Haldane principle in the 2017 Higher Education and Research Act which says that: “decisions on individual research proposals are best taken following an evaluation of the quality and likely impact of the proposals (such as a peer review process).” The Government stands by the Haldane Principle and recognises that decisions about individual projects are best left to experts in the field. As such, Government does not have a role in deciding the awarding of grants to specific research activities.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the partnership between the University of Liverpool's Department of Computer Science and the Chinese company NeuSoft; and whether any research projects involving NeuSoft have received funding from UK Research and Innovation in the last five years.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government supports decisions on international research collaborations through the Trusted Research campaign. Additionally, BEIS is establishing a Research Collaboration Advice Team which will work directly with institutions to help embed best practice.
Research partnerships must remain within the limits of the law and the government reserves the right to intervene where they are not in the national interest or breach domestic or international law.
UKRI has not directly funded any research projects involving Neusoft in the past 5 years.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Callanan on 2 November (HL3659), whether they can provide a breakdown of the 60 titles within Greater London where the registered owner is the People's Republic of China; and if so, in which London borough each is located.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
HM Land Registry is unable to provide this information.
Further details about the information that HM Land Registry holds, what is publicly available, and how it can be obtained, is set out online via the GOV.UK website.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many enterprises owned by the government of China (1) have contracts with Her Majesty's Government, and (2) are in receipt of UK research grants.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government does not make research grant awards to enterprises owned by foreign governments. UKRI takes independent decisions on the distribution of research grants between eligible UK higher education institutions and research establishments, which may themselves collaborate with international partners.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the acquisition of semiconductor manufacturer Newport Wafer Fab (NWF), by a Chinese company, in particular in the light of (1) the previous funding of the company by Her Majesty’s Government to undertake defence research, and (2) the efforts by the government of the United States of America to limit the role of Chinese companies in national technological infrastructure.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
As my Rt. Hon. Friend the Prime Minister said at the Liaison Committee on 7 July 2021, the National Security Adviser is reviewing the case. It would be inappropriate to comment until the review has concluded.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Callanan on 2 November (HL3262), what details they can provide regarding the 60 titles within the Greater London boundary where the registered owner is the People's Republic of China.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
HM Land Registry holds information on registered titles in England and Wales. The type of information available includes the title register which records who owns the property or land and any rights of way, the title number which is the unique number given to a property or piece of land, and the title plan which shows the property or land’s location and boundaries.
Further details about the information that HM Land Registry holds, and how publicly available information can be obtained is set out online via the GOV.UK website.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the amount of property owned in London by (1) the government of China, and (2) officials in the government of Hong Kong.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
HM Land Registry registers legal ownership, interests, mortgages and other secured loans against land and property in England and Wales.
The Register of Title does not record the nationality or employment status of individual title owners of land or property.
The Register of Title records information where a non-UK Government is the registered owner, and the People’s Republic of China is the registered owner of 60 titles in the Greater London boundary.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the takeover of Newport Wafer Fab by Nexperia; and whether they used the powers granted by the National Security and Investment Act 2021 in relation to this takeover.
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
The Government has considered this transaction thoroughly. We do not comment on the detail of commercial transactions or of national security assessments. The Government will continue to monitor the situation closely and will not hesitate to take action if needed.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the conclusion in the report by King's College London and the Harvard Kennedy School The China question: managing risks and maximising benefits from partnership in higher education and research, published on 9 March, that "the UK’s dependence on a neototalitarian technology power for the financial health and research output of its universities is now regarded as a particular point of vulnerability".
Answered by Lord Callanan - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Energy Security and Net Zero)
Universities are well aware of the possible risks associated with dependence on a single source of funding, whether that is from a single organisation or from a single nation. A diverse recruitment base is key to avoiding this. The Government’s International Education Strategy and recent update make clear that the internationalisation of our higher education sector cannot come at any cost – universities must ensure they have appropriate processes in place to manage risk. Government has recently issued guidance to the Office for Students, requesting they monitor the financial sustainability of institutions and continue to support the sector to recruit sustainably.