International Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Students (S&T Committee Report)

Earl of Dundee Excerpts

Thursday 19th March 2015 Lords Chamber

[The Earl of Dundee (Con)]

My Lords, all of us will be grateful to the noble Lord, Lord Krebs, for introducing this debate. We have also heard from the noble Earl, Lord Kinnoull, in what was an excellent maiden speech. The House is very fortunate that he has joined us and to be able to look forward to his future contributions.

To attract here students of these subjects, in particular those from overseas, I would like to make a few brief points. There is an obvious need: to increase foreign student numbers which have been declining; to make them feel welcome and thus also, in the first place, to simplify their process of application for entry; to encourage them to stay to find employment with UK businesses and industry; for proper monitoring of our policies and assessments of their results—these to be viewed against those of our competitor countries; and for our Government to be alert to other associated and constructive expedients—for science, technology and mathematics not least would such include the considerable scope, to mutual advantage, for student exchanges between United Kingdom institutions and those elsewhere.

The noble Lord, Lord Krebs, mentioned falling numbers; my noble friend the Minister may point out that there has been a slight recovery. This can be noticed in recent figures for Indian students coming here. There have also been useful government missions to build up trade and investment between the United Kingdom and India. That apart, there is still a much reduced number of students coming here from India and other states.

Several aspects may put off foreign students, and each of these is in our power to change. There is a need for greater clarity in the publication of immigration statistics. So far, our presentations do not sufficiently distinguish student figures from those of all other immigrants. This category is overseas students in possession of tier 4 visas. Does my noble friend the Minister agree that clear publication of their numbers as a separate immigration component would achieve two purposes: first, the removal of a government policy anomaly, where a Government restrict general immigration on one hand yet seek to increase student immigration on the other; and, secondly, that it would serve to help reverse the impression of many potential overseas students, to which many of your Lordships have referred, that they are unwelcome in the United Kingdom?

Foreign students are discouraged as well by unnecessary remaining complications within the application process itself. There is a strong case, therefore, for its simplification and streamlining, and the Select Committee has recommended that. Might the Government perhaps pursue this recommendation?

The Government have introduced a scheme for foreign students to stay on as graduate entrepreneurs. This is to be welcomed. It also connects to arrangements for students to complete PhDs and for corporate interns. Nevertheless, as the noble Lord, Lord Krebs, and others have stressed, the Select Committee has expressed much concern about the government scheme that has replaced it, named post-study work. It recommends that the Government should reinstate the latter. Does my noble friend concur that, if combined, the PSW and graduate entrepreneurs scheme together would send out a very positive message? Thereby, foreign students would have much greater opportunity than they do now to prolong their studies and to take up employment with United Kingdom business and industry.

We also need frequent reviews of the effect of policies and of how our results compare with those of competitor countries. Does my noble friend support this? If so, might the Government introduce those constructive procedures for monitoring and assessments? Whether in the humanities or sciences, the pursuit of opportunities for student exchange is always worth while and to the advantage of all. It also reflects a paradox. In this case, it demonstrates how co-operation transcends competition while still retaining all the benefits of the latter. That comes from academic exchange and working synergies between universities and institutions in different countries. As a Council of Europe parliamentarian, it is a great privilege for me to have been asked to help with programmes for such exchanges between the United Kingdom and elsewhere.

At the same time, as the noble Earl, Lord Kinnoull, reminded us, the United Kingdom must not fall behind the standards of competitor countries, which equally seek to attract foreign students to their own economies. There is every good chance that we will not do so and, instead, build up very good practice. Meanwhile, and to that end, we are fortunate to be guided by this useful Select Committee report.