Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of scholarships offered by the Chinese Government for universities in the UK on freedom of speech.

The UK welcomes international partnerships and students, including from China, who make a very positive impact on the UK’s higher education (HE) sector, our economy and society as a whole. However, we will always protect our national security interests, human rights and values.

All registered English HE providers have a duty to protect freedom of speech under the Education (No.2) Act 1986. They are also subject to registration conditions from the Office for Students (OfS) which requires them to uphold public interest governance principles, including securing freedom of speech within the law, academic freedom and accountability, such as operating openly and with integrity. The OfS can take action if it identifies a breach of this provision.

The UK government is carrying out an audit to examine the UK's interests with respect to China to improve our ability to understand and respond to the challenges and opportunities China poses. The audit is being conducted as a cross-government exercise, led by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.