Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, pursuant to the Answer of 18 December 2018 to Question 202141 on UK Research and Innovation: Per Capita Costs, what assessment he has made of the disparities in per head funding for R&D throughout the (a) regions and (b) constituent parts of the UK.

The Government wants to increase R&D investment across the country – from both the public and private sector. That is why, as part of the Industrial Strategy, we announced our commitment to increasing R&D investment to 2.4% of GDP by 2027 and, this year, launched UK Research & Innovation’s Strength in Places Fund which will fund Research and Innovation projects which support local growth and productivity.

I refer the hon. Member to answers I gave her to Question 202141 on 18 December 2018 and Question 203451 on 28 December 2018, which include a table of expenditures per head of population in each region and nation of the UK.