Question to the Wales Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, pursuant to the Answer of 4 January 2018 to Question 205241, what discussions he has had Bangor University on the proposed closure of its chemistry department; and if he will he make a statement.

I share your concern around the proposed closure of the Chemistry department at Bangor University and the impact this could have on Welsh language provision of undergraduate chemistry courses.

The Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Wales Nigel Adams MP has spoken with the Dean of Environmental Sciences and Engineering at Bangor University on this issue, and I am planning a number of trips to Welsh universities over the coming months. The University has provided assurances that students currently studying at the university will be unaffected and we will raise concerns of future provision with the Vice Chancellors and the Welsh Government’s Education Minister.