Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what assessment his Department has made of the economic benefit of universities to the region in which they are located.

The Higher Education Funding Council for England published data on their website in October last year which explores the link between economic growth and higher education provision. This includes information on employment levels, higher education qualifications and graduate mobility. Universities UK have also produced a series of reports which examine the higher education sector’s contribution to the UK economy (“The impact of universities on the UK economy), with the most recent publication in 2014.