Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government, following their statement on 1 August that the overseas transparency provisions of the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act 2023 “will remain under review while the government assesses the impact of the recently-introduced Foreign Influence Registration Scheme” (FIRS), what assessment they have made of whether FIRS provides sufficient safeguards against undue overseas influence on academic freedom.

The government is clear that foreign interference is unacceptable, and providers are already required to ensure that decisions are taken without direction, coercion or covert influence. Universities are already required by the Office for Students (OfS) to resist any external state threats to academic freedom, and the regulator already has the power to access funding records and take robust action, where it is relevant.

Earlier this year the government strengthened responsibilities for universities on free speech and academic freedom. OfS guidance supporting these requirements published in June made it explicitly clear that universities must resist external state threats to academic freedom, and that suppression of research because of the disapproval of a foreign government is unacceptable in practically any circumstances.

The department is supporting higher education providers to improve international due diligence and raise sector awareness of both foreign interference risks and relevant best practice. This work is underway, alongside evaluation of the implementation of the Foreign Influence Registration Scheme, a new scheme which fully came into effect on the 1 October 2025.

We will keep the overseas funding provisions under review and will act in the event that evidence indicates further transparency reporting is necessary.