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

To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the changes that have placed responsibility for universities within the Department for Education and the responsibility for research, including for the research councils and Innovate UK with the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how they plan to ensure that businesses and the university sector work closely together to maintain the UK's research and science base, and to make the UK an attractive place to innovate.

This Government has demonstrated its commitment to the UK’s research and science base, protecting £4.7bn funding in real terms at the Spending Review. Our proposals set out in the Higher Education and Research Bill will meet Sir Paul Nurse’s ambition to strengthen strategic leadership and maximise the benefit from the Government’s investment in research and innovation.

A single minister for Universities and Science whose portfolio spans both departments will ensure coherence and integration across universities, research councils and Innovate UK and have a strong input into our industrial strategy.