Question

To ask Her Majesty’s Government which department in which administration based where is responsible for all aspects of the funding and operations of the two universities in Northern Ireland.

The Northern Ireland Department for Employment and Learning has responsibility for higher education in Northern Ireland, including providing institutional funding for research.

In addition, as the UK operates a dual support system for funding research in universities, the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, through Research Councils UK, competitively provides grants for individual research projects and programmes across the UK.