Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the letter from the Deputy Director of the Department of Education’s Disadvantage and International Directorate dated 24 October, what consideration they have given to replacing “does not include” with “includes” in section 7 of the European University Institute (EU Exit) Regulations 2022.

While the UK’s membership of the European University Institute (EUI) convention ceased on exit of the EU, the department put in place an extension of its previous arrangements with the EUI beyond the end of the transition period, until 31 December 2022. This was to protect the status of UK-linked staff and students at the EUI, so that they could continue in their posts and with their studies while options for a future relationship with the EUI were considered.

Long standing government policy is to only grant privileges and immunities where there is a demonstrated and robust functional need for the running of the institution and never solely for personal benefit. In this case, in the absence of a negotiated international treaty compelling the government to do so, the department is unable to continue to grant privileges and immunities to EUI staff and students, including the UK linked ones.

The saving of the income tax privilege and the legal proceedings immunity for current staff is as considered appropriate and/or intended to give a reasonable period for those staff at the EUI to adjust, and they will be saved in relation to the current term of the staff member’s employment contract without extension.