Question to the Department for Education:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the capacity of UK universities to meet increased demand for science and engineering degree programmes, and what steps they are taking to ensure that the availability of university places aligns with demand.

Universities are autonomous institutions and are therefore responsible for curriculum development and capacity planning. It is primarily for individual institutions to assess and manage their capacity to meet student demand for specific programmes, including those in science and engineering.

The government recognises the critical importance of science and engineering degree programmes in driving the UK's innovation and economic growth. We have recently announced that for the 2025/26 financial year we will be investing £845 million via the Strategic Priorities Grant in high-cost subject funding, which supports universities to deliver courses in various priority subjects, including science and engineering.

Skills England is the new national body for skills and it will play a crucial role in identifying skills needs and meeting those to support economic growth. Skills England will work closely with the higher education sector to identify and address local, regional and national skills priorities, including the science and engineering provision that is strategically important for our country.