Asked by: Carol Monaghan (Scottish National Party - Glasgow North West)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what discussions he has had with EU counterparts on the continued participation of the UK in the Galileo project after the UK has left the EU.
Answered by Lord Johnson of Marylebone
This Government intends to secure the best possible outcome for the UK as we exit the European Union. The UK has played a major part in developing the main EU space programmes including Galileo. We would welcome an agreement to continue to collaborate with our European partners on major science, research, and technology initiatives; however it is too early to speculate on the UK’s future relationship with specific EU programmes and the Government will not be providing a commentary on each aspect of the negotiations.
Asked by: Carol Monaghan (Scottish National Party - Glasgow North West)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what plans his Department has to help fill potential skills shortages in junior doctor and teaching positions resulting from the £35,000 income requirement for settlement of Tier 2 skilled workers over the next five years.
Answered by Nick Boles
Health Education England is the NHS body responsible for planning and commissioning training places for medical and non-medical NHS staff. Health Education England do not accept that the £35,000 income requirement will lead to a skills shortage in junior doctors and their current workforce plan for medical training commissions forecasts an increase of over 11,000 consultants and doctors by 2020.
Applicants that have been granted Tier 2 visas enabling them to take on work or training within the UK cannot apply for settlement (Indefinite Leave to Remain) until they have been resident for 5 years. Whilst it is recognised that basic starting salaries for junior doctors may be below the £35,000 threshold, junior doctors also receive salary allowances. By the end of the 5 year period most will have progressed sufficiently and are likely to be above the required threshold, ensuring that only the brightest and best may apply to settle.
In respect of teaching positions, secondary education teachers from non EEA countries in the subjects of maths, chemistry and physics are on the shortage occupation list and thus are exempt from the £35,000 threshold.
At a national level we are retaining and recruiting the teachers we need to deliver educational excellence everywhere. We have more teachers in our schools than ever before and the number of teachers has kept pace with changing numbers of pupils. There are more than 450,000 teachers in schools throughout England – up more than 13,000 since 2010. We recognise, however, that the strengthening economy and growth in pupil numbers make the situation more challenging and that this is more acute in certain subjects and particular schools or areas of the country.
That is why; we have expanded schemes like Teach First and let schools take the lead in training the next generation of teachers; we are investing over £1.3 billion up to 2020 to attract new teachers into the profession and we continue to offer generous bursaries of up to £30,000 tax free in priority subjects.
Last year we announced a £67 million investment in STEM teaching in England to recruit up to 2,500 additional maths and physics teachers over the next 5 years as well as providing subject knowledge training in maths and physics to 15,000 non-specialist serving teachers.
Asked by: Carol Monaghan (Scottish National Party - Glasgow North West)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, whether there is a mechanism equivalent to the Cross-Council Funding Agreement to ensure fair peer review and transparency for research proposals crossing the border between the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council and the UK Space Agency.
Answered by Lord Johnson of Marylebone
The UK Space Agency and the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) follow the Cross-Council Funding Agreement.
Asked by: Carol Monaghan (Scottish National Party - Glasgow North West)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what proportion of Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council and UK Space Agency cross-boundary research proposals submitted through the Joint Electronic Submission System received funding in each of the last three years.
Answered by Lord Johnson of Marylebone
In the last financial year one cross-boundary research proposal was considered for co-funding by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) and the UK Space Agency. This proposal was discussed at the relevant EPSRC funding panel and was awarded funding. In the two years prior, no proposals were received which were considered for co-funding in this respect.
Asked by: Carol Monaghan (Scottish National Party - Glasgow North West)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what proportion of research proposals submitted through the Joint Electronic Submission System which have been judged to cross the boundary between the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council and the UK Space Agency have gone through to peer review.
Answered by Lord Johnson of Marylebone
The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) runs a remit query service which enables researchers to discuss proposals in advance with the UK Space Agency (UKSA) should they consider their research idea to fall between discipline boundaries. This enables research council staff, and those from UKSA, to agree on which agency or council is best placed to carry out peer review to assess the merits of the proposal. Where a proposal is cross-disciplinary, UKSA and EPSRC work together to agree a leading council/agency to carry out peer review functions, with reviewers selected from both organisations. There has been one project in the last three years which was submitted to EPSRC through Je-S and was assessed by programme managers as cross boundary. The proposal went through the peer review process and was funded.
Asked by: Carol Monaghan (Scottish National Party - Glasgow North West)
Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, what mechanism exists to ensure that research proposals which have been judged to cross the boundary between the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council and the UK Space Agency proceed to peer review.
Answered by Lord Johnson of Marylebone
Staff in the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), the other research councils and the UK Space Agency (UKSA) discuss research proposals on a case-by-case basis where there is cross-disciplinarity between organisational boundaries. The EPSRC operates a remit query service to assist applicants in establishing the best council for their submission. Where a proposal is received by EPSRC without using this remit service, EPSRC identify and discuss the proposal with the most relevant organisation to ensure that, where applicable, co-funding can be secured and that appropriate reviewers can be requested to cover the breadth of research disciplines covered in the proposal. Following supportive peer review the proposal would then, in the case of EPSRC, be tabled at an appropriate funding panel for authorisation or rejection in open competition with other proposals.