Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of expanding the Boulby Underground Laboratory to host the XLZD experiment on the economy in (a) Yorkshire and (b) the North East.

The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology has not made a specific assessment of the potential economic impact of expanding the Boulby Underground Laboratory to host the XLZD experiment on the economies of Yorkshire or the North East.

The Department recognises the role of Boulby Underground Laboratory as the UK’s deep underground science facility, and the contribution it makes to the local area. STFC have invested over £30 million in the laboratory and the research taking place there over the last ten years alone.

All investments are based on an analysis of scientific and economic impact, as well as wider portfolio balance. Broader UKRI investment decisions will be announced in due course.