Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Minister of State, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, what assessment he has made of the reasons for applicants for research places at Newcastle University waiting longer than five months for an Academic Technology Approval Scheme certificate.

The UK takes seriously its responsibility towards countering the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and advanced conventional military technology. The Academic Technology Approval Scheme is a thorough, necessary and proportionate tool to protect UK research from misappropriation and divergence to military programmes of concern. As reflected in our guidance, processing takes at least 30 working days. While the majority of cases are processed within this time, more complex cases can take longer, in order to ensure that a thorough assessment can be carried out.