Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of a levy on international student fees on UK university-led Research and Development capacity.

In the Immigration White Paper, the government committed to exploring a levy on international student fees. At this stage, no decisions have been taken on the size or implementation of any proposed levy by DfE. As such, DSIT has not made any formal assessment on the impact of university led R&D. If implemented, the levy would ensure that revenue from international students is more widely shared, and their contributions felt throughout our communities. We are committed to engaging the sector on the design of any potential levy and want to understand specific concerns providers have as early as possible.